This is not the first architect's work for the Guggenheim Foundation: a few years ago, Hadid designed a branch of the museum for the Taiwanese city of Taichung.
In the case of Lithuania, the architectural competition was part of a study carried out by the foundation in cooperation with the State Hermitage in order to determine the architectural, economic and cultural prospects for the creation of a new museum in Vilnius.
Perhaps the interest in Vilnius on the part of the ever-expanding "Guggenheim Empire" is associated with the city's receiving the honorary title of "European Capital of Culture - 2009".
Hadid's rivals in the competition for the project of the museum were Daniel Libeskind and Massimiliano Fuksas.
If the result of research and negotiations with the Lithuanian leadership is a decision to implement the project, the museum will be able to open in 2011.
