The Peak Leisure Club — A Design Concept by Zaha Hadid

I was first introduced to Zaha Hadid while in Architecture School when I was asked by a professor to study and reproduce a rendering by a famous Architect.  I was fascinated and enamored with Zaha’s unique rendering style and architectural representation of her design and the surrounding contextual elements so I picked her for my project.  The sharp angles, contrasting colors, and her unique boldness intrigued me.  Other famous architectural rendering styles include Carlos Calatrava’s ink drawings (which I had the pleasure of seeing in person while at an AIA convention when he was honored with the AIA Gold Medal) and of course Steven Holl’s famous watercolor renderings which are all brilliant! Hope you enjoy this post as much as me…

THE PEAK LEISURE CLUB
Hong Kong, 1982

Description of The Project

“The winning architect describes her design as Suprematist Geology. First, she proposes that the ground be leveled to the site’s lowest point and then rebuilt from the excavated rock as a polished granite mountain. The building itself is composed of four beams , stacked atop one another in a splayed arrangement. Partially embeded, the two lowest layers contain 15 studio units and 20 apartments, forming a podium for the club facilities. A void approximately 42 feet high separates these strata from the two uppermost levels, which house the larger apartments and the developer’s penthouse. Suspended within the void like hovering spaceships are the club elements,  which extend back into the man-made mountain. The series of floating ramps and platforms that articulate this space are supported by two vertical members, an elevator, and a steel truss containing services. Two elevators linking the clubs to the upper residential zone provide additional support and a vertical counterpoint to the horizontal composition. Stress cables stabilize any other movement among the floating horizontal members of the void. The swimming pool rests in the roof of the second residential layer. Lateral changing rooms are hollow square beams in section, and act to stiffen the structure. The enire complex is constructed of steel and reinforced concrete. All volumes suspended in the club area are framed in lightweight alloys with aluminum or stone cladding. Although the jurors faulted the winning design for a ”certain lack of resolution in its details,” they praised its concentration ”on the exploration” of ideas… The sculptural nature of this solution,” they averred ”promises to extend the imagination and symbolize the essence of a new building type in a unique location.” *excerpt from Architectural Record, Sept 1983

Learn more here: Click here

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We would love to hear from you on what you think about this post.  We sincerely appreciate all your comments.

If you like this post please share it with friends. And feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss ideas for your next project!

Sincerely,
Frank Cunha III
I Love My Architect – Facebook

FC3 ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN, LLC
P.O. Box 335, Hamburg, NJ 07419
e-mail: fcunha@fc3arch.com
mobile: 201.681.3551
direct: 973.970.3551
fax: 973.718.4641
web: http://fc3arch.com
Licensed in NJ, NY, PA, DE, CT.