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file:///C|/Documents and Settings/Osama/Desktop/flasha/Dezeen » Blog Archive » Cairo Expo City by Zaha Hadid Architects.htm[13/10/2009 09:55:20 ‫]ﺹ‬
meringue." Dezeen readers debate

Zaha's new Cairo project in their
usual intellectual way. Event reports
http://bit.ly/5oHY6 Milan 07
The topography of the Nile valley is the inspiration behind the
Dezeen: Last chance to win a copy of Design Indaba 07
Subway Art! Competition closes project’s fluid forms.
today: http://bit.ly/Y7UR5 Design Miami Basel 07
Dezeen: Iwan Baan's photos of the Int. Design Forum 07
High Line are raking in the visitors RCA summer show 07
today: http://bit.ly/N3dvV
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about how the punk movement London Design Festival 07
influenced him in our latest movie:
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Tokyo Design Week 07
Dezeen: New competition: five Dutch Design Week 07
copies of Reschbox interior design Design Miami 07
planning tool to be won (one for the
pros we think...) http://bit.ly/5E624 Venice Architecture Biennale
Dezeen: This week's most popular 08
stories are both by Japanese
architects Suppose Design Office. 1: Stockholm Design Week 08
http://bit.ly/vQEw8 2: Milan 08
http://bit.ly/vQEw8
Design Indaba 08
Design Miami Basel 08
The project, located between the city centre and the airport, will London architecture festival 08
provide a campus for exhibitions and conferences. New Designers 08
London Design Festival 08
Tokyo Designers Week 08
Dutch Design Week 08
Design Miami 08
Cologne 09
Stockholm Design Week 09
Design Indaba 09
Milan 09
DMY Berlin 09
Monthly Archive
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
See also our earlier story on The Stone Towers in Cairo by Zaha January 2009
Hadid Architects.
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
Here’s some info from the architects:
November 2007
– October 2007
September 2007
ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS WIN CAIRO EXPO CITY August 2007
COMPETITION
July 2007
After presenting the design to Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed June 2007
Nazif, Zaha Hadid Architects was announced as architects of the May 2007
new April 2007
Cairo Expo City. Zaha Hadid Architects will be designing Cairo
Expo City together with global multi-disciplinary engineering
March 2007
consultancy Buro Happold. February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
The winning design for Cairo Expo City delivers a unique facility
for Cairo - a 450,000 square metre, state of the art city for
exhibitions and
conferences, located between the centre of Cairo and the city’s
airport. The project comprises a major international exhibition and
conference
centre with business hotel. A further office tower and a shopping
centre are also proposed.
“This is a truly national project for Egypt.” said Sherif Salem, CEO
of the GOIEF (General Organization of International Exhibitions
and Fairs). “The current exhibition halls for Cairo do not meet the
standards now required by the international conference and

exhibition industry. With this exceptional design by Zaha Hadid
Architects, Cairo will be among the world’s top cities for
conferences and fairs, able to cater for the widest variety and size of
events.”
The undulating fluid forms of the Cairo Expo City design were
inspired by the natural topography of the Nile valley explained Zaha
Hadid.
“As the exhibition spaces require the greatest degree of flexibility,

we wanted to ensure that all the public spaces and formal
composition of Cairo Expo City relate to the surrounding Egyptian
landscape.” said Hadid. “Along the great rivers of the region, most
particularly the Nile, there is a powerful dynamic - a constant flow
between the water and the land - which extends to incorporate the
neighboring buildings and landscapes. For the Cairo Expo City
design, we worked to capture that seamlessness and fluidity in an
urban architectural context.”
Carving and sculpting processes have been used to divide the very
large exhibition and conference areas required for Cairo Expo City
into clusters of individual buildings that have their own formal
composition, yet each building relates to the overall design. A main
north-south artery is carved through the design, with secondary
streams converging at the centre to ease crowd traffic during event.
The movement of people within these streams informs the building
entrances on the site.
Zaha Hadid Architects was shortlisted with Norwegian architecture

practice Snohetta for the second phase of the competition in April.
Works will begin in October this year to clear the site.
Client: GOIEF (General Organization of International Exhibitions

and Fairs), Cairo
Design: Zaha Hadid Architects
Engineering: Buro Happold, London
Quantity Surveyor: Gleeds, London
Traffic and Logistics: Buro Happold, London
Built Area: 450,000sqm (exhibition halls, conference centre and

mixed-use areas)
Height of Towers: 33 and 31 storeys
Posted by Marcus Fairs
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42 Responses to “Cairo Expo City by Zaha Hadid

Architects”
Archandy Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
same same but different
rek Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Hmm, not a single air conditioner unit to be seen in the rendering.
I like Hadid’s aesthetic but I have to wonder what the projects look
like once utilities are hooked up.
I don’t want to sound negative though, this blog gets enough of

that.
Valeria Lie Alonso Says:

June 9th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Nice waves!
kolohe Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
seems like this one made it out half cooked…
michael Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
getting tired of al this whipped ceam…
Rex Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
AHHHH!!!!! make it STOP!!!!!
gab xiao Says:

June 9th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
It’s whipped cream indeed!!! whipped cream, rhino and
grasshopper - the LADY’s abusing of this diet lately. Does any of
you is fed up with it as I am?…
Oxotnic.gr Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
”The topography of the Nile valley is the inspiration behind the
project’s fluid forms.”???
Or ”Inspired by the movement of water, the designs are a formal

expression of the continuous flow of liquid”
Previous time it was: ”Inspired by the patterns and textures of

ancient Egyptian stonework”
Another one: ”The form draws inspiration from the organic shapes
of a starfish.”
Another: “Kloris” is inspired by the shapes of flower petals.”
Then again: ”Taking inspiration from complex natural geometries

such as flower petals and leaves”
Now try to find which one of all the fluid forms refers to a museum,
a tap, a city, a handbag, a pavilion and a bench. It’s all in dezeen…
jason Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Lol, whipped cream.
“The undulating fluid forms of the Cairo Expo City design were
inspired by the natural topography of the Nile valley explained Zaha
Hadid.”
^Ok, so everything she has done in the past few years was inspired
by the Nile, then…?
I’d much rather she say: “The undulating fluid forms were not
inspired by anything, this is kinda just what I do if you haven’t
noticed.”
It’s a decent looking building. I like it more than her other recent
stuff. There are so many buildings on earth that a few that look the
same is not going to hurt. Her style makes people outside the world
of design think about the practice, anyway.
I also like what she did with the footbridge or whatever that is.
a-haus Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
looks expensive, I’d like to see how it turns out after some value
engineering, especially in a country that is struggling with their
own poor economy.
Zaha’s buildings rarely seem to translate well to an actual built

form.
jkl Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 12:48 am
it takes a certain master barista to produce this whipped cream…
notice the matcha swirls, and even the caramel bits that magically
appear at night! the cinnamon sticks in the corner balances the
whole ensemble together quite nicely
Will Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 2:30 am
Awesome. Uh, do these things actually get built?
sarah Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 3:41 am
indeed…too much whipped cream, it´s giving me nausea!
cattel Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 5:22 am
I have respect for Zaha’s style but her projects are looking
repetitive. I wonder how many projects she’s got in that country?
More than one = boring.
Ruben Borup Says:

June 10th, 2009 at 6:28 am
What about some images from eye level?
That is, I assume, what most visitors will experience when visiting
the site.
ray Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 7:01 am
GOOD concept ! a melting icecream reflecting hot cario!
cpcp Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 8:36 am
i’m keen to see more on how that amazingly slender unsupported
bridge is structured…
hate to buck the trend and be cynical about Zahas work… but it
looks too good to be true
masa Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 9:32 am
perfect!
BH Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 9:33 am
No guys its not whipped cream cream its meringue - even more
sickly! The way to test that you have the perfect meringue is when it
has firm peaks… maybe that explains the two towers.
But seriously, I know this is a expo building but apart from the very
subtle surface undulations it is a huge shed…. so same old
industrial estate typology then, just a bigger bill at the end.
And yes, why all of the those aerial views. It will NEVER be seen
from these view points. Maybe ground level views would reveal the
true nature of this thing.
Hate to be negative, but with so much ammunition it is difficult not

to be!
Lets bring back the love….ZAHA!!!!!
onvn Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 10:31 am
I wonder, does THE Zaha Hadid design all these ‘whipped cream’
structures or does her employees? How did she have the time to
design all these extremely large projects?? There are some projects
on this website that is mentioned as designed by “Zaha Hadid
Architects”, such as this one, and there are ones that is labeled as
designed by “Zaha Hadid”.. perhaps they denote WHO actually
designed the project? Can a moderator confirm?
Wonder if this will get built. Not many of Hadid’s really fluid work
has gone ahead to building.. many are just to idealistic I guess.. but
the forms she and her employees come up with are simply
inspirational.
Kong Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Hey what s the the big deal with Zahas buildings looking the same ,
after all so do Mies, Corbusier and Michelangelo buildings. The
question is wether it is a good building or not. Can t judge that
without looking at the plans. Aesthetically it appears quite clumsy
to me.
nick the greek Says:

June 10th, 2009 at 11:35 am
“The topography of the Nile valley is the inspiration behind the
project’s fluid forms” well, that and Maya…
ernest Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
i am really impressed by this particular concept….keep it up ZAHA
erik Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
what happened with this once talented woman, it seems like every
project she does it’s just a deformation of the same element, I know
is HER STYLE and she sticks with it & there’s nothing wrong about
it, but we have to admit that lately every project she does is the
result of put into a blender the same project again and again.
boffin Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I wonder, does THE Zaha Hadid design all these ‘whipped cream’
structures or does her employees? How did she have the time to
design all these extremely large projects??
her employees of course. architects working for an architect. that is

how the architecture business works. she is a figurehead. makes
adjustments here and there, general initial concept. but all executed
by her staff. it’s fairly obvious isn’t?
kasorp Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Guys, there is so much eye-hurting architecture in the world…
Zaha’s stuff is for sure better than all these no-brainers our cities
are full of, no matter how often she repeats it.
andy Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
“Hey what s the the big deal with Zahas buildings looking the same
, after all so do Mies, Corbusier and Michelangelo buildings.”
…err, no. I’d say that’s a little different. They may have similar
palettes of materials, but they most all worked on vastly different
levels given their contexts. These Zaha ideas being pumped out
don’t even have a palette of materials. Just V-Ray white and glass.
Excitinnng…
Gio Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I must admit the shapes are very sexy, but in the end such
architecture becomes a gizmo, many of you have noticed the
weakness of it’s post-rationalization. Post-rationalization is an
important stage of an intuitive design method as such but it should
punch in more solidly in an earlier design stage, so to actually
inform the final result with some meaning. Saying that this project
is inspired by the nile valley seems to refer only to it’s formal
aspects but if it where to condition semantics, program, rituals,
sense of place, then post-rationalization becomes the key passage of
an intuitive design incipit.
khaled Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
a very expensive project to be executed in CAiro
satan Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
just so you guys know, zaha hadid is the antichrist.
Salvadore Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I like the towers.
ali Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
for those of you who are constantly whining about how technically
impossible her design is, listen up:
1- The fact that you’re whining about this indicates that you do not
have experience in working in a firm like Zaha’s or the likes. These
images are for a competition entry, not photographs of the final
design.
2- After an architect wins a competition, which is mostly an
aspirational vision, then they bring in consultants etc. and put
together a design team to make it happen, it’s a process, and many
elements of the design evolve.
3- If you visited or saw pictures of her built work, ie. the museum
in Volfsburg, or the expo bridge in Zaragosa, the quality of detailing
and technical mastery is exquisite. And they still maintain
that”technically impossible” canitlevers and structural gymnastics.
4- You might have a problem with her aesthetics, and be annoyed
with the fact that many of her designs published here and there are
self similar, but you need to realize that only a small percentage of
competitions actually get built, and in many cases the reason why
they do not get built is not because they’re technically impossible to
execute, but the economy collapses, or the funding is ccut, or it was
a developer trick to increase the vaue of the land to begin with so
that they can sell it someone else, which, in fact has nothing to do
with the whip cream look or the impossble looking bridge going to
nowhere in the rendering.
zee Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:05 am
well said Ali
i personally love Zaha’s style and i wont get sick of her designs
anytime soon. We all know its a style that is instantly recognisable
and could almost be called a brand. It does not mean she is
creatively limited. I aspire to design buildings like Zaha one day
and im sure there are many out there who do also
onvn Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:07 am
“her employees of course. architects working for an architect. that is
how the architecture business works. she is a figurehead. makes
adjustments here and there, general initial concept. but all executed
by her staff. it’s fairly obvious isn’t?”
Well, yes. So that means the one and only Zaha Hadid don’t take
part in the design process of some of the projects.. her architects are
the one who effectively did the design. I question if she even has a
large influence over projects her firm designs. Anyway, my question
was if this was a design purely by Hadid herself or a mere
representation of Hadid’s aesthetic, stamped by the firm’s brand
and called a ‘Zaha Hadid building’. It may be compared to
established luxury fashion brands like Vuitton, etc.; a branding and
not designed. What I want to know is has architecture become this
commercialised industry? I’m sure Zaha Hadid is still an
inspirational architect, but is it because of her high profile in the
commercial world that many people are deluded into thinking the
designs her firm does are all her work, when it is simply stamped by
her name as a brand?
I’m not saying this is the case at all, I am asking IF this is the case.
yimyim Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Thanks for the Archi 101 lesson Ali
However I do also feel this scheme is under-articulated even for a
comp.
And I also have a lack of patience for achitects maintaining a rigid
style - even with fluid forms :P. Its like globalisation.. advert-
architecture. Practised best by the Americans normally.
Anyway, theres not much in this scheme…

Lets see the Snohetta entry!
Jay D Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 3:31 am
once again, hadid’s work completely ignores the surrounding
context…and human scale…
if these concepts are actually built, i bet you in 30 years time they’ll
be outdated blots on the landscape…
yrag Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 6:09 am
I know Zaha Hadid is THE architect people love to hate on this and
other architectural sites, but what can I say, I usually really enjoy
her work. Flowiness and all.
For me it’s a welcomed relief from the decades of the endless

rectangular Seagram Building clones.
Sorry. I never me a curvature i didn’t like.
Replica Designer Handbags Says:

June 12th, 2009 at 10:05 am
truly national project for Egypt.
it maybe a very expensive project.
Britt Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Love it Z-Dog!
The ripple in the glass exterior <3
Al-Ishaq Says:
June 14th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Okay I know all of you are sick of this from the first impression but
go look at it again and look at how organic it is and how nice the
landscape is designed.
PS: no matter what anyone says. The concept is sand dunes or the
accumulation of sand….Look at the base of the towers.
Cheerios
Pierre Sinsua Says:

June 15th, 2009 at 4:38 am
usually her surface texture is interesting but i dont blame ZH for
the whipped cream look. if cairo is like a desert then white is
appropriate while the smooth curves taoilors the surrounding wind
like a desert oasis. this work does not impress me as much her
other recent style but design and style are apart.
Pierre Sinsua Says:

June 15th, 2009 at 4:39 am
oh! and i quite like the two tall buildings though.
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Dezeen » Blog Archive » Cairo Expo City by Zaha Hadid Architects

RSS via reader Cairo Expo City by Zaha Hadid ArchitectsJune

get daily email updates

meringue." Dezeen readers debate

standards now required by the international conference and

“As the exhibition spaces require the greatest degree of flexibility,

Zaha Hadid Architects was shortlisted with Norwegian architecture

Client: GOIEF (General Organization of International Exhibitions

Design: Zaha Hadid Architects

Engineering: Buro Happold, London

Quantity Surveyor: Gleeds, London

Traffic and Logistics: Buro Happold, London

Built Area: 450,000sqm (exhibition halls, conference centre and

Height of Towers: 33 and 31 storeys

Posted by Marcus Fairs

Email this • Subscribe to this feed • Digg This! • Stumble It!

42 Responses to “Cairo Expo City by Zaha Hadid

I don’t want to sound negative though, this blog gets enough of

Valeria Lie Alonso Says:

gab xiao Says:

Or ”Inspired by the movement of water, the designs are a formal

Previous time it was: ”Inspired by the patterns and textures of

Another: “Kloris” is inspired by the shapes of flower petals.”

Then again: ”Taking inspiration from complex natural geometries

Zaha’s buildings rarely seem to translate well to an actual built

Ruben Borup Says:

Hate to be negative, but with so much ammunition it is difficult not

Lets bring back the love….ZAHA!!!!!

nick the greek Says:

her employees of course. architects working for an architect. that is

just so you guys know, zaha hadid is the antichrist.

Anyway, theres not much in this scheme…

For me it’s a welcomed relief from the decades of the endless

Sorry. I never me a curvature i didn’t like.

Replica Designer Handbags Says:

The ripple in the glass exterior <3

Pierre Sinsua Says:

Pierre Sinsua Says:

Submit a commentSee our comments policy

Mail (will not be published) (required)

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