Case Study: Zaha Hadid Architects achieves lightweight, structurally efficient architectural expression for the Neue Nationalgalerie with Altair HyperWorks

Achieving Architectural Expression to Complement the Iconic Neue Nationalgalerie Using Altair HyperWorks™

Zaha Hadid Architects tasked their Computation and Design (co|de) team with re‑imagining a Museum of the 20th Century proposal that would sit beside Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie, requiring a distinctive yet structurally efficient, lightweight slab and column system and rapid iteration for a competitive three‑week design period. To meet that challenge they turned to Altair and the Altair HyperWorks® platform, integrating topology‑optimization workflows directly into their design tools.

Using Altair HyperWorks (including HyperMesh for FE pre‑processing, HyperView for visualization and OptiStruct for analysis and optimization), Altair helped Zaha Hadid Architects generate optimized rib patterns that eliminated material redundancies, reduced the concrete structure’s weight, and rationalized geometry for fabrication (hot‑wire cutting). The Altair‑enabled workflow produced a flexible, efficient gallery framework with clear structural expression and measurable reductions in material consumption and weight, improving collaboration and informing future adaptable design strategies—even though the proposal was not selected as a winning entry.

Zaha Hadid Architects

Vishu Bhooshan

Designer