Remembering Zaha Hadid

It is a sad time in the architecture community as we say good-bye to such a strong woman and legendary architect, Zaha Hadid. Like many of today’s STARchitects, Zaha was more than a talented designer, she was an artist and visionary, gaining international fame at the 1988 “Deconstructivism in Architecture” exhibit at the New York City Museum of Modern Art. Architecture closely coincides with the trends of the art community and this landed Zaha in the throws of a new movement as well as a time to stretch both structure and materials to their physical limits.

Hadid used deconstructivism to better understand the complexity of the urban environment. Through her artwork she was able to compile layers upon layers of information and break it all down into an abstraction of lines and movement. It was through this process that she was able to get down to the essence of form and the soul of the ‘place.’ She could then pull the most influential pieces back together, creating irregular and undulating forms of art and architecture. Although this process creates complex, sculptural buildings her work remains integrated with the surrounding environment.

As Hadid’s career progressed, her work began to expand out of the traditional deconstructivist style into a more contemporary, organic architecture. Materials were stretched to their physical limits through the use of innovative technology. With the development of three dimensional computer modeling, fluid shapes could be realized more efficiently and materials could be experimented with. The growth of Zaha Hadid Architecture extends beyond the office and beyond computer technology to the construction team who was also dedicated to the innovation of design and building. This dynamic created the infrastructure necessary to continuously break the physical boundaries of the built environment. It is my hope that this model will continue to be carried out by the extraordinary team she is leaving behind.

The passing of Zaha has left a void within the Architectural community.  A void left for women architects all over the world to fill with dedication and passion.  As both the first woman and the first Muslim to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Zaha has made great strides for women around the globe in our profession. There is a new dimension of creativity and expression that the ‘female’ architect is able to bring to the table, Zaha Hadid embraced this and forged herself into an architectural legend.