Zaha Hadid
Remembering Zaha Hadid. 31.10.1950- 31.03.2016
Zaha Hadid, the London based Architect who broke the mould as a female Architect not only by being one of the few women in Architecture but also by being one of the most successful, innovative, creative and inspiring Architects to date was sadly lost this week after suffering a heart attack.
Born in Baghdad in Iraq in 1950 to an upper class family, her mother was an
artist and father a politician, she attended boarding schools in both London
and Switzerland, she went on to study Mathematics in Beirut from here that she
found her passion for Architecture and began
to study Architecture at Architectural Association of Architecture in 1972.
After her studies she went on to work for her professor in the Office of metropolitan
Architecture in the Netherlands and later went on to make partner before moving
back to the UK and becoming a recognised UK Citizen where she went on to open
her own Architectural practice and go on to be the successful woman that is
recognised worldwide today.
Hadid is best known for her artistic vision, She could
observe the city in an artistic vision much like a photographer searching for
the right angle to gain an atmospheric shot. She would view the city with an
almost photographic eye hoping to not only create the buildings themselves but
for the buildings to present those bold angles and atmospheres by their very
structure alone.
One of Hadids first
and somewhat iconic main builds was the Vitra Fire Station in 1994.
A beautifully structured building with edgy and contemporary aspects, this was the begining of great things from Zaha Hadid.
A few of her most iconic structures include;
The London Aquatic Centre- below
used for
the London Olympics in 2012 and the Paralympics also in 2012, it was later
opened for public use. A beautiful elegant design with a light, fresh and
really graceful feel.
The Pheano Science Centre
was completed in 2005, an interactive centre based in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Hadid entered a competition with this Architectural design in 2000 and won making her vision be able to come to life. Her design has been described as “Hypnotic work of Architecture- the kind of building that utterly transforms our visions of the future”
with her work being described like this and her design continuing to astound it’s
no wonder she made such an impact in the world of Architecture.
This design won the 2006 RIBA European Award and the 2006 Institution of
Structural Engineers award for Arts, Leisure and Entertainment Structures.
Prior to this Zaha Hadid won many competitions including the art museum in
Vilnius, the above fire station, the cultural centre in Baku and performing
arts centre in Abu Dhabi and in 2004 she won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Made a Dame by the Queen and the first woman ever to receive the Royal Gold medal for Architecture.
Zaha leaves behind her a legacy of success and inspritation for the Architectoral visionaries of tomorrow, her memory will live on in all of her achievements and creations.
An inspirational woman, a great loss to the creative world, forever remembered in her visions.