Zaha Hadid

Who is Zaha Hadid?

Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad, Iraq, into a prominent and cosmopolitan family, and went on to become one of the most influential architects of her generation. She studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London to study architecture at the Architectural Association, where she later taught. Hadid became known for bold, fluid, deconstructivist designs that rejected traditional right angles in favor of sweeping, dynamic forms, realized through pioneering use of computer-aided design and parametric modeling. Major built works include the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, the MAXXI museum in Rome, the London Aquatics Centre built for the 2012 Olympics, and the Guangzhou Opera House in China. In 2004 she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's highest honor, and in 2016 she was posthumously the first woman to be individually awarded the RIBA Gold Medal. Hadid, who held British citizenship alongside her Iraqi heritage, died suddenly in Miami in 2016, leaving behind a global body of work and a firm that continued major international commissions after her death.

Sources: Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2004 Laureate citation · Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Gold Medal 2016 citation · The Guardian, obituary of Zaha Hadid (2016)