Baku Crystal Hall
gmp Architekten + Nüssli · Baku, Azerbaijan · 2012
Baku Crystal Hall is a large arena wrapped in a faceted membrane façade designed for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. gmp Architekten and Nüssli developed a highly compressed design-and-construction process, using a modular arena system enclosed by a crystalline outer skin whose lighting transforms the building at night. The venue sits prominently on the Caspian waterfront beside National Flag Square. Opened in 2012, it exemplifies the rapid production of event-driven architecture and the role of large cultural venues in Baku’s early twenty-first-century urban redevelopment.