Asymptote Architecture
Encyclopedia
Asymptote ˈæsɪmptoʊt is a New York-based architectural office founded in 1989 by principals Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture.
, a 500 room Hotel complex in Abu Dhabi
. The Yas Hotel is the world's first building designed specifically to span a Formula 1 race circuit. The opening coincided with the inaugural 2009 Formula 1 Ethiad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 1. Asymtptote's latest project 166 Perry Street, a luxury residential building on Manhattan's west side in the West Village, is near completion opening late January 2010. Other completed projects by Asymptote in recent years include the HydraPier Pavilion in the Netherlands
and the American flagship stores for Carlos Miele and Alessi in New York City. The firm's current projects include a large-scale cultural, hotel and performing arts complex in Penang
, Malaysia and a commission to build the World Business Center Busan in Busan
, South Korea
. The design for the World Business Center Busan consists of three separate, tapered towers "soaring" out of a single base and will, upon completion, be among the tallest buildings in Asia at 560m. Projects designed by Asymptote now under construction include 166 Perry Street, a luxury residential building in New York City
. For nearly two decades Asymptote has produced experimental art installations and exhibition design work involving multi-media technologies for such venues as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. In 2000, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
commissioned Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture to design a Virtual Guggenheim Museum. In 2000 Hani Rashid co-represented the United States at the Seventh Venice Architecture Biennale, and in 2004 Rashid and Couture created the exhibition design for the Ninth Venice Architecture Biennale.
In 1992, Lise Anne Couture and Hani Rashid were asked by The New York Times to design a hypothetical building for Times Square
.
In 2004, Rashid and Couture were presented with the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and Art. Recently, Asymptote Architecture has secured second place in the 'Kaohsiung port terminal 2010' competition, featuring a sculptural design for the Kaohsiung port terminal in Taiwan.
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2007
completion date 2009
166 Perry Street / Luxury Condominiums
New York, USA · 2006
completion date 2009
Alessi Flagship Store
New York USA · 2006
Client: Alessi US Shops, New York, USA
Carlos Miele Flagship Store
New York, USA · 2003
HydraPier Pavilion
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands · 2002
New York Stock Exchange Advanced Trading Floor
New York, USA · 2001
Bergamo, Italy · 2008
World Business Center Solomon Tower
Busan, South Korea · 2007
completion date 2013
Strata Tower
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
completion date 2011
Penang Global City Center (PGCC)
Penang, Malaysia · 2006
completion date 2012
Bergamo, Italy · 2008
Vake Multifunctional Center
Tbilisi, Georgia · 2007
completion date 2010
Yas Island Marina Hotel
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2007
completion date 2009
WTC Performing Arts Center
New York, USA · 2007
completion date TBD
World Business Center Solomon Tower
Busan, South Korea · 2007
completion date 2013
Strata Tower
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
completion date 2011
Penang Global City Center (PGCC)
Penang, Malaysia · 2006
completion date 2012
Guggenheim Contemporary Art Pavilions at Saadiyat Island
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
completion date TBD
Master Plan
Prague, Czech Republic · 2006
completion date 2015
190 Váci
Budapest, Hungary 2006
completion date 2009
166 Perry Street / Luxury Condominiums
New York, USA · 2006
completion date 2009
Monterrey City Center Master Plan
Monterrey, Mexico · 2005
completion date TBD
Beukenhof Auditorium
Schiedam, Netherlands · 2004
completion date TBD
Alessi Flagship Store
New York USA · 2006
Client: Alessi US Shops, New York, USA
VW DataTerrain Exhibition Space
Wolfsburg, Germany · 2006
Venice Biennale 9th International Architecture Exhibition Design
Venice, Italy · 2004
Carlos Miele Flagship Store
New York, USA · 2003
HydraPier Pavilion
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands · 2002
New York Stock Exchange Advanced Trading Floor
New York, USA · 2001
Univers Multimedia Theatre
Aarhus, Denmark · 1997
Vitoria, Spain · 2008
Master Plan for Yongsan IBD with Landmark Tower
Seoul, South Korea · 2008
Bahrain Harbor Residential Tower Complex
Manama, Bahrain · 2008
South Hudayriat Island International Design Competition
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2008
Mystetskyj Arsenal Cultural–Art and Museum Complex
Kiev, Ukraine · 2008
Dynamix Balwas Group Company
Mumbai, India · 2008
FKI Headquarters Competition
Seoul, South Korea · 2008
Perm Museum
Perm, Russia · 2008
New Thermal Complex “San Pellegrino Terme”
San Pellegrino Terme, Italy · 2008
Vake Multifunctional Center (1st Prize)
Tbilisi, Georgia · 2008
Yas Island Marina Hotel
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2007
WTC Performing Arts Center
New York, USA · 2007
DIFC Central Tower
Dubai, UAE · 2006
Hotel/Apartment Complex for HH Sheik Sultan Bin Khalifa
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
World Business Center Busan (1st Prize)
Busan, South Korea · 2006
Islamic Museum and Cultural Center
Kuwait City, Kuwait · 2006
Shenzhen Stock Exchange
Shenzhen, China · 2006
Penang Turf Club Master Plan (1st Prize)
Penang, Malaysia · 2005
Guggenheim Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Mexico · 2005
Jalisco State Public Library
Guadalajara, Mexico · 2005
Annex to the WTO Headquarters
Geneva, Switzerland · 2003
Symphony Hall, Cultural and Administrative Complex
Montreal, Canada · 2002
Goethe University Master Plan
Goethe, Germany · 2002
Mercedes-Benz Museum of the Automobile
Stuttgart, Germany · 2001
Eyebeam Museum for Art and Technology
New York, USA · 2001
BMW Event and Delivery Center
Munich, Germany · 2001
Floriade Municipal Pavilion (1st Prize)
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands · 2001
WIPO Headquarters
Geneva, Switzerland · 2000
Beukenhorst Master Plan
Amsterdam, Netherlands · 2000
Graz Music Theatre
Graz, Austria · 1998
Aarhus Museum of Modern Art
Aarhus, Denmark · 1997
National Museum of Korea
Seoul, South Korea · 1995
International Seaport Terminal
Yokohama, Japan · 1994
Tohoku Historical Museum
Sendai, Japan · 1994
Tours Contemporary Arts Center
Tours, France · 1993
Parliamentary Precinct / Spreebogen
Berlin, Germany · 1992
National Courthouse (1st Prize)
Groningen, Netherlands · 1991
IdeenwettbewerbRiem Housing
Munich, Germany · 1991
Moscow State Theatre (Honorable Mention)
Moscow, Russia · 1990
Library of Alexandria
Alexandria, Egypt · 1989
Newsweek, Cathleen McGuigan, 2009
Strata Tower, Architectural Design
vol. 79, no. 2, 2009
Architectural Iconoclasts
Specifier, no. 78, Alys Moody, 2008
The Virtual Messiahs
Whitewall, Aric Chen, 2008
New Directions in Contemporary Architecture
John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2008
Modern Architecutre A-Z
Taschen, 2008
Performing Elegance
Architectural Design, vol. 77, no. 1, 2007
A Luxury Condo by Arty Architects from the Fringe
The New York Times, Arts Section, June 28, 2007
Architecture Now!
Vol. 4, Taschen, 2006
Rem Koolhaas + Hani Rashid
The Architect’s Newspaper, October 6, 2006
Design Document Series 09: Scape_Asymptote Architecture/USA
DAMDI Co., Ltd, 2004
Architecture Now 3: The Architecture of Today
Taschen, 2004
On the Road to Venice: 9th Architecture Biennale
Architectural Record, Robert Ivy, 2004
Thoughts on the Metamorphoses of Architecture
Log, Kurt Forster. Fall 2004
Asymptote
A + U, July 2004
Architectural Laboratories: Greg Lynn & Hani Rashid
NAi Publishers, 2002
Flux
Phaidon Press, 2002
Haarlemmermeer Pavilion by Asymptote: Hydrapier
BIS, 2002
The Rashid Machine
Metropolis, Peter Hall, 2001
Curves Ahead: What About Blobs
Details, James S. Russell, Michael Moran, 2001
Reinventing the Museum
Wired, Jessie Scanlon, Carolyn Rauch, David Jang, 2000
Guggenheim Virtual Museum
Domus, 2000
Asymptote: Rashid + Couture
A+U, 1999
Asymptote’s Dual Projects for the NYSE
Architectural Record, Sarah Amelar, 1999
Architecture in the 1990s
New Forms, Philip Jodido, ed., Taschen, Cologne, 1997
Asymptote Architecture
Architecture for the Future, Pierre Terrall Editions, Paris, 1996
Asymptote: Architecture at the Interval
Rizzoli International Publications, 1995
First Prize, Vake Multifunctional Center Competition · 2008
AIA New York Chapter Design Award, Interior Architecture Category · 2007
First Prize, World Business Center Busan Competition · 2007
First Prize, Penang Turf Club Master Plan Competition · 2006
AIA New York Chapter Design Award, Interior Architecture Category · 2005
Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts · 2004
American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design · 2004
Dupont Benedictus Awards · 2003
AIA New York Chapter Design Award, Architecture Category · 2002
Prize Dedalo Minosse · 2002
First Prize, Floriade Municipal Pavilion Competition · 2001
National Design Awards Finalist, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum · 2001
Artist in Residence - CCA San Francisco · 2000
Emerging Voices: Architectural League of New York · 1999
Annual Danish Building Prize · 1996
Second Prize, Paper Art Biennale · 1995
40 Under 40, Interiors Magazine · 1994
New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship · 1992
30 Under 30, Interiors Magazine · 1989
First Prize, Los Angeles West Coast Gateway Competition · 1989
Overview
Asymptote Architecture recently announced the opening of the Yas Marina HotelYas Marina Hotel
Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi is a hotel facility built across the F1 Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.-Design: Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi is located within the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi...
, a 500 room Hotel complex in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
. The Yas Hotel is the world's first building designed specifically to span a Formula 1 race circuit. The opening coincided with the inaugural 2009 Formula 1 Ethiad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 1. Asymtptote's latest project 166 Perry Street, a luxury residential building on Manhattan's west side in the West Village, is near completion opening late January 2010. Other completed projects by Asymptote in recent years include the HydraPier Pavilion in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the American flagship stores for Carlos Miele and Alessi in New York City. The firm's current projects include a large-scale cultural, hotel and performing arts complex in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, Malaysia and a commission to build the World Business Center Busan in Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The design for the World Business Center Busan consists of three separate, tapered towers "soaring" out of a single base and will, upon completion, be among the tallest buildings in Asia at 560m. Projects designed by Asymptote now under construction include 166 Perry Street, a luxury residential building in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. For nearly two decades Asymptote has produced experimental art installations and exhibition design work involving multi-media technologies for such venues as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. In 2000, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
commissioned Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture to design a Virtual Guggenheim Museum. In 2000 Hani Rashid co-represented the United States at the Seventh Venice Architecture Biennale, and in 2004 Rashid and Couture created the exhibition design for the Ninth Venice Architecture Biennale.
In 1992, Lise Anne Couture and Hani Rashid were asked by The New York Times to design a hypothetical building for Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
.
In 2004, Rashid and Couture were presented with the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and Art. Recently, Asymptote Architecture has secured second place in the 'Kaohsiung port terminal 2010' competition, featuring a sculptural design for the Kaohsiung port terminal in Taiwan.
Selected Completed Projects
Yas Island Marina HotelAbu Dhabi, UAE · 2007
completion date 2009
166 Perry Street / Luxury Condominiums
New York, USA · 2006
completion date 2009
Alessi Flagship Store
New York USA · 2006
Client: Alessi US Shops, New York, USA
Carlos Miele Flagship Store
New York, USA · 2003
HydraPier Pavilion
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands · 2002
New York Stock Exchange Advanced Trading Floor
New York, USA · 2001
Selected Projects (Current)
The Azzano - San Paolo Master PlanBergamo, Italy · 2008
World Business Center Solomon Tower
Busan, South Korea · 2007
completion date 2013
Strata Tower
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
completion date 2011
Penang Global City Center (PGCC)
Penang, Malaysia · 2006
completion date 2012
Selected Commissioned Projects
The Azzano - San Paolo Master PlanBergamo, Italy · 2008
Vake Multifunctional Center
Tbilisi, Georgia · 2007
completion date 2010
Yas Island Marina Hotel
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2007
completion date 2009
WTC Performing Arts Center
New York, USA · 2007
completion date TBD
World Business Center Solomon Tower
Busan, South Korea · 2007
completion date 2013
Strata Tower
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
completion date 2011
Penang Global City Center (PGCC)
Penang, Malaysia · 2006
completion date 2012
Guggenheim Contemporary Art Pavilions at Saadiyat Island
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
completion date TBD
Master Plan
Prague, Czech Republic · 2006
completion date 2015
190 Váci
Budapest, Hungary 2006
completion date 2009
166 Perry Street / Luxury Condominiums
New York, USA · 2006
completion date 2009
Monterrey City Center Master Plan
Monterrey, Mexico · 2005
completion date TBD
Beukenhof Auditorium
Schiedam, Netherlands · 2004
completion date TBD
Alessi Flagship Store
New York USA · 2006
Client: Alessi US Shops, New York, USA
VW DataTerrain Exhibition Space
Wolfsburg, Germany · 2006
Venice Biennale 9th International Architecture Exhibition Design
Venice, Italy · 2004
Carlos Miele Flagship Store
New York, USA · 2003
HydraPier Pavilion
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands · 2002
New York Stock Exchange Advanced Trading Floor
New York, USA · 2001
Univers Multimedia Theatre
Aarhus, Denmark · 1997
Selected Competitions and Proposals
Vitoria Exhibition and Music HallVitoria, Spain · 2008
Master Plan for Yongsan IBD with Landmark Tower
Seoul, South Korea · 2008
Bahrain Harbor Residential Tower Complex
Manama, Bahrain · 2008
South Hudayriat Island International Design Competition
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2008
Mystetskyj Arsenal Cultural–Art and Museum Complex
Kiev, Ukraine · 2008
Dynamix Balwas Group Company
Mumbai, India · 2008
FKI Headquarters Competition
Seoul, South Korea · 2008
Perm Museum
Perm, Russia · 2008
New Thermal Complex “San Pellegrino Terme”
San Pellegrino Terme, Italy · 2008
Vake Multifunctional Center (1st Prize)
Tbilisi, Georgia · 2008
Yas Island Marina Hotel
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2007
WTC Performing Arts Center
New York, USA · 2007
DIFC Central Tower
Dubai, UAE · 2006
Hotel/Apartment Complex for HH Sheik Sultan Bin Khalifa
Abu Dhabi, UAE · 2006
World Business Center Busan (1st Prize)
Busan, South Korea · 2006
Islamic Museum and Cultural Center
Kuwait City, Kuwait · 2006
Shenzhen Stock Exchange
Shenzhen, China · 2006
Penang Turf Club Master Plan (1st Prize)
Penang, Malaysia · 2005
Guggenheim Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Mexico · 2005
Jalisco State Public Library
Guadalajara, Mexico · 2005
Annex to the WTO Headquarters
Geneva, Switzerland · 2003
Symphony Hall, Cultural and Administrative Complex
Montreal, Canada · 2002
Goethe University Master Plan
Goethe, Germany · 2002
Mercedes-Benz Museum of the Automobile
Stuttgart, Germany · 2001
Eyebeam Museum for Art and Technology
New York, USA · 2001
BMW Event and Delivery Center
Munich, Germany · 2001
Floriade Municipal Pavilion (1st Prize)
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands · 2001
WIPO Headquarters
Geneva, Switzerland · 2000
Beukenhorst Master Plan
Amsterdam, Netherlands · 2000
Graz Music Theatre
Graz, Austria · 1998
Aarhus Museum of Modern Art
Aarhus, Denmark · 1997
National Museum of Korea
Seoul, South Korea · 1995
International Seaport Terminal
Yokohama, Japan · 1994
Tohoku Historical Museum
Sendai, Japan · 1994
Tours Contemporary Arts Center
Tours, France · 1993
Parliamentary Precinct / Spreebogen
Berlin, Germany · 1992
National Courthouse (1st Prize)
Groningen, Netherlands · 1991
IdeenwettbewerbRiem Housing
Munich, Germany · 1991
Moscow State Theatre (Honorable Mention)
Moscow, Russia · 1990
Library of Alexandria
Alexandria, Egypt · 1989
Selected publications
Redesigning the WorldNewsweek, Cathleen McGuigan, 2009
Strata Tower, Architectural Design
vol. 79, no. 2, 2009
Architectural Iconoclasts
Specifier, no. 78, Alys Moody, 2008
The Virtual Messiahs
Whitewall, Aric Chen, 2008
New Directions in Contemporary Architecture
John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2008
Modern Architecutre A-Z
Taschen, 2008
Performing Elegance
Architectural Design, vol. 77, no. 1, 2007
A Luxury Condo by Arty Architects from the Fringe
The New York Times, Arts Section, June 28, 2007
Architecture Now!
Vol. 4, Taschen, 2006
Rem Koolhaas + Hani Rashid
The Architect’s Newspaper, October 6, 2006
Design Document Series 09: Scape_Asymptote Architecture/USA
DAMDI Co., Ltd, 2004
Architecture Now 3: The Architecture of Today
Taschen, 2004
On the Road to Venice: 9th Architecture Biennale
Architectural Record, Robert Ivy, 2004
Thoughts on the Metamorphoses of Architecture
Log, Kurt Forster. Fall 2004
Asymptote
A + U, July 2004
Architectural Laboratories: Greg Lynn & Hani Rashid
NAi Publishers, 2002
Flux
Phaidon Press, 2002
Haarlemmermeer Pavilion by Asymptote: Hydrapier
BIS, 2002
The Rashid Machine
Metropolis, Peter Hall, 2001
Curves Ahead: What About Blobs
Details, James S. Russell, Michael Moran, 2001
Reinventing the Museum
Wired, Jessie Scanlon, Carolyn Rauch, David Jang, 2000
Guggenheim Virtual Museum
Domus, 2000
Asymptote: Rashid + Couture
A+U, 1999
Asymptote’s Dual Projects for the NYSE
Architectural Record, Sarah Amelar, 1999
Architecture in the 1990s
New Forms, Philip Jodido, ed., Taschen, Cologne, 1997
Asymptote Architecture
Architecture for the Future, Pierre Terrall Editions, Paris, 1996
Asymptote: Architecture at the Interval
Rizzoli International Publications, 1995
Selected Awards
American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design · 2008First Prize, Vake Multifunctional Center Competition · 2008
AIA New York Chapter Design Award, Interior Architecture Category · 2007
First Prize, World Business Center Busan Competition · 2007
First Prize, Penang Turf Club Master Plan Competition · 2006
AIA New York Chapter Design Award, Interior Architecture Category · 2005
Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts · 2004
American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design · 2004
Dupont Benedictus Awards · 2003
AIA New York Chapter Design Award, Architecture Category · 2002
Prize Dedalo Minosse · 2002
First Prize, Floriade Municipal Pavilion Competition · 2001
National Design Awards Finalist, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum · 2001
Artist in Residence - CCA San Francisco · 2000
Emerging Voices: Architectural League of New York · 1999
Annual Danish Building Prize · 1996
Second Prize, Paper Art Biennale · 1995
40 Under 40, Interiors Magazine · 1994
New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship · 1992
30 Under 30, Interiors Magazine · 1989
First Prize, Los Angeles West Coast Gateway Competition · 1989