Culture / Design

Architect Zaha Hadid Passes Away at 65

The world of architecture has experienced a great loss with the passing of Dame Zaha Hadid.

Apr 01, 2016 | By Vimi Haridasan

The visionary behind the London Aquatics center and the Guangzhou Opera House, was 65 when she passed away in Miami yesterday, March 31. She had been in hospital to be treated for bronchitis when she suffered a heart attack.

Born in Bhagdad in 1950, she moved to London at the age of 22 and went on to be the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Along with this, she won Britain’s most prestigious architecture award twice and the RIBA Stirling Prize in both 2010 and 2011. A year later, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame.

Her achievements did not stop there. Earlier this year, the award winning architect, made history once again for becoming the first woman to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Gold Medal. At the award ceremony, fellow architect Peter Cook described Hadid to be ‘larger than life, bold as brass’. Her work, known for its sweeping curves, can be seen across around the globe.


 
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