Assignment 02 ZAHA HADID

Introduction:

While I was browsing at the Wexner Hall library, an eye catching, I would say, completely modern and chaotic looking structure made me amazed. The second thing I noticed that, this amazing design was by a well known female architect named Zaha Hadid. When I started to read the journal I found that she is the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, the Nobel equivalent for Architecture, in its 26 year history. ZAHA HADID (1950-) has defined a radically new approach to architecture by creating buildings, such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, with multiple perspective points and fragmented look, evoking the chaos of modern life.

Biography:

Born in Baghdad, the British-Iraqi Zaha Hadid is one of the world’s most famous architects. After completing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the American University of Beirut, she enrolled at the Architectural Association, London. She graduated from the Architectural Association and became a partner at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture along with her former teachers Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis in 1977. Although she became very influential theoretically and won many projects, initially they were never built. Finally in 1994, the Vitra Fire Station at Weil am Rhein in Germany was built, which was her first project to be completed. In 1999 she designed the stage set for the Pet Shop Boys world tour and the Mind Zone for the Millennium Dome in London. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker prize, the architectural equivalent of Nobel prize, in 2004. In 2005 she also won the competition to design a gallery and offices for the Architecture Foundation in London. References to many of her famous works can be found at http://www.zaha-hadid.com/projects. She currently runs Zaha Hadid Architects, a London based architectural firm. My Impressions: The more I read about her and her work, the more I get impressed. I believe any designer at any level has something to learn from her life and work. I was amazed to discover her unique signature style whether that’s a building, furniture or shoe design. I find her designs to be a blend of futuristic, fluidic and following nature. As an example, a starfish like pattern dominates her winning design of Dubai Opera House (http://www.dezeen.com/2008/06/06/dubai-opera-house-by-zaha-hadid/).  A dynamic curvature creates a revolutionary look in architecture as well as non-architectural design world. The beautiful design of Waterfront - Museum of the Mediterranean is the first structure that caught in my mind (http://www.zaha-hadid.com/cultural/regium-waterfront).  Later I found almost all of her designs of everyday objects like shoes, sofa and tables stand out and shout, “Look at me!” (http://inhabitat.com/zaha-hadid-turns-shoe-designer-teams-up-with-melissa/) The only negative comment on her designs is that she seems to prefer form over function in designing everything.