Who is Zaha Hadid?
Zaha Hadid is multi-award winning architect. It is obvious to see why Her nickname, the queen of curvature, was given. She was responsible for Countless unique and successfully built structures around the globe.

Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad in 1950. She went to schools in England and Beirut before completing her architecture degree at London's Architectural Association. This association loved her aesthetic visions, but were reportedly concerned about the physical complexity of her designs. Zaha Hadid's charisma and bold character is shown through many of her works. She understood that architecture is unfortunately reduced to a grand statement.

Zaha Hadid's buildings often took decades before the drawings became a reality. Her career nearly ended when it began, as some of her first high profile commissions publicly failing. 5 years after graduating from London's Architectural Association, she was approached to design a private health club in Hong Kong. Her design was loved by many, with it being particularly impressive design as it was made pre-digital age. Perhaps due to the complexity for 1982 it was never built, or perhaps because she was known to not consider compromises.

Her first structure that was built is the controversial Fire Station at Vitra Factory in Germany. This bold, sharp concrete design pushed the building material to new limits for 1993. In 1981, a major fire occurred in Vitra, meaning a fire brigade should be built to the city. ‘Reactionary grumblings’ meant that it never served its intended purpose as a Fire station - blunting its impact.

In 1994 Zaha Hadid Architects, her architectural firm, one the construction contract for building a new Opera House in Cardiff, Wales. Both politicians and the public turned on the project as the project costs soared, and in 1996 it was abandoned. Zaha cited was prejudice - that it failed because she just a ‘foreign, female architect’.

Then, something changed - her clients suddenly began to fully commit to her designs. Perhaps it was the rise in technology - in particular the development of two famous architectural softwares Bim and AutoCAD. Zaha’s complex creations could suddenly be mathematically engineered on a computer screen. Many economically, technically and publicly successful projects followed until her death in 2016, aged 65.

The following structures of some of her best known work.

600 Collins street - a mixed use tower in Melbourne’s financial district. It is a 54 storey building which includes, retail, commercial and residential spaces. It is still under development, but it will reportedly use 50% less energy compared to a conventional tower of the same height. Grey water recycling - the act of reusing water from sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines for toilet flushing, irrigation and other appropriate uses, are included in the design.

Messner Mountain Museum - Sitting 2000m above sea level, the design was intended to mirror the shards of rock and ice in the surrounding landscape. Zaha Hadid explained the concept of her design - “The idea is that visitors can descend within the mountain to explore its caverns and grottos, before emerging through the mountain wall on the other side, out onto the terrace overhanging the valley far below with spectacular panoramic views.”

Wangjing Soho - this mixed use development includes her 43 storey Beijing Tower is used as the hub for IT and telecommunications businesses. They were designed in a way that makes them “appear as interweaving mountains that link the buildings with the landscape”. The Wangjing Soho also includes a 60,000 square meter public path.

London Aquatics Centre - simply put, it because an instantly recognisable building in 2012, when it hosted the Olympics and Paralympic games. It held and increadible 17,500 people, although has now been scaled back to 2500. Its design was inspired by the fluidity of the water. The actual construction was difficult, and is regarded as an amazing engineering project.

Her most famous design is the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan. It is intended for it to become the primary building for the country's cultural programs, with it providing a large conference auditorium, gallery space and museum. The Aliyev Centre’s looks were designed to contrast with the soviet-era architecture of surrounding buildings, and seeks to look forward to a positive future.

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