Zaha Hadid

Known for challenging popular convention, Zaha Hadid stands out as the only female independent practitioner among today's most elite architects. Born in Iraq in 1950, Hadid received her degree in mathematics from the American University in Beirut and studied at the Architectural Association in London where she won the Diploma Prize in 1977. Upon graduation Hadid became a partner at the Office of Metropolitan Architecture where she worked with influential architects Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis. Establishing her own practice in London in 1979, she soon gained international attention with her controversial plan for the Peak International Design Competition for Hong Kong in 1983.

Although the project exists solely on paper, its experimental design with floors soaring off in different directions solidified Hadid's reputation for exploring the expressive capacity of form and carefully analyzing designs from multiple angles. Throughout the 1980s she produced many paintings and award-winning designs, and was the only woman included in the Museum of Modern Art's 1988 Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition. In 1993 the architect furthered her reputation with the construction of the Vitra fire station in Weil am Rhein, Germany, her first physically-realized project. This small structure, which has been characterized as "frozen motion," reflects Hadid's frequent use of unusual shapes to integrate a building with its environment.

Known for her commitment to pushing beyond existing or assumed parameters, Hadid's innovative works have evoked strong reactions, both positive and negative. In 1997 she was denied the commission for the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales even though her design won the competition - twice. In recent years, however, the architect has won many international awards and commissions, inspired several exhibitions, and rapidly increased the number of her projects under construction. Among these is her first American project, the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio. This nearly completed building comprises a variety of spaces that deeply engage the visitor. The construction of an "urban carpet," a conceptual extension of the street, attracts visitors by the fluidity of its design. The busy downtown intersection and public activity outside are reflected by the intersecting forms and ability to see people on the inside. In her design for the Center of Contemporary Art in Rome, Hadid uses dynamic lines and forms, consistent as in all her projects, to suggest fluid movement. In addition to the demands of current projects spread over three continents, Hadid recently completed a term as the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at the Yale School of Architecture, a post she also held two years earlier.