Zaha Hadid was not only a phenomenal architect, she is an architect that will remain in the history books.
The British-Iraqi legend became the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and also became the first and only woman to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects – achievements which, in turn, transformed the architecture industry.
She’s particularly known for her embrace of curvaceous buildings that ridded the geometric limitations the world of architecture once faced.
Her legacy lives on with the incredible buildings she designed during her 40-year-career—and a new exhibition at iconic London department store Harrods that will run until March will be celebrating the breadth of her body of work.
In case you can’t make it, here are five of Zaha’s most iconic buildings.
The Opus, Dubai
Whilst Hadid’s buildings sit tall across the globe, few can be found in the region. Her first and only structure in Dubai is ‘The Opus’, which now stands as a local masterpiece. The building, which is situated in the Burj Khalifa district and developed by Omniyat Properties, opened its doors in early 2019, two years after her passing.
Roca Gallery, London
Completed in 2011, the building was inspired by water, which as Hadid put “it acts as a transformer moving, without interruption, through the façade, carving the interior and flowing through the main gallery as drops of water”. The building can be found in Battersea in South West London.
Heydar Aliyev Centre, Azerbaijan
The centre, which is devoted to celebrating Azerbaijani culture was designed and completed by Zaha Hadid in 2012. It now serves as one of the nation’s most important buildings, housing a variety of institutions under one roof.
Investcorp Building, Oxford
Zaha Hadid’s design for this Oxford building won her the World Architecture Award in 2016. The architect was commemorated for her incorporation of the natural environment surrounding the university, with a stainless-steel facade, and a curved reading room that acclimates a century-old Sequoia tree facing it.
The Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London
Located in Kensington Gardens, London, the building is an undeniably contemporary design, with a distinguished elegance. The building was completed in 2013, and was Hadid’s first structure in the UK.
Zaha Hadid Designs, January 23- March 1, Harrods, London
