Dame Zaha

Hadid
(Queen of the CURVE)
Architecture Theory Assignment.
Rutwik Joshi(17) & Utkarsh Shah()
INDEX
• Basic Information and Facts
• Family Tree
• Early life and academics
• Philosophy and Style
• Hadid’s inspiration and description of her buildings.
• Timeline of Hadid’s career.
• Awards and Honors
• Style
• Important buildings
• Family Tree
• Controversies and problems faced for her designs
• 3 iconic and great structures by the architect.(Heydar Aliyev Centre, Capital Hill Residence, Guangzhou Opera House.)
• Summary
• Board of Directors Team.

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ZAHA HADID
○ An Iraqi-British architect.
○ Born on 31st October 1950 & passed away on 31st March 2016
due to a heart attack in a hospital in a Miami hospital.
○ Made a Dame in 2012 for her services to architecture.
○ First woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize
and Royal Gold Medal, in 2004 and 2016,respectively.
○ Painting and drawing, especially in her early period, are
important techniques of investigation for her design work. Basic Information
○ The architect designed shoes, furniture and interior spaces as
well.
&
○ Known as the Queen of curves because of using curved lines Facts
in many of her designs .
○ Hadid always believed in sketching and model making, instead
of relying on technology, as she said that the computer
cannot do everything a human mind can.
○ Hadid was believed to be less interested in the joinery details
as she thought that it can always be worked out later and was Contoso Ltd.
a strong believer of the law “FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.” 3
ZAHA HADID
 FAMILY TREE

Mohammed Hadid
Wajeeha Sabonji

Foulath Hadid Zaha Hadid

Haydam Hadid

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ZAHA HADID
Early stages of architectural career, Academic life & Family
• Father-Muhammad al-Hajj Husayan Hadid, was a wealthy industrialist from Iraq.
• Mother-Wajiha al-Sabunji,was an artist from Mosul, Iraq.
• Haydam Hadid,brother, is a writer and an accountant.
• Foulath Hadid,brother, was an expert on Arab affairs.
• Hadid grew up in a well-educated Islamic family oriented toward Western multiculturalism.
• Hadid attended a Catholic school where French was spoken and nuns served as instructors, but which was
religiously diverse. Hadid's family expected her to pursue a professional career.
• Her family left Iraq due to the outbreaking of war.
• She studied mathematics in the American University in Beirut.
• In 1972, she moved to London and studied architecture at the Architectural Association.
• In 1977, she graduated and went on to work for her former professors,Koolhas and Zenghelis, at the Office of
Metropolitan Architecture.
• In 1980, she open her own architectural firm.
• Later on , she began teaching architecture and over the years taught at Harvard Graduate School of
Design,Cambridge University, the University of Chicago, the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg,
the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Columbia University.

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ZAHA HADID
ZAHA HADID’S STYLE

Deconstructivism Italian Futurism Contemporary Urbanism Fragmented

Iconic Geometry

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ZAHA HADID
Zaha Hadid’s Inspiration & Description of her buildings.
• Hadid was inspired to design architecture and fashion when she was a teenager in Iraq. Her father took her to
the Region of Sumer in Southern Iraq to see the Sumerian cities ruins. They toured the marsh villages on a reed
raft down the river and Hadid stated that the landscape never left her. The sand, huts, water, reeds, plants,
birds and wildlife blended together into one scene. Ever since this family trip, Hadid has tried to recreate the
scene in a contemporary and modern kind of way in architecture with Urban planning. 

• Hadid’s philosophy was about tackling the modern era problems that came up and coming up with something
different .

• Hadid's buildings are very unique and are never bland or dull. She always adds life and engaging features in.
She likes to experiment with long curvy shapes and vibrant and outstanding features. Her buildings are always
eye catching and have an unique shape, style and quality to them. She also likes to experiment with light and
long curves for walls.

• Hadid’s architectural output reflected the shifting global landscape, which at the close of the 20th century was
moving beyond northwest Europe and America, where modern architecture began. She was one of the first to
build on a large scale in China, where she completed two extraordinary complexes in Beijing, involving a mix of
high-rises and lower blocks.
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ZAHA HADID
 Contemporary Arts Guangzhou Opera House
Center, Cincinnati
Timeline Design for Dü sseldorf Art
1997-2000
2003-2010

and Media Centre is

scrapped and Hadid’s BMW Administration
She continued making designs are called Building 
conceptual designs, unrealistic.
teaching and paintings 2001-2005

Started her firm Design for the Vitra Fire Station Phaeno Science Centre
Kurfü rstendamm in Berlin 1991-1993
was scraped. 2000-2005

1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Riverside Museum,
Design for Cardiff Bay Opera Glasgow, Scotland
House is scrapped due to
lack of funds and other 2004-2011
reasons.
Gained international Ordrupgaard
recognition with her Sheikh Zayed Bridge Museum
competition winning entry extension
for the Peak, a leisure and 1997-2010
A period of struggle for
recreational centre in Hong 2001-2005
Kong
Zaha Hadid National Museum of Arts
of the 21st Century
(MAXX) Bergisel Ski Jump Contoso Ltd.
Month, 20YY
1999-2002
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1998-2010 ZAHA HADID
Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku Innovation Tower, Hong
Azerbaijan Kong
2007-2014 Skyscraper re-purposing of
2007-2013 666 Fifth Avenue
2015-Incomplete

Dongdaemun Design Broad Art Museum, Wangjing SOHO Tower, Nanjing International Port Authority, Antwerp,
Plaza, Seoul Michigan Beijing Youth Cultural Centre Belgium 
2007-2012 2016
2007-2013 2009-2014 2012-2015

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

London Olympics Library and Learning Center,

Aquatics Centre Vienna University

2005-2011 2008-2013
Daxing International Airport, Grand Thé atre de Rabat
China Scorpion Tower of Miami
2014 -Incomplete 2015-Incomplete
2014-2018
Salerno Maritime Terminal in Galaxy SOHO, Beijing
Salerno Contoso Ltd.
2008-2012 9
2005-2016 (Posthumous) ZAHA HADID
Design Process
Step 1 :- Sketches and drawings
Hadid always starts her design process by sketching drawings of her new project. She draws 2 dimensional shapes and abstractedly sketches the
graphic textures of her new project. She then makes sure her structure design fits the essential needs of a building-safe, strong and a shelter. She
also takes into account that buildings should have an impact on the street life, and should draw people to them. She uses unique patterns and shapes
on her designs, so that her style could be recognized as her own. 

Step 2:-Hadid then thoroughly researches the land the project is to be built upon. She never starts building the project until she has a clear
understanding of the surroundings and size limit. She then researches the neighborhood of the project’s site and questions the locals what they want
for the future of the area. She also researches the political and social history of the city she is building in, because she strongly believes in different
cultures designs and wants her building to reflect the cities significance in history. She then does a critical thinking exercise to look at her project at a
different angle and in a new perspective.

Step 3:-After her rigorous researching of the site, she thinks about the best possible choice of her designs for the project. She creates many models
and versions of the site, and chooses the best-suited idea for display. She then calculates the distribution of zones inside the building (the interior).
She then also uses different techniques to make the design creative, original and symbolic to herself and the culture of the city she is building in.

Step 4:-Hadid then tries to meet the standards of all successful designs and projects by making her design aesthetic and symbolic to the
surroundings. She gets inspiration from the natural forms and the landscape of the site. She also considers the weather and climate, the lighting, the
orientation and the entrance of the building. 

Step 5:- Hadid finally designs the interior of the building by making it fit with the exterior design by using the same patterns and techniques. She then
needs to list what materials she needs to construct the project. She also thinks about the technological implements such as sound-proof doors for
performing halls or concert stages.
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ZAHA HADID
○ She created contemporary iconic architecture which brought
architecture to a new level, not just physically, but socially and
culturally. She created dynamic forms of long curved shapes which
can be seen in most of her designs. All of her designs are engaging
and vibrant, and are never plain or dull. She also used Russian
Constructivism and Italian futurism in her designs and creations.
She created a new perspective of the world which is unique and
different to the usual designs and architecture. She explores
between the relationships of patterns and the constructions of her
designs. She had almost designed 1000 projects around the world.

○ Zaha Hadid’s style of work is bold, unique, different and

contemporary. She explores new aspects of design through
technology and materials. She always stretches her limits and
boundaries and never does anything simple or normal. She always
Style &
explores and thoroughly researches her designs before creating. 
○ Zaha Hadid was someone who made her presence felt in a male
dominated world with her different,bold and unique designs and
Summary
never backed down from challenges.
○ Throughout her career, she was a dedicated teacher, enthused by
the energy of the young. She was not keen to be characterized as a
woman architect, or an Arab architect. She was simply an architect.

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ZAHA HADID
Controversies/Problems faced for designs.
• Opera House ,Cardiff - Her design was chosen as the best by the competition jury, but the Welsh government refused to pay
for it, and the commission was given to a different and less ambitious architect.

• During the early 1980s Hadid's style introduced audiences to a new modern architecture style through her extremely
detailed and professional sketches. At at that time people were focused on postmodernism designs, so her designs were a
different approach to architecture that set her apart from other designers but unfortunately were considered too avant-
garde to be taken beyond sketches, and she started to gain a reputation as a "paper architect".

• The Qatar controversy was a very troublesome and serious allegation made by a journalist on the architect, against which she
filed a case in court for defamation and won.

• Hadid’s design for The Peak was never realized, nor were most of her other radical designs in the 1980s and early ’90s, even
though her design for The Peak had been selected by the competition jury and that’s what gave her the early stardom.

• Her fantastic forms were often derided, and the expense and scale of many of her commissions were frequently ridiculed.

• Hadid won an international competition to design a new National Olympic Stadium as part of the successful bid by Tokyo to
host the 2020 Summer Olympics. As the estimated cost of the construction mounted, however, Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzō Abe announced in July 2015 that Hadid's design would be scrapped in favor of a new bidding process to seek
a less expensive alternative.
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ZAHA HADID
 Heydar Aliyev Centre – Design Concept

• The design of the Heydar Aliyev Center

establishes a continuous, fluid relationship
between its surrounding plaza and the
building’s interior.
• The plaza, as the ground surface; accessible
to all as part of Baku’s urban fabric, rises to
envelop an equally public interior space and
define a sequence of event spaces
dedicated to the collective celebration of
contemporary and traditional Azeri culture.
• Elaborate formations such as undulations,
bifurcations, folds, and inflections modify
this plaza surface into an architectural
landscape that performs a multitude of
functions: welcoming, embracing, and
directing visitors through different levels of
the interior.
• With this gesture, the building blurs the
conventional differentiation between
architectural object and urban landscape,
building envelope and urban plaza, figure
and ground, interior and exterior.
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ZAHA HADID
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ZAHA HADID
Capital Hill Residence
On a hillside forest outside of Moscow, amongst 65-foot-high (20-meter-high) pine and birch trees, sits the
only private house to be designed and built by Zaha Hadid in her lifetime. With a form defined by its natural
surroundings, the Capital Hill Residence is divided into two components, one merging with the sloping hillside,
and another “floating” 72 feet (22 meters) above ground to unlock spectacular views across the Russian forested
landscape.

Like many of Zaha Hadid’s public works, the Capital Hill

Residence is defined by fluid geometries emerging from the
landscape. The scheme is organized into four levels, with the
lower two floors housing a living room, dining room, kitchen,
entertaining spaces, indoor swimming pool, and leisure
facilities. The entrance foyer, library, guest room and children’s
playroom occupy the first floor, while the master bedroom
suites and exterior terraces on the elevated upper level
emerge above the trees to take in sweeping vistas of the
surroundings.

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ZAHA HADID
 Capital Hill Residence
Like many of Zaha Hadid’s public works, the Capital Hill
Residence is defined by fluid geometries emerging
from the landscape. The scheme is organized into four
levels, with the lower two floors housing a living room,
dining room, kitchen, entertaining spaces,
indoor swimming pool, and leisure facilities. The
entrance foyer, library, guest room and children’s
playroom occupy the first floor, while the master
bedroom suites and exterior terraces on the elevated
upper level emerge above the trees to take in
sweeping vistas of the surroundings.

The scheme’s two main components are connected via

three structural concrete columns, with a
transparent glass elevator and staircase situated between
two of the columns. The columns intersect the roof at the
first floor, defining skylights and a double-height main
entrance. The roof is supported by a double-curved
cast concrete structure, serving to frame views of the
forest from the living room while also dividing the living Contoso Ltd.
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spaces. ZAHA HADID
Guangzhou Opera House
• The Guangzhou Opera House is located in a new business district of the city, with a new 103-storey glass tower
behind it.
• It covers 70,000 square metres and was built at cost of US$300 million.
• The complex comprises an 1,800-seat theatre, a multipurpose theatre, entry hall, and salon. A covered
pathway with restaurants and shops separates the two main structures. This building, like several of her later
buildings, was inspired by natural earth forms; the architect herself referred to it as the "two pebbles".
• It appears akin to two giant smooth-edged boulders faced with 75,000 panels of polished granite and glass.

• The 70,000 sqm project consists of two solid geometric forms wrapped with a structural exoskeleton. 
• The two components, with their similar form, color and shared structural expression, create a strong artistic
expression to house the cultural center. Hadid’s angular exterior intentions are carried through the interiors,
shaping dynamic gathering spaces and interstitial spaces. For the main auditorium, Hadid’s concept has
manifested itself in the form of fluid ribbons that wrap the main stage. 

• Overlooking the Pearl River the Guangzhou Opera House is at the heart of Guangzhou’s cultural sites
development. Adopting state of the art technology in its design and construction it will be a lasting monument
to the New Millennium, confirming Guangzhou as one of Asia’s cultural centers

•  Its unique twin boulder design will enhance urban function by opening access to the riverside and dock areas
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ZAHA HADID
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ZAHA HADID
Post Death Situation
• 36 unfinished projects were left behind at the moment of her death.

• Her partner assumed leadership of the firm, assuring the completion of existing commissions and the
procurement of new ones.

• Hadid was awarded the 2017 Brit Awards.

• Some of the unfinished projects were finished and inaugurated in the later years.

• Homage was paid to her during the inauguration of some of the sites.

• She is survived by a brother, Haytham.

• The $70 million fortune she had left behind was passed on to her brother, his sons and to charitable trusts.

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ZAHA HADID
Board of Directors of Zaha Hadid Architects. (Present)

Gianluca Patrick Mouzhan Jim Heverin Charles

Racana Schumacher Majidi Walker
Director Director Director Director Director

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ZAHA HADID
Thank You