Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) was an Iraqi-British architect and a pioneer of parametric design. She was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, and in 2016 she became the first woman to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Hadid’s architectural designs were known for their dynamic, fluid forms and her innovative use of technology to push the boundaries of what was possible in construction. Her buildings often incorporate curved and asymmetrical shapes, and frequently feature sweeping lines and dramatic angles. Some of her most famous works include the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, the London Aquatics Centre built for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the Guangzhou Opera House in China.
Hadid was known for her fierce determination and persistence in the face of adversity. When she was studying architecture at the Architectural Association in London in the 1970s, she clashed with some of her professors, who accused her of producing work that was “unbuildable.” Undeterred, Hadid continued to pursue her vision and eventually became one of the most celebrated architects of her generation.
Hadid’s most cutting-edge design is also the first, her entry in the Strasbourg competition. Here she uses her signature fluid forms to wrap the entire complex, comprising a mosque and various spaces for a community center, but she endows them with a deep symbolism that translates Islamic sonic rituals into undulating shapes based on the visualization of the actual sound waves of the voice of the muadhin chanting the call to prayer. Coupled with these allusions is a metaphoric association with the curvilinear flow of Arabic calligraphy, suggested by the buildings fluid contours and materialized in actual calligraphic carvings inside. This reference, in turn, resonates with the wavy curves of the Rhine running nearby, lending the mosque a sense of place. Finally, the rippling concrete strips that define the entire complex alternate with open, glazed slits that drench the whole space inside with natural light, another powerful and universal symbol of the divine. It is indicative of the conservatism entrenched mosque design that Hadid’s lyrical submission was not selected. Instead, the competition went to the postmodern Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi, whose project is but a pale rehashing of the magnificentGrand Mosque of Rome, completed in 1995.
