Walking in, and perhaps exceeding the footsteps of its
impressively built predecessors, the upcoming Guggenheim building in Vilnius,
Lithuania is an architectural wonder with as much inspiration channeled into
its exterior as its contents.
This majestic steel structure resembles something out of an
Asimov novel, replete with exaggerated bold curves, irregularly shaped windows
and aerodynamically smooth surfacing.
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, the
futuristic building’s interior will incorporate a canyon-like air space with
areas designed for congregation, allowing for architecturally refined
communication and circulation spaces.
The building is expected to open in 2011, and will house collections
from both the New York-based Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the State
Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, a Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center and a
permanent collection of works by George Maciunas.
www.zaha-hadid.com
www.guggenheim.org