Zaha Hadid: Crest

Designed by Zaha Hadid for Me by Meliã Hotels, Crest is an experimental sculpture that tests new design and construction technologies applied to a material of minimal thickness.

Designed as a temporary installation which will remain at the V&A during the London Design Festival, Crest establishes an intriguing dialogue with the formal dichotomy inherent within the hotel’s design.

Crest tests the limits and possibilities for a new construction technique involving panels of pre-stressed, eight-millimetre-thick aluminum assembled in two layers as a flat sheet and then bent in-situ into the curved form that is held in tension to be self-supporting.

Zaha Hadid said of the installation, “Crest explores the relationship between surface and structure, transforming the planar water surface of the V&A’s courtyard pool into a curvilinear form, creating a compelling interplay with light and reflection.”

01 / 03

Zaha Hadid, Crest. Installation for Me by Meliá, Victoria&Albert Museum, London

Zaha Hadid, Crest. Installation for Me by Meliá, Victoria&Albert Museum, London

Zaha Hadid, Crest. Installation for Me by Meliá, Victoria&Albert Museum, London

13–21 September, 2014
Crest
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, London

Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
Design team: Melodie Leung, Peter Logan, Ovidiu Mihutescu
Structural Engineering: Buro Happold (Rastislav Bartek, James Solly)
Fabrication: Lite Structures
Commissioner: ME by Meliá

Madera: the soul of wood, nobly expressed

Madera crafts the very essence of wood through the ingenious process of precomposed veneering, resulting in surfaces of captivating visual harmony and inherent sustainability. From flawlessly coordinated color palettes to intricate inlays that whisper stories, each door stands as a genuine tribute to the natural world.