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Heydar Aliyev Centre
When it opens its doors to the public later this year, the Heydar Aliyev Centre is expected to play an integral role in the intellectual life of Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku, and a pivotal one in a country eager to re-establish an independent cultural identity.
Architect Zaha Hadid Architects Location Baku - Azerbaijan Company involved ThyssenKrupp Steel Website http://www.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com -
AV College
Look at one side of the AV College Helsinki and you appear to be studying a pixellated image of ... well, you can’t tell what, and that is a deliberate strategy on the part of the architects. Ark-House Architects, also based in Helsinki, used six different off-the-shelf colours of prepainted metal to create an almost entirely windowless facade that makes reference to the digital techniques that are happening inside this college, dedicated to audiovisual education. The practice’s Pentti Kareoja says that they considered putting in a definite image, such as a face, but decided to leave it abstract – a wise decision. ‘Now people can find their own images,’ said Kareoja.
Architect Ark-House Architects (Pentti Kareoja) Location Helsinki - Finland Company involved Rautaruukki Website http://www.ruukki.com -
Refurbishment Police Academy
Architect Leon Thier talks of the unexpected silence in the 25m-high atrium, the focal point and “new heart” of the recently refurbished Apeldoorn Policy Academy building in the central Netherlands.
Images courtesy of Thea van den Heuvel
Architect Atelier PRO architecten in cooperation with Studio Leon Thier Location Aperldoorn - The Netherlands Company involved Tata Steel Website http://www.colorcoat-online.com