The Reign of Zaha Hadid, Research Paper Example

Zaha Hadid was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1950 (Trickly).  Her father, who had been educated at the London School of Economics, was a major influence on her and he instilled an Iraqi pride in her while still insisting that she expand her horizons and learn about new cultures (“Zaha Hadid’s Iraq”).  Her father was also a large influence on her decision to be an architect; he brought many architects to their home and Hadid met them, learned from them, and Hadid knew she wanted to be an architect at ten years old.  She always drew and had such an interest in science and math that it seemed to be an especially good choice for her. Even from a young age, Hadid’s family brought her to London each summer to visit art galleries and museums, and never did they draw the line between art and science that is so prevalent in society today; rather, Hadid’s family saw a fluid connection between the two disciplines that instilled a passion for discovery within Hadid.  Because of this, Hadid admits that both art and science were always large components of her life and that “math was an everyday part” of her childhood.

That love for science continued all through her time at boarding school, and Hadid found herself in school for mathematics at the American University of Beruit, a University based in Lebanon that “bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education” (“Mission Statement”).  Following her graduation, Hadid moved to London in 1972 in order to pursue her love of architecture; in 1977 she was awarded the Diploma Prize, which is the Architectural Association School of Architecture’s (AA’s) highest award (“Diploma Honors”).  Beyond just the prize, however, AA was known for its heavily experimental designs throughout the 1970’s and ‘80’s, which influenced Hadid; for her graduation project, for instance, Hadid designed a hotel that would stand atop the Hungerford Bridge over England’s Thames River.

But AA was not the only thing that influenced Hadid’s freethinking style.  In an article written by Hadid, she admits that the economical situation in the West during her time at AA was part of the reason she took such an interest in the works of Kazimir Malevich (“Zaha Hadid RA”). Malevich was a Polish-Russian painter that is mostly known for his “formation of a true Russian avant-garde post-World War I,” which he managed to coin through his personal views (which he termed “Suprematism”) (“Kazimir Malevich”).  The “dire” economic situation in the West imbedded similar ambitions in Hadid as those that drove Malevich and Hadid “thought to apply radical new ideas to regenerate society” just as Malevich was known to have done (“Zaha Hadid RA”). Beyond Malevich’s influence on her attitude, however, he was part of the reason that Hadid turned to using painting as a way of planning out her architecture rather than the traditional sketching procedure used by others.  “I found the traditional system of architectural drawing to be limited and was searching for a new means of representation,” Hadid writes in her RA article, speaking specifically of her readiness to go outside the lines if it meant better results and outside thinking.

That outside thinking is something that stuck around throughout Hadid’s career; her “personality, individualism, and aggressive approach has changed the way the world looks at . . . design itself,” NBM media writes of Hadid, and they certainly are not wrong (“Zaha Hadid: The Diva”).  Hadid is a no-nonsense woman that expects the best from her staff, and while she was once viewed as a “paper architect”—being someone that makes excellent designs on paper that simply cannot be held up in real life design—her work on the art gallery in Cincinnati silenced those critics once and for all.  It was not until 1980 that Hadid opened her own practice in London, but it was still six more years before one of her designs was realized: after work from 1986 until 1993, the IBA Housing in Berlin was completed, thus launching her career in contemporary architecture (“IBA Housing”). Many designs were realized and built, but in 1995 (coined the “Cardiff Incident”) Hadid ran into issues.

There was a competition to decide which architect could design the Cardiff Bay Opera House, and after having pitched in her own design, Hadid won the competition (Barber). However, the competition was restarted after the locals were unhappy at Hadid’s success, so she entered once again and, just as before, won the competition for a second time.  In the end, however, Cardiff dumped her design and the “deeply mediocre Millennium Centre” was built, instead (Moore).  This rejection was not only embarrassing for Hadid, it launched a lull in her career that lasted around six years, during which all of Hadid’s income was from teaching rather than building. It was not until 2000 when the Serpentine Gallery in London was built temporarily that Hadid’s career picked back up; since then, she has been one of the most sought-after architects in the world.

Aside from her buildings (which are fantastic and include The London Aquatics Centre, the Phaeno Science Centre in Wolfsburg, and the infamous Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (“Zaha Hadid’s Greatest Buildings”)), Hadid is heavily involved in academics and holds chairs and guest professorships at a wide variety of universities, including (but not limited to) Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Universities (“Zaha Hadid Biography”).  In 2004 she was the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which is the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Architecture.  Several of her buildings have won awards: The London Building Excellence Award was given in 2015 for her Serpentine Sackler Gallery, the Design of the Year award was given to Hadid in 2014 for her Heydar Aliyev Centre designs, and she was on Forbes ‘100 Most Powerful Women’ article in 2007 (“Awards”). Hadid has won more than 100 awards since 2006, averaging in more than ten awards (usually international) each year since then.

Zaha Hadid is not only a pioneer in architecture that shows the capabilities of women in the field, she has paved a new understanding of what is possible in the area of study.  I chose to study Hadid because of her well-known drive, her infamously out-of-the-box thinking, and her international appeal; she has built structures in many countries and her architectural firm has grown to be a multi-hundred employee cooperation that is pumping out nearly a hundred designs at present day.  Hadid is only one example of what can happen if you have drive, an open mind, and a willingness to persevere through any “down spot.”

Works Cited

Moore, Rowan. “Zaha Hadid: Queen of the Curve.” The Observer. The Guardian, 7 Sept. 2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“Zaha Hadid.” Zaha Hadid Architects. Zaha Hadid, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“Zaha Hadid Biography.” The Pritzker Architecture Prize. The Hyatt Foundation, 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Hadid, Zaha. “Zaha Hadid RA on the Influence of Malevich in Her Work.” Royal Academy of Arts. Royal Academy of Arts, 22 July 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Hadid, Zaha. “Zaha Hadid’s Iraq: ‘Math Was Like Sketching.’” CNN Style. CNN, 24 Sept., 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Trickly, Erick. “Zaha Hadid Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Barber, Lynn.  “Zaha Hadid.” The Observer. The Guardian, 9 Mar. 2008. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“Mission Statement.” American University of Beirut. American University of Beirut, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“Diploma Honours 2012/13.” Architectural Association School of Architecture. Architectural Association School of Architecture, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“Kazimir Malevich: Russian Painter and Sculptor.” The Art Story. The Art Story, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“Zaha Hadid: The Diva of Deconstructive Architecture.” NBM Media. MGS Architecture, Oct. 2006. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“IBA Housing.” Zaha Hadid Architects. Zaha Hadid, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015. (http://www.zaha-hadid.com/architecture/iba-housing/?doing_wp_cron)

“Zaha Hadid’s Greatest Buildings.” The Telegraph: Travel. Telegraph, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

“Awards.” Zaha Hadid Architects. Zaha Hadid, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.