World renowned Iraqi-British architect, Zaha Hadid, has died from a heart attack aged 65. New of her death has shocked and saddened the world of architecture and design. Her death in Miami follows a brief hospital stay where she was being treated for bronchitis.
A lengthy statement released by her company said: “It is with great sadness that Zaha Hadid Architects have confirmed that Dame Zaha Hadid DBE died suddenly in Miami in the early hours of this morning.
“She had contracted bronchitis earlier this week and suffered a sudden heart attack while being treated in hospital. Zaha Hadid was widely regarded to be the greatest female architect in the world today.”
Baghdad-born Hadid was arguably the world’s most prominent female architect in the world, and was considered by many to be an outspoken critic of the gender equality debate within her profession.
She studied mathematics at the American university of Beirut before launching her architectural career in London, although she struggled to win commission in the UK for many years.
Her work was distinguished by her futuristic and often dramatic designs, with her buildings commissioned all around the world. In 2004, she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize – the highest accolade within the architecture industry. She was also the first woman to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) gold medal.
Jane Duncan, RIBA’s president, said: “Dame Zaha Hadid was an inspirational woman, and the kind of architect one can only dream of being. Visionary and highly experimental, her legacy, despite her young age, is formidable.
“She leaves behind a body of work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars that delight and astound people all around the world. The world of architecture has lost a star today.”
Some of her most famous designs include the Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics in London, rhe Louis and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, the Messner Mountan Museum Corones in the Italian Alpines, the stadium for the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar, and the Heydar Aliyev centre in Baku.
