biography

zaha hadid (1950 – 2016) was a world-renowned architect who consistently pushed the boundaries of architecture and urban design. her dynamic and innovative projects were built on over thirty years of revolutionary experimentation and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture, and design. her work encompassed all fields of design, from the urban scale to products, interiors, and furniture. hadid’s paintings and drawings have always been an important testing field and a medium for exploring her design.

born in baghdad, iraq, in 1950, hadid studied mathematics at the american university of beirut, lebanon, before moving to london in 1972 to attend the architectural association (aa) schoon, where she received the diploma prize in 1977. hadid taught at the aa school until 1987 and held numerous chairs and guest professorships at universities worldwide, including columbia, harvard, yale and the university of applied arts in vienna. she founded zaha hadid architects in 1979 and was awarded the pritzker architectural price in 2004.

hadid’s interest lay in the rigorous interface between architecture, landscape, and geology. her practice integrated natural topography, human-made systems, and experimentation with cutting-edge technologies. along with her architectural partner patrik schumacher, hadid originated the parametricism style, a new spatial concept that intensifies existing urban landscapes and interiors in the pursuit of a visionary aesthetic.

zaha hadid was best known for her seminal works, including the guangzhou opera house (guangzhou, guangdong, china), zaragoza bridge pavilion (zaragoza, spain), vitra fire station (weil am rhein, germany), land formation-one (weil am rhein, germany), bergisel ski jump (innsbruck, austria), rosenthal centre for contemporary art (cincinnati, usa), riverside museum of transport glasgow (glasgow, scotland) and maxxi – national museum of 21st century art (rome, italy).