Being a woman, and aspiring to stand out in a predominantly male world such as that of architecture, still seems to be an impossible feat, but this was not the case of Zaha Hadid. With her futuristic vision, this Iraqi architect revolutionized the modern urbanism by designing some of the most innovative buildings ever. She is considered the most important female exponent of this sector.
Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad in 1950 and, after graduating in Mathematics at the American University in Beirut, she decided to move to London to pursue her biggest dream: to study architecture. Thanks to her determination and her perseverance, her first projects were built in 1993, and in 2004 she was the first woman to obtain the Pritzker Prize, the Nobel Prize for architecture. Unfortunately, she died at the age of only sixty-five because of a heart attack.
“There are 360 degrees, so why should I fixate on only one?”; this is the question that best summarizes Zaha Hadid’s imaginary of architecture. In fact, her works are characterized by dynamism, fluidity and sinuous shapes that are almost impossible to follow with the eyes. What she wanted to do was to create “buildings in frozen motion” that could “explode into action” at any moment by setting volumes in unpredictable ways, in a truly futuristic perspective.
The MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome is one of Zaha Hadid’s most ingenious works and it represents the first architecture museum in Italy. It is considered an architectural masterpiece because it is not only creative, but it integrates perfectly into the surrounding urban environment. Its official opening took place in 2010. Other noteworthy projects are the Guangzhou Opera House, the Leeza Soho Tower in Beijing, the building for the Library of the Faculty of Economics in Vienna and the Heydar Aliyev cultural centre in Azerbaijan. The number of majestic buildings designed by this great archistar is, however, countless, and each has its own particular beauty.
Despite her premature death, this brilliant woman's masterpieces will still represent a real challenge for many future generations of architects. Zaha Hadid has in fact set new rules in the world of art, leaving an indelible mark on history.
Articolo a cura di: Marijana Jovanovic