Bleck Architects

Architect Zaha Hadid

Multi-award-winning architect Zaha Hadid was a trailblazer in many ways. The Iraqi-born, London-based architect left her mark on cities the world over, with striking buildings and products. Known for her radical deconstructivist designs, she had wide influence as an architect, product designer, college professor, and mentor. Many people remember her as the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, but her work and its impact extends far beyond the field of architecture.

Award-Winning Architect

Architect Zaha Hadid was born on October 31, 1950, in Baghdad, Iraq. She went to school at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon and studied mathematics. In the 70’s she studied at the Architectural Association in London and became a partner with Rem Koolhaas and others at the Office of Metropolitan Architecture. By 1979, she had established her own architecture firm, Zaha Hadid Architects.

Zaha Hadid and her firm have won numerous prestigious architectural awards for her boldly imaginative designs:

  • RIBA Stirling Prize – MAXXI museum of contemporary art and architecture – Rome
  • RIBA Stirling Prize – Evelyn Grace Academy – London
  • London Design Museum’s Design of the Year – Heydar Aliyev Center – Baku, Azerbaijan
  • Japan Art Association Praemium Imperiale prize for architecture
  • RIBA Gold Medal for Architecture
  • Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
  • UNESCO Artist for Peace
  • Pritzker Architecture Prize

In 2012, she was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Time magazine listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Hadid unexpectedly died from a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 65. Today, Zaha Hadid Architects is led by her partner and firm Principal Patrik Schumacher.

Deconstructivist Building Designer

Hadid’s early designs for The Peak in Hong Kong and other “aggressive geometric” buildings were never realized. It may be that she was well ahead of her time. She used painting and drawing as a way of exploring design possibilities, especially in her early work. Many of her drawings have been shown at exhibitions and have been collected by prominent museums.

Her first major built commission was for a fire station in Weil am Rhein in Germany. The structure has been described as a “bird in flight”, with a series of sharply angled wall planes. In all of her early works, sculptural form and interconnecting space was the predominant theme.

Hadid’s career took off in the 2000s with the design of a contemporary art museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rosenthal Center’s glass street-level façade welcomes visitors to view and engage with the art. Its bold geometry was quite revolutionary at the time. It was the first US museum designed by a woman.

Her later work was boldly expressive, with undulating and fluid forms. Check out the beautiful building images on Zaha Hadid Architects’ website.

Product Designer and Teacher

Architect Zaha Hadid was a Renaissance- woman. In addition to designing buildings, she left an impressive design portfolio of products, furniture, superyachts, stage sets, and interiors. Her product designs include shoes, jewelry, vessels, lighting fixtures, home accessories, and more. Here are some examples of Hadid’s designs in collaboration with product manufacturers:

  • Harrods London – Housewares Collection
  • Citco – Vessels
  • Caspita and Georg Jensen – Jewelry
  • Zumtobel – Lighting Fixtures
  • Z-Scape and Cassina – Furniture

Zaha Hadid was also a prolific teacher and mentor. The first time we heard of Zaha Hadid was in the 1980’s. She had just won an architectural design contest for the Peak. Her unbuilt winning design was radical for the time and we were fascinated. At the time, she was a professor in England. Later, Hadid also taught at Yale, Harvard, Columbia, University of Visual Arts in Hamburg, and University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

Did You Know? Zaha Hadid has a Chicago connection? In the 1990’s, Hadid also

taught in Chicago where she held the Sullivan Chair professorship at

the University of Illinois at Chicago‘s School of Architecture.

Award-winning Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid pushed the boundaries of architecture and product design. Many remember her as the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, but her legacy extends far beyond the field of architecture. Learn more about Zaha Hadid here.