Zaha Hadid: architecture. Biography and personal life of Zaha Hadid

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

There are a lot of architects in the modern world, but only a few of them are really outstanding. One of the best experts in this field is Zaha Hadid. The biography of this woman is replete with dizzying stages in life. Large-scale projects, majestic features, the ability to present yourself and your work - this is all that characterizes Zaha Hadid.

Who is Zaha Hadid?

The biography of the great architect is largely connected with Baghdad. Here, in 1950, she was born into a we althy family belonging to the bourgeois class. Her father's name was Muhammad al Hajj Hussein and her mother was Wajiha al Sabunji. Zaha received her first education at the American University, located in Beirut, in the class of mathematics. She then spent five years studying at the London Association of Architects. After receiving this education, she began working in an architectural office owned by her teacher and mentor Rem Koolhaas. Having adopted all the best qualities and skills from the wonderful Dutcharchitect, Zaha decided to start her own firm, Zaha Hadid Architects.

Even as a teenager, she was famous for her boundless imagination. Already at that time, the little architect Zaha Hadid was doing various works to order or of her own free will. Among her proposals were such projects as a habitable bridge over the Thames or an inverted skyscraper in Leicester. The architecture of Zaha Hadid has always been distinguished by a certain originality. An example of this is the project of the club, the location of which was supposed to be a high mountain. Then the projects of Zaha Hadid received various architectural awards, but did not find ways to implement. The main reason for this was the unwillingness of customers to accept a non-standard, new, innovative project. But all the projects of Zaha Hadid were original.

Over time, Zaha was considered a true architect. After recognition, interesting projects began to come to her. The first was the building of Zaha Hadid for the Vitra furniture company. With them, she designed a bomber-shaped fire department. Then more and more projects began to be given to her, and as a result, buildings from the architect are now in dozens of cities.

Zhaha Hadid's personal life, despite not all her successes and attractive appearance, could not line up. She fully realized herself as an architect, but failed to realize herself as a woman.

Unexpected death

On March 31, 2016, Zaha Hadid, the greatest architect of our time, passed away. Cause of death of a wonderful and talentedwomen are very vital and often encountered. 65-year-old Zakha was killed by a heart attack. It happened to her in Miami. She flew here only to treat her bronchitis. So, in an instant, a brilliant, original and very cheerful person was gone. Unfortunately, Zaha Hadid did not have children, so after her death, only work and business remained a reminder of this woman.

Creative path

The work of Zaha Hadid interested the public and customers after the world became acquainted with the magnificent creation of Frank Gehry - the Guggenheim Museum, which was erected in Bilbao. Zaha Hadid's architecture has received overwhelming demand after she participated in the construction of the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art. Her architectural ideas have always been in conflict with generally accepted canons. In all her works, Zaha Hadid tried to go beyond and give space a new powerful impetus. So, in her projects, you can track the distorted perspective, which helps to identify sharp corners and curvature.

Woman architect Zaha Hadid did a great job with large forms. But in addition to her architectural talent, she also had an extraordinary ability to create installations, theatrical scenery, interiors, paintings and even shoes. Performing small works, Zaha honed new forms. Zaha Hadid's architecture adorns many cities, and her small works are kept in museums such as MoMa, the German Museum of Architecture and others. In addition to creating new shapes and objects, Zaha was also happy to share her knowledge. She isoften held master classes and lectured in various countries of the world.

Among the works of Zaha Hadid - a number of furniture collections. One of the most memorable pieces of furniture created by Zaha is the Chandler Vortex lamp and the Crystal armchair. Unique creative projects brought Zaha to the first design show in Miami, where she was awarded the title of "Designer of the Year".

Zakha's imprint in Russia

Zaha visited Russia more than once. In this regard, meeting the architecture of Zaha Hadid has become quite simple. In 2004 she was invited to the Hermitage Theatre, where she was awarded the Pitzker Prize. In the same year, Zaha Hadid gave an interesting lecture at the Central House of Architects. A year later, she returned to Russia with a master class, which was held on the basis of the ARCH-Moscow exhibition. The same year brought Zakha a project in Moscow. The company "Capital Group" offered an extraordinary architect to design a residential complex "Picturesque Tower". This is how the first building of Zaha Hadid appeared in Moscow. The address of this building: Moscow, st. Picturesque. Seven years later, in 2012, Zaha Hadid took on the construction of Vladislav Doronin's futuristic mansion on Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway.

In 2015, a new Peresvet Plaza business center was erected in Moscow, designed by Zaha Hadid. Moscow, Sharikopodshipnikovskaya street, 5 - the address of the new building of the great architect in Russia. The building is made in the avant-garde style, and at first glance it seems that this is somethen a space object that descended from heaven to earth.

The legendary buildings of Zaha Hadid

Every building designed by Zaki Hadid becomes a legend. You can take any of her work, and each of them can be called the best with confidence. Among the amazing projects of Zaha Hadid:

1. The Beijing Tower is an object striking not only in its scale, but also in its innovativeness. During the construction, the creators turned to technologies that reduced the amount of energy consumed and minimized the emission of pollutants.
2. Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in America – Zaha Hadid won the Pritzker Prize for this project.
3. Innsbruck ski jump.
4. BMW Headquarters in Leipzig is the result of a rethinking of the functions of a traditional office.
5. National Museum of Art of the Twenty-First Century in Rome.
6. London Watersports Centre, built for the 2012 Olympics.
7. The Heyder Aliyev Center in Baku was erected in honor of the third president of Azerbaijan.
8. The futuristic mansion on Rublyovka in Moscow is Vladislav Doronin's country house, visually reminiscent of a spaceship.
9. The Central Bank of Iraq is a very important building for Zaha, as it was built in her homeland. Unfortunately, by the time the construction was completed, the great architect was no longer alive.
10. Polytechnic University of Hong Kong - when you look at it, the legendary Titanic immediately comes to mind.

These are just some of the beautiful works of Zaha Hadid. No less inspiring andHer grandiose projects are the buildings of the Museum of Transport in Glasgow, the Mining Museum in Italy, the shopping and entertainment center in Beijing, and others. Several super-outrageous works by Zaha Hadit are described in more detail below.

Galaxy SOHO (Beijing)

The grandiose building is located on a land plot of 47 thousand square meters. The construction of this architectural object lasted for 30 months from 2009 to 2012. This complex is the first building built in China designed by Zaha Hadid. Experts and connoisseurs believe that SOHO is the best creation of Hadid in all of Asia. According to the concept of the architectural agency Zaha Hadid, this building was made without sharp corners. As for the name, it was originally called “no corners”. Patrick Schumacher, a colleague of Zaha's, decided that this was too rough a name for the concept and suggested renaming it "panoramic architecture".

The area of the complex is 330 thousand square meters. It consists of five three-dimensional objects. Each of them has a rounded shape and reaches a height of up to 67 meters. Between themselves, each of the elements is connected by multi-level platforms of floors and covered tunnels. Due to the rounding of the interfloor ceilings, the complex visually became similar to a dynamically moving object. The building has a reinforced concrete frame. The height of office ceilings reaches three and a half meters. In trading floors, ceilings rise to a height of more than five meters. In total, the complex has 18 floors, three of which are underground. There is a car park next to the building.1250 cars.

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center

This building is striking in its scale. The total area of the territory occupied by it exceeds 111 thousand square meters. Within the walls of the cultural center there are such important premises as a museum, a conference hall, a library. There is also a special area for various events. Absolutely transparent glass walls dominate the building. In this format, not only external walls are made, but also internal ones. This allows you to minimize energy consumption and use the maximum natural light. Like almost all projects by Zaha Hadid, the architecture of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center consists of rounded lines. This building harmoniously combines a wave-like aspiration to the sky and a smooth approach to the earth. This concept of the project was not chosen by chance. According to the author's idea, first of all, the center should embody infinity and duration. The color of the building is white, which is a symbol of a brighter future.

CMA CGM Tower (Marseille, France)

In 2011, the famous architect of Arab origin completed the construction of an impressive skyscraper. In total, it has 37 full floors. The total height of the building is 147 meters. Its location is a business district a kilometer from the central part of Marseille. Here, this skyscraper is the tallest building. The purpose of this building is the head office of the local company CMA CGM. The headquarters has a very advantageous locationrelative to the coastline, from it to the building there are only one hundred meters. Zaha Hadid's architectural agency won the right to create a project for this building by winning a special competition organized in 2004. Construction began in the same year. Seven years later, it has already been put into operation. In terms of its capacity, the building can easily accommodate 2,700 people. According to the project, parking lots for 700 cars and 200 motorcycles were built near the skyscraper. Visitors can also visit the restaurant, designed for 800 people, or the gym. In terms of its area, the building occupies approximately 94 thousand square meters. In terms of its significance, the skyscraper is included in the TOP-10 skyscrapers of 2011.

One Thousand Museum Tower (Miami, USA)

The sixty-story skyscraper was designed by Zaha Hadid in the heart of Miami, on Biscay Boulevard. The building includes 83 luxury apartments. The area of each apartment is different, as well as their cost. The minimum price of one premise is $5 million. The maximum reaches fifteen million. According to Zaha Hadid, this building was supposed to influence the skyline of the city. As part of the project, the architect proposed to make a podium at the base of the building, from which the tower will line up. In its shape, the tower will differ from those standing next to it with its non-standard design. It is as if braided from the outside with a concrete frame. So the outer part of the building becomes like a tree, entwined with branches. Balconies and loggiasapartments seem to be buried in the common plane of the facade. The purpose of the podium is to create a multi-purpose public area. There are shops, a cinema, a fitness center. Perforated metal panels surround the lower block of the building. They give the podium a futuristic style.

21st Century Museum (Rome)

The National Museum of Art, designed by Zaha Hadid, has become a vast collection of different cultures. As the basis of this building, it was decided to take the complex on which the Montello barracks were located. It is very symbolic for Rome that a new cultural object was built on top of an old building. The interior space of this 21st century museum is 21,000 square meters. Visually, it is similar to volcanic lava flows frozen forever. This effect is created due to volumetric concrete structures passing into each other. Glass surfaces play an important role in this cultural object. Almost the entire first floor, as well as the roof, are made of transparent glass. Thus, all the cultural values stored in the museum can be seen under daylight. Inside the building there is an atrium, assembled from two tiers. It connects all the rooms of the museum to each other. Transitions and asthenic openings inside the building are like black ribbons braiding the snow-white concrete walls of the building. The architectural decoration of the museum in 2010 was awarded the Stirling Prize in the UK. So, with one movement of her hand, Zaha Hadid turned a simple barracks into a surprisingly extraordinary property of the country.

Capital Hill Residence(Moscow)

Vladislav Doronin never skimped on creating his own comfort. This also applies to his home. So, in 2015, Zaha Hadid developed a project for his futuristic mansion, which was built by the oligarch on Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway. The total area of the trendy and super-unusual building is two and a half thousand square meters. Eco-style became the basis of Zaha Hadid's concept. When designing Doronin's house, she tried to harmoniously blend modern technology with natural features. When you look at this mansion, you immediately get the feeling that a spaceship has arrived from another planet and settled in Barvikha. The rooms inside the building are distributed over four levels. Downstairs there is a living room, a gym, a sauna, a bathhouse, a hammam and a massage room. Next are the guest reception, kitchen with dining area and swimming pool. On the floor above there is a library, a nursery, a living room and a huge hall. The final floor includes the master rooms and a luxurious terrace.

It is worth noting that the design of private houses is not included in the main specialization of Zaha Hadid. According to experts, for this work she received a fee with six zeros. As a result, the business union of Zaha Hadid and Vladislav Doronin demonstrated to the world a luxurious project and a world-class private house. The only thing that remains incomprehensible to many people is who will live there. It is believed that this house, like many others, the Moscow billionaire will present as a gift to his beloved Naomi Campbell.