Top of the World
"It's not just a library, it's a space for research, work and relaxation, a place of communication and a transit hub. With her breathtaking architecture, Zaha Hadid manages to blend all the key functions of the project in a wonderful way. Perfectly interpreting this new campus idea". These are the words of Christoph Badelt, rector of the University of Economics & Business.
The library and educational center of Vienna, designed by Zaha Hadid, is a design architecture located on the university campus of the Vienna Faculty of Economics. A building that has already become a major attraction not only for students but also for Viennese and tourists. With its 28,000 square meters, the structure is one of the seven blocks that make up the new campus and takes shape from a polygonal plan that develops in height in a voume with a cubic shape, consisting of two inclined and two straight sides. The construction is also characterized by the use of a homogeneous facade made of 'fiberC' panels. The spaces that house the classrooms, the auditorium and the offices, on the other hand, are covered with white panels, while the cantilevered structure in which the library is located stands out for its dark colour, in stark contrast with the rest of the building.
