Born in 1950 in Baghdad, Zaha Mohammad Hadid was a figure of legendary impact on architecture until 2016 when she passed away at the age of 65, leaving behind an empire of extraordinary style and creativity.
Being the daughter of a local wealthy industrialist, Hadid, since a kid, had the possibility to study in England and Switzerland. Later, she pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon and after that an Architecture Degree at the Architectural Association located in London. Elia Zenghelis, Bernard Tschumi and Rem Koolhaas were the professors with whom Hadid had the possibility to work and she was described as unique by them. What made her unique was her unrestricted imagination in the usage of geometrical shapes and curves, eventually giving birth to numerous dynamic and vital designs during her bright career. Because of the combination of several elements, it has always been difficult to classify Hadid in a certain style of architecture. It was exactly this imagination, talent and passion that made her the first woman to ever win The Pritzker Architecture Prize, and a great influencer in Contemporary Architecture.
Hadid’s first major project was Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany(1991-1993) : at first used as a fire house, but now is a place where social activities and events are held.
Her designs are considered pieces of art and can’t be compared to others. Some of her masterpieces are going to be listed below.
Phaeno Science Center, Wolfsburg, Germany opened its doors in 2005 and it was the first science museum of it’s kind in Germany.
MAXXI, Rome, Italy took 12 years to finally be done. It’s the national art museum of Italy and won The Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2010 when it was completely constructed.
London Aquatics Center, London, UK. The facility is one of the various that Hadid projected in UK. For her great contribution in UK, Zara Hadid was given the title of Dame by The Queen of England, Elizabeth II.
Other famous structures are:
Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan
Broad Art Museum, East Lansing, Michigan
Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou, China
Port House, Antwerp, Belgium
Galaxy Soho, Beijing, China
Even though Hadid has left many projects unfinished, Zara Hadid Archtects, the company she started in her early days as an architect, continues the work. Wetland Preservation Center in Saudi Arabia and the Leeza Soho in Beijing are just two of the many structures under construction. Today Hadid’s greatness is left in Patrik Schumacher’s hands. He was a student when met Hadid and her company and it’s now carrying out her heritage. As engineering and architecture admirers, we wish wholeheartedly success to these upcoming projects.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zaha-Hadid
http://time.com/4277849/zaha-hadid-1999-profile/
https://mymodernmet.com/zaha-hadid-architecture/
https://www.designboom.com/architecture/zaha-hadid-timeline-career-projects-03-31-2016/
[…] The Queen of Curves […]