Written by: Saram Maqbool
Posted on: July 25, 2023 | 
| 中文
(L to R) Guangzhou Opera House in China and Zaha Hadid with Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year award 2013
I still remember what really ignited my interest in architecture were a couple of deconstructivist projects. As someone who didn't have a lot of exposure to post-modern architecture, I couldn't wrap my head around how buildings could be created that looked like sculptures and pieces of abstract art. As I started learning more, I realized just how influential one architect can be in regard to generating or at least perpetuating a whole design movement. One of those architects is Zaha Hadid.
Born in Baghdad in 1950, Zaha Hadid developed a passion for architecture at a young age. She studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London in 1972 to pursue her architectural education at the Architectural Association. She studied under renowned architects Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, each of whom became a major influence on her architectural vision.
Auditorium of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, Baku, Azerbaijan
In the early years of her career, Hadid worked with the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and taught at renowned institutions such as the Architectural Association and Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Her association with these institutions allowed her to explore avant-garde design concepts and experiment with new architectural forms. Originally, her ideas were more valuable than her designs, with many people terming her a ‘paper architect’.
It was in 1979 that Zaha Hadid established her own architecture firm, Zaha Hadid Architects, based in London. Initially, her designs were mostly theoretical and unbuilt, but they garnered international attention and acclaim for their visionary and unconventional nature. Her drawings and paintings exhibited a distinct style characterized by intricate geometries, fluid lines and dynamic compositions.
Napoli Afragola Railway Station, Afragola, Naples, Italy
Her work at the time was based on the idea of suprematism, a method of creating art based purely on the artistic feeling via the use of basic geometric forms like squares and circles. She firmly believed that architects needed to challenge the norms and come up with something new and different. Her original work seemed heavily inspired by modernist abstract paintings and the subsequent conversion of 2D forms and shapes into 3D structures is very interesting to see. She described her work as something that contains randomness based on logical thought.
It wasn't until the completion of the Vitra Fire Station in Germany in 1993 that Hadid's first major project was realized. This iconic building showcased her signature style and established her as a force to be reckoned with in the architectural world. The Vitra Fire Station's jagged angles and sharp edges exemplified Hadid's unique design language, blurring the lines between art and architecture. The dynamic form of the building gives the feeling of something that wants to move, or was moving at one point but is now almost frozen in time.
Galaxy SOHO in Beijing, China
In a vast majority of her recent works, Hadid's once sharp lines softened into sweeping curves. Many projects, such as the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku, Azerbaijan seem to be an extrusion of the landscape itself. As such, her designs often blurred the boundaries between the topography and the architecture. Hadid's later structures were characterized by organic forms, inspired by natural landscapes and fluid movements. Her use of parametric design tools allowed her to create structures that appeared to be in constant motion, defying traditional notions of static architecture. Her buildings often served as catalysts for urban regeneration, transforming their surroundings and becoming iconic landmarks that define the cities in which they are located.
Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku, Azerbaijan
Some of her notable projects include the London Aquatics Centre in the UK, the Guangzhou Opera House in China, MAXXI in Italy, and the Contemporary Arts Center in the USA. Each of these stands out from its context in very obvious ways. Some are based on hard lines and overlapping volumes, while others are so fluid that they look more like fabric than masses of steel and concrete. For me, the simplest way to describe her work is that it’s not like anything else that came before it.
MAXXI in Italy
In addition to her architectural achievements, Zaha Hadid received numerous accolades for her groundbreaking work. She became the first woman to receive the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, and she was awarded the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2016, another first for a female architect. These honors recognized her exceptional talent and the significant impact she had on the architectural profession.
Tragically, Zaha Hadid passed away in 2016 at the age of 65, leaving behind a rich legacy and a firm that continues to realize her architectural vision. She was a force to be reckoned with, becoming easily the most well-known female architect of all time, and perhaps the most influential. Giving rise to essentially a completely new form of architecture is no easy feat, but Hadid achieved that and much more. Today, Zaha Hadid Architects, under the guidance of her longtime partner Patrik Schumacher, carries forward her legacy by completing ongoing projects and developing new ones, ensuring that her innovative spirit lives on.
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