Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid, DBEwas an Iraqi-born British architect. She was the first Arab woman who received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, winning it in 2004. She received the Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, she was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and in 2015 she became the first woman to be awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in her own right...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionArchitect
Date of Birth31 October 1950
CityBaghdad, Iraq
icons people design
People say I design architectural icons. If I design a building and it becomes an icon, that's ok.
important housing important-things
Education, housing and hospitals are the most important things for society.
children kids thinking
I don't think that everybody in the planet should have a child. I've never had the desire I should have a kid.
nice thinking cities
It's very important for cities all around the world to reinvent themselves, and Glasgow is a good example of that. The Scots are very nice. I don't think they are burdened by their history.
sensitive conscious knows
I am quite sensitive to politics, because you know, as an Arab, an Iraqi, all your life, you are very conscious of it.
uniforms firsts mao
When I first came to Guangzhou in 1981, it seemed such a hard and dour place with everyone in Chairman Mao uniforms.
east middle-east different
Life in the Middle East is quite different from other places.
east-london driving surprise
I love driving around east London - it's always full of surprises. Actually, I don't drive myself - I like to be driven.
growing-up iraq optimism
When I was growing up in Iraq, there was an unbroken belief in progress and a great sense of optimism. It was a moment of nation building.
taught cautious
Being Iraqi taught me to be very cautious.
taught students best-students
When I taught, all my best students were women.
powerful kids
I always thought I was powerful, since I was a kid.
britain-and-america quality building
What's similar between Britain and America is the lack of good-quality civic buildings.
museums london gallery
There are so many great galleries and museums in London, but they can be very crowded during the day.