Center for Contemporary Art
Zaha Hadid. Cincinnati (Ohio). 2003

The transition from outside to inside is marked by the "Urban Carpet": an surface continuing without interruption from the street into the entrance hall which seems intended to invite passers-by to come in; the galleries, on the other hand, feature a variety of finishes, from polished to rough, from wooden to cement floors; walls are mobile to permit flexible use of all the rooms.
The sense of opening up toward the outside is repeated and reinforced by the transparency of the glass walls on the main façade, which leave the entrance and basement in view, as they are intended to have a lively, attractive look to the city; this space is accessible even without paying museum admission. A big ramp suspended over the entire extent of the entrance hall creates a clear sense of movement and dynamism, and provides access to the upper levels, while another ramp created out of a cut in the floor leads to the lower levels.
The ceiling of the entrance hall is very unusual: it looks like a big bas-relief, offering glimpses of the galleries above. On the eastern façade Hadid has created a sort of negative relief reproducing and suggesting the forms of the interior.
The new building not only considerably increases the amount of exhibition space available to the museum, it will allow the museum to organise new activities, such as educational and interactive initiatives for both adults and children.

Laura Della Badia

Biography of Zaha Hadid

Works by Zaha Hadid