The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center is a cultural complex located in Baku, Azerbaijan, named after the former President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. The complex was designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.In 2007, Zaha Hadid Architects won the competition to design the Heydar Aliyev Center, a complex destined to become an excellence on a national scale. In contrast to the rigid and often monumental Soviet architecture that predominates in Baku, the centre aspires to become a model of the sensitivity of Azerbaijani civilisation and the optimism of a nation oriented towards the future.
The Heydar Aliyev Center stands out in terms of design for the fluidity and continuity with which the interiors connect and blend with the surrounding square. As well as acting as the zero level of the complex, the square is distinguished by its high level of permeability with the surrounding urban fabric and delimits the internal environment, which is also public, marking out an enfilade of spaces for events intended for collective celebrations of traditional and contemporary Azerbaijani culture. A series of undulations, bifurcations, folds and inflections shape the square, transforming it into a true multifunctional architectural landscape, designed primarily to welcome and guide visitors between the various floors of the building. In this way, the centre blurs the conventional dividing line between architectural object and urban landscape, building envelope and town square, figure and background, interior and exterior. The cultural centre houses a conference hall with three auditoriums, a library and a museum. The project aims to play a key role in the intellectual life of the city. Located close to the city center, the site is crucial to the redevelopment of Baku.
