Zaha Hadid has announced plans to build an 11-story, luxe residential complex in the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro—a symmetrical structure that uncannily resembles a horizontally-elongated vertebrae—for Brazilian entrepreneur Omar Peres.
An exclusive collection of 30 posh residences, each complemented with 6-star hotel services, the development—which will be named Casa Atlântica—will include a spa and cinema, plus a rooftop pool overlooking the waterfront below. The odd-shaped building is set to go up in a lot neighboring Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Museum of Image and Sound, along Copacobana Beach.
"Casa Atlântica's design continues the liberating formal composition and spatial flow inherent within Brazil's rich Modernist tradition and engages with the unique tempo and vitality of Copacabana's urban beach culture, as well as the fluidity of its renowned Burle Marx promenade," said the studio.
Known for her futuristic (and sometimes controversial) creations, Hadid—the first woman to ever win the coveted Pritzker Architecture Award, back in 2004—is responsible for designs such as Grace on Coronation in Australia, One Thousand Museum in Florida, and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan. The storied architect was reportedly given free rein over Casa Atlântica's design, so long as she obeyed strict planning requirements that dictate the building's height and proximity to others.
Construction on the project—which has garnered its share of critics, similar to many of Hadid's other out-of-the-box designs—is scheduled to begin in March 2015.
Photos and details courtesy of Dezeen and Design Boom
