"The New World Exhibition" Marks 15 Years of Zaha Hadid Architects' Work in China

The Beijing Guardian Art Center is hosting a collection of works, “The New World Exhibition” by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), to mark the firm’s 15th anniversary of working in China. The New World Exhibition highlights the firm’s contributions to the realms of architecture and urbanization.
Also included is a history of ZHA’s development as an organization, beginning with the founding of its initial headquarters in China. This exhibition highlights the studio’s innovative use of digital design technologies and tools to demonstrate the studio’s methodology for completing various projects.

The New World Exhibition

Zaha Hadid stated back in 1983, “The rapid advancement of technology and our constantly shifting way of life had produced a profoundly new and thrilling background for architecture. In this new world setting, I believe we must reexamine Modernism’s failed and unproven experiments – not to restore them, but to bring out fresh concepts.”

“The New World Exhibition” exemplifies the depth of investigation and various approaches that characterize ZHA’s work in this setting. It delves into how ZHA has reduced its carbon footprint without sacrificing the quality of its buildings by experimenting with innovative design, construction methods, and high-performance materials. The exhibition also displays technology helping to facilitate this shift, such as new digital design tools, robots, 3D printing, AI, and VR.

The Guangzhou Opera House, completed in 2010, was ZHA’s first building in China. Since then, 14 innovative Chinese structures have opened to the public, such as the Daxing International Airport and the Leeza SOHO tower in Beijing. In the New World exhibition, visitors may look back at these historic buildings, and across the country, 25 more ZHA projects are currently in the works.
ZHA’s information-packed and socially engaged metaverse virtual architecture is also on display. Using a combination of high-speed network, 3D, and multiplayer online video game creation tools, ZHA creates virtual settings with a strong focus on interaction and participation. ZHA’s online communities serve as a platform for international dialogue.

There are ten distinct sections of the New World Exhibition, all of which feature different aspects of the studio’s output. It takes on contemporary society’s complexities with flowing shapes grounded in the laws of nature. ZHA works with top universities and labs worldwide to advance building techniques via rigorous study and innovation.
Furthermore, they utilize data analytics and agent-driven modeling to improve personal and societal well-being, particularly emphasizing tactics and materials that contribute to the environment. The studio aims to provide a suitably constructed environment for every future generation.

Similarly, city officials in Vilnius, Lithuania, have officially green-lit Zaha Hadid’s Central Business District Stadium. The site will have various uses, including office space, medical facilities, and health centers, making it a new community hub.
The studio also created the design for the Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, which will play host to this year’s 81st World Science Fiction Convention. Finally, the new football stadium in Aarhus, Denmark, has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in partnership with engineering consultants Sweco and landscape architect Tredje Natur.