Life is not made in a grid – Zaha Hadid

“I’m a woman, an Arab, and an architect.”

“Biology and geography defined the first two; the third has taken forty years of hard work. It’s all about the work– architecture is ultimately about well-being, the creation of pleasant environments for all aspects of life. But it is also important to create environments that uplift, enthuse, and inspire. Through research, experimentation, and collaboration, we make the discoveries we didn’t think were possible” – said Zaha Hadid, who died in 2016.  

 

Her ideas came from observation of the cities, nature, and people. Her credo was always to look at the coherence and logic of the nature. “People do ask ‘why are there no straight lines, why no 90 degrees in your work?’

This is because life is not made in a grid”.

 Her first influence in her early architecture days was by the work of the famous painter Kazimir Malevitch. She was impressed by his abstract’s approach which allowed greater levels of creativity. “I don’t use the computer. I do sketches, very quickly, often more than 100 on the same formal research. Painting formed a critical part of my early career as the design tool that allowed us the opportunity for intense experimentation. The painting was always a critique of what was currently available to us at the time as designers – as 3D design software didn’t exist”.   

According to Zaha Hadid drawing led to the new ideas, like putting one piece over another. This journey is very interesting because is not predictable.  

She believed in the fluidity between art, fashion, and architecture. “This isn’t about competition, it’s about collaboration and what these practices and processes can contribute to one another”. In her buildings we can see that the architecture changed with the new patterns of life to meet the different demands of the people and the dynamism of the everyday life.  

Her major projects are endless. For instance, The National Museum of Arts of the 21st Century in Rome shows the sense of movement – everything is moving and flowing. The façade belongs to the previous role of the building. This design generated what Zaha Hadid called “confluence, interference and turbulence”.  

Her first project in China was Guangzhou Opera House and costed 300 million dollars. It consists of 1800 seats, multifunctional theatre with restaurants and shops. The building was inspired by natural earth shapes – two pebbles. Nicolai Ourousoff, architecture critic of the New York Times, wrote that “stepping into the main hall is like entering the soft insides of an oyster.”  

 

Her very impressive building is Sheikh Zayed Bridge between the island of Abu Dhabi, the mainland of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi International Airport. The shape and the lighting were designed to ensure the impression of the movement. The silhouette of the bridge is a wave with the arch 235 meters long, standing 60 meters above the water. 

After her death in 2016 Zaha Hadid left a lot of ideas to be realized in her manner.  Behind her there are lot of awards as for the first woman received The Pritzker Architecture Prize, The Stirling Prize – the most prestigious architectural award, The Royal Gold Medal – she became the first woman to be individually awarded and many others.  

When Mrs Hadid left our planet, architect Graham Morrison said: She was so distinct that there isn’t anybody like her. She didn’t fit in, and I don’t mean that meanly. She was in a world of her own and she was extraordinary.