Photo by Brigitte Lacombe.
Fearless, brash, controversial and brilliant, over the course of the last four decades Zaha Hadid has profoundly changed the landscape of the cities in which she’s built and the profession in which she’s practiced. Hadid has always been a force larger than life, which made yesterday’s news of her sudden death by heart attack all the more shocking.
Best known for her curvilinear structures and a bit of a sharp tongue, Hadid shattered architecture’s glass ceiling to become the first woman to win the Pritzker prize in 2004. From there, the awards and accolades continued to pour in, with two RIBA awards (the UK’s most prestigious award for architecture), France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and Japan’s Praemium Imperiale just to name a few.
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, South Korea (2007-2013). Photo by Virgile Simon Bertrand.
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, South Korea (2007-2013). Photo by Virgile Simon Bertrand.
Liquid Glacial Table (2012-2012). Photo by Jacopo Spilimbergo.
Liquid Glacial Table (2012-2012). Photos by Jacopo Spilimbergo.
For all her success, Hadid was the first to highlight how hard-won it all was as both an Arab and a woman. As fellow architect Richard Rogers put it, “She has had to fight every inch of the way.” Born in Baghdad in 1950, Hadid studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association in London in 1972. From there, she joined other gifted architects at Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metroplolitan Architecture in Rotterdam.
London Aquatics Centre (2005-2011). Photo by Hufton+Crow.
London Aquatics Centre (2005-2011). Photo by Hufton+Crow.
Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan (2007-2012). Photo by Hufton+Crow.
Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan (2007-2012). Photo by Iwan Baan (left) and Helene Binet (right).
By 1979 the young Hadid had returned to London to establish her own architecture firm – Zaha Hadid Architects. Her first commission of note was the Vitra fire station in Weil am Rhein, Germany (1993). While its spiky form won her the admiration of architects, the firefighters who used it didn’t feel quite so simpatico – opting to move out soon after its completion. From there, Hadid continued to gain international recognition for her avant garde and, at times, controvertial designs. But for all her success abroad, she met resistance in the UK and it wasn’t until 2011 that she produced her first major building there. Although in recent years the chill seemed to have warmed with her commission for the London Aquatics Centre (also completed in 2011) and her most recent UK honor – the RIBA 2016 gold medal.
Aria Transparente Chandelier for Slamp.
Vitra Fire Station, Weil am Rhein, Germany (1990-1993). Photo by Roland Halbe.
Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London (2009-2013). Photo by Luke Hayes.
Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou, China (2003-2010). Photo by Virgile Simon Bertrand.
Coming full circle to today, at the age of 65, Zaha Hadid continued to work prolifically, leaving an indelible mark on both her profession and the world. She was a character; flamboyant in dress, fearless in speech and spectacular in her craft. She lived large, turned heads, ruffled feathers and, in the end, left us all with the greatest of gifts – a world studded with marvels, each one forcing us to rethink the limits of what is possible.
Photography courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
