Zaha

Born in Baghdad in 1950, Zaha Hadid received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut, and then studied architecture at the Architectural Association from 1972, where she was awarded the Diploma Prize in 1977. She then became a member of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture; began teaching at the AA with Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis; and later lead her own studio at the AA until 1987. Her academic concerns have continued to the present, with periods of visiting professorship at Columbia and Harvard Universities, and a series of Master Classes and lectures at various venues around the world. During 1994 she held the Kenzo Tange chair at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University.

Hadid is internationally recognized as a leading academic, artist and designer. The diverse projects of her London-based studio range from furniture and interior designs to large-scale urban structures. Among her most acclaimed ventures are the Vitra Fire Station in Weil-am-Rhein, Germany; the installation for "The Great Utopia" exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Peak Club, Hong Kong; and the Cardiff Bay Opera House.

Her work was awarded wide recognition in 1983, with a winning entry for The Peak Club, Hong Kong, which was followed by first place awards for competitors in Kufurstendamm, Berlin (1986); for an Art and Media Centre in Düsseldorf (1989); and for the Cardiff Bay Opera House in 1994.

In parallel to her theoretical and academic work, Hadid began her own practice in 1979 with the design for an Apartment in Eaton Place, London. This work was awarded the Architectural Design Gold Medal during 1982. Others projects have included furniture and interiors for Bitar, London (1985), and the design of several buildings in Japan; including two projects in Tokyo (1988), a Folly in Osaka (1990). In 1990 Hadid also completed an Exhibition Pavilion for Video Art in Gronningen, and in 1992 she created the installation for ìThe Great Utopiaî exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, New York. During 1988-89 Hadid received the commission for Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, which was completed for harbor developments in Hamburg, Bordeaux and Cologne.

 

Hadid’s paintings and drawings have been shown internationally, beginning with a large retrospective at the AA in 1983. Other major exhibitions include the Guggenheim Museum, New York (1978); the GA Gallery, Tokyo (1985); the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1988); The Graduate School of Design at Harvard University (1994), and The Waiting Room at Grand Central Station New York (1995). Hadid’s work also forms part of the permanent collection of various institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Deutsches Architektur Museum in Frankfurt.