A vision that defies gravity.
Anyone approaching the phaeno immediately senses that the laws of classical architecture seem to have been suspended here. The building is a radical rejection of the right angle. Designed by the architect of the century, Zaha Hadid, a massive concrete structure covering 12,631 square metres rests at a height of seven metres on ten enormous, organically shaped conical bases, known as the ‘Cones’.
What makes this architecture so special? It creates a completely new, fluid urban space. Rather than separating the city centre from the adjacent Volkswagen factory site, the urban landscape literally winds its way beneath the building. Beneath the gigantic, elevated structure, visitors stroll through an artificial topography of gentle hills and valleys. Outdoor space merges seamlessly with indoor space. Zaha Hadid herself once described her vision as follows:
“Open space is a modernist concept, yet it has never been a lived-in space. That is precisely what I am trying to create.”
Each of the ten cones is a unique structure, both structurally and aesthetically. They not only support the roof but also ‘envelop’ the city’s functions: concealed within them are the entrances, a science theatre, workshops and laboratories. Inside the exhibition area, this fluid spatial continuum continues: with no partition walls or predetermined routes, visitors explore the experimental landscape entirely at their own pace – architecture and informal learning intertwine perfectly here.
Find out more about the construction process in our architecture brochure
Photo gallery.
The Construction Site Adventure.
A honey-like elixir and Viking precision.
The construction history of the phaeno reads like a technological adventure novel. When the ground-breaking ceremony took place in March 2001, engineers and construction workers were venturing into completely uncharted territory. Hadid’s uncompromising design pushed the absolute limits of what was technically feasible at the time.
For over four years, the project resembled a gigantic laboratory. Because the geometry of the sloping walls (with inclines of up to 40 degrees) was so complex, a completely new concrete technology had to be employed. For the first time in Germany, so-called ‘self-compacting concrete’ (SVB) was used on a large scale under a special licence. Eyewitnesses and old reports describe the fascination of this building material: As viscous as honey, the elixir flowed into every nook and cranny of the formwork without the need for mechanical vibration. Conical wooden planks were used in some cases for the formwork of the organically curved surfaces – a method reminiscent of the historical construction of Viking ships.
During the structural work phase, the building resembled a ship in dry dock, concealed within an impenetrable forest of thousands of temporary supports. It was only when the roof – a fan-shaped, oblique-angled truss consisting entirely of bespoke individual components – was installed and connected to the cones that the architectural miracle occurred: The supports were removed, and the concrete sculpture, weighing several tonnes, suddenly seemed to float weightlessly above the ground.
Zaha Hadid.
The woman who tamed concrete.The fact that this project was realised at all is down to the indomitable will of a truly exceptional figure. Zaha Hadid was a pioneer in a discipline that remains heavily male-dominated to this day. Born in Baghdad, she later moved to London and quickly earned a reputation as an architectural prodigy and a combative conceptual artist, whose designs many clients simply considered ‘too daring’ and ‘unbuildable’.
In 2004 – right in the midst of the busy construction phase of phaeno – she became the first woman ever to be awarded the Pritzker Prize, the Nobel Prize of architecture. Hadid was renowned for her precision and her unyielding stance. When confronted by critics or sceptical engineers, she would retort with razor-sharp wit and would not tolerate weak arguments. When once asked about accusations that her designs did not appeal to the masses, she proudly retorted that she did not bow to conventional norms: she was, after all, not merely a service provider, but an artist.
Behind the aloof façade – often labelled ‘diva’ – lay, however, a woman who, throughout her life, sought to make the fantastical tangible through her visions. When asked about her detractors, she once replied calmly:
“That doesn’t bother me. It’s simply an expression of the fact that people have forgotten how to believe in the possibility of the fantastical.”
An international team.
And a man who held it all together.Without Christos Passas, there would be no phaeno. He led the project at Zaha Hadid Architects from the very beginning – he was already part of the competition team back in 1999/2000. For over four years, he coordinated the planning between London, Lörrach, Hanover and Wolfsburg.
“From the assessment of the competition entry: The basic idea behind this model is the ‘Magic Box’ – the enigmatic object that arouses curiosity and a desire for discovery, and which gives one the sense that there is a certain logic at work here.” (Competition jury, 2000, on the Hadid/Passas design)
Passas is regarded as one of the key figures at the ZHA practice. He has not only left his mark on the phaeno, but has also led other major projects for the practice.
Team - phaeno.
✏️ Draft
Zaha Hadid Architects, London · Project architect: Christos Passas · Assistant: Sara Klomps · Contributor: Patrik Schumacher (Director) · Team: Silvia Forlati, Guenter Barczik, Lida Charsouli, Marcus Liermann, Kenneth Bostock, Enrico Kleinke, and many more.
👷♀️ Interior design
Exhibition concept: Joe Ansel / Ansel Associates
Interior design: Uli Guth and Schenkirz Wendl, Munich
🚧 Design
Mayer Bährle Freie Architekten BDA, Lörrach · Project managers: René Keuter, Tim Oldenburg · Team: Sylvia Chiarappa, Stefan Hoppe, Andreas Gaiser, Roman Bockemühl, Annette Finke, Stefanie Lippardt, Jens Hecht, Christoph Volkmar
💡 Technology & Lighting
NEK Engineering Team, Wolfsburg / Braunschweig
Happold, Berlin/London
Lighting: Fahlke & Dettmer, Hanover
Office for Visual Interaction, New York
⚙️ Structural engineering
Adams Kara Taylor, London
Tokarz Freirichs Leipold, Hanover
Becker-Görz-Meister, Hagen (floor slabs)
🐺 Client
Neuland Wohnbaugesellschaft mbH, Wolfsburg (on behalf of the City of Wolfsburg)
Initiator: City of Wolfsburg
Operator: phaeno Foundation
An invitation to be amazed.
On Architecture Day 2026, phaeno will be celebrating not only itself, but also the enduring legacy of a visionary woman. It is a building that you don’t simply look at – you have to wander through it, feel it and experience it. Anyone visiting Wolfsburg this Sunday will discover that, even after decades, this concrete and glass prototype has lost none of its magical, forward-looking power. A real must-see for anyone who hasn’t yet forgotten how to be amazed!
Highlights: Press reviews / Opening 2005
