Zaha Hadid, Groundbreaking Architect, Has Died | Hacker News Reader

Zaha Hadid, Groundbreaking Architect, Has Died

nytimes.com

313 pointsantr56 comments

This is insanely sad. This brilliant woman had so much left to share with us. Zaha was given the title of "starchitect" for good reason -- and unlike so many people attempting next-generation forms in architecture, her work actually got built.

Since this still means something in the early 21st Century, it was also always quite inspiring to see an assertive Arab woman at the top of a highly competitive, male-dominated technical field. This woman was pure alpha. She played to win. And she usually won.

Please, everyone, take care of your health. Without it, you have nothing.

To understand more about Zaha and her brilliance, check out this excellent issue of Abitare, in which they trailed her for several months. I think there's a free iPad version of the full issue somewhere as well:

http://www.abitare.it/en/research/2011/04/06/being-zaha-hadi...

> unlike so many people attempting next-generation forms in architecture, her work actually got built.

Not for a while: people used that same criticism against her for a decade. From the other thread:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11397904

That was part of her alpha-ness: she actually got her stuff pushed through and built. The sort of personality necessary for accomplishing such a feat is so incredibly rare -- just think of how difficult it is to get people to adopt a new programming language or something, and multiply the inertia by 1000... She really pushed society forward in terms of the boundaries of what could be a real-world built form.

For a contrasting view:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/08/the-heckler-architecture-...

Sad indeed. A math geek, no less.

I remember back in early 90s & her quite beautiful drawings and she was influential. (Context is Tschumi's Decon reign at GSAP).

Were you there at GSAP(P) at the time?

Yes. 1990. [MArch]

Ah, I was '13 MArch, during the later part of Wigley's reign. Sounds like you were right there during the paperless studios?

(Somehow I feel like the intersection of GSAP(P) MArchs and Hacker News is a very small set. Any chance you'd be willing to say hello over email?)

Sorry for delay in response.

I was there 90-93. The paperless studio -- ironic in context of OP and mention of "parametric design" -- started at the tail end, when the CAD approach was changed from one based on computational geometry (but sadly only exposed as a turtle type language) to use of Softimage.

And let me take this opportunity to publicly, and for the historic record, shame Ken Kaplan, who grabbed and threw my SGI [Open]GL manuals across the aisle in the studio while making dismissive remarks regarding "computers" typical of the small minded men of questionable character.

> the intersection

I'm surprised you're here! :) If you wish to put an email in your profile I will follow up.

Sorry for the delay in my response! I just put an email in my profile - didn't realize it wasn't showing up.

Ah. I still see brief remnants of attitudes that consider 'computation' to be somehow opposite to design, and am simply grateful that I don't have to take part in that discussion anymore.

Did it really all get built? I listened to her on Desert Island Discs recently [1] and it seemed that quite a few of her designs won competitions but then got cancelled.

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0713rtr

Of course not _all_, but then the hit rate is pretty low in any industry which relies on some sort of artistic merit.

I recall an Apple 'meet the filmmaker' event with Noel Clarke about his latest film. I asked him what he saw as an essential attribute for a filmmaker to cultivate. He mentioned that for every project which hit the screen he had literally a dozen which didn't. A thick skin and not giving up were essential in his opinion for being a successful filmmaker. He was incredibly intense in his reply. He then yelled at me "don't you never quit trying man, ok?"

I think that tenacity is what separates a lot of top businessmen, architects and artists from the rest. For every success which gets out there there are many attempts along the way side.

Somewhat disappointing that an article talking about how great of an architect she was didn't actually have any pictures of her architecture, let alone her most popular work, in the article.

I mean, it was easy enough to find on google, but it seems rather silly for a major publication to miss that.

Her work was quite good though. She is a loss, but thankfully we were lucky enough to have so many contributions from her.

Licencing issues?

Doubt it. Here's a large selection of images all licensed CC-BY-SA[1]:

* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Buildings_by_Zah...

* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:CITCO_with_Zaha_...

* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Furniture_by_Zah...

* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wirl_%28Zaha_Had...

And that was from a single 30-second search. Spending 1-2 minutes on an image site would easily return many other images with respectable licensing terms.

[1] - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

NB: This is not necessarily the case in the EU.

Here you go - http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-34340233

UPDATE - Looks like they updated the article to include images of her work. (I'd edit my original comment, but the edit link is gone)

Here's the link that was added to the article in an update, with photos and summaries of some of her projects:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/01/arts/design/za...

For those who don't know her work, here is a good recent overview: http://www.ilikearchitecture.net/tag/zaha-hadid-architects/

Are all these actual construction or some of them are just design? Loved all of them but the Sleuk Rith Institute left me speechless. I would have assumed it as an exotic cinema set.

Actual construction. Her pure design work is even more gorgeous:

https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/zaha-hadids-dr...

https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/zaha-hadids-dr...

Architect here. If somebody is interested I would recommend looking at Zaha Hadid office works from late 90's to early 2000's. It was their peak and at that moment they were on the front line of architecture field.

Coincidentally, I had dinner with someone at the weekend that worked with her. He said she was brilliant, but a horrible person to work with. I guess she had a bit of the Steve Jobs in her.

Seconded. Yes, she was brilliant and a revolutionary influence to architecture.

I am adding this comment as a reminder to us all, that we will also be remembered by the way we treat people.

Good. I would think less of her if she wasn't.

It's also important to see her work in the context of the unbuilt design output of the Architectural Association School in the 80s (in London) and her past tutor there, Rem Koolhaas. He has been a lot more intellectual and always questioning on a political front, even if working for big clients requires political compromise.

More recently Zaha had collaborated closely with Patrik Schumacher, an architect that, to my understanding, many of the British architectural intelligentsia generally dismiss as a capitalist running dog and a vacuous poser when it comes to theory: http://www.patrikschumacher.com/ He is maybe someone of interest to those on HN who read Christopher Alexander.

Her own strength of character is indisputable: http://hughpearman.com/zaha-hadid-commands-the-guggenheim-bu...

'There was one question I was, I admit, too chicken to put to Zaha face to face. So I texted her later. What about that office-tyrant reputation, then, I asked? All that raging and smashing stuff up? Did she recognise that and did she think it mattered?

Gingerly I put the phone down and watched it. Seconds later, it chirruped. The screen read:

“I am actualy too kind…its best if you ask the others no one talks abt that. Does anyone write abt the male tyrants. It’s very understandable – and it’s such a cliche. ZAHA is difficult. To whom exactly.”

Er..thanks, I replied. The phone chirruped again.

“Trying to push ideas is very tough on all counts. Thanx for the effort see you soon ZAHA”'

If she wasn't... what? A horrible person to work with?

You can't seriously be saying that successful 'assholes' are somehow better than successful people who are generous or kind.

No i don't mean they should be intentionally horrible. But people who are excellent in their art often spend no time to please others. If they do, they won't be excellent in their art.

I was on The Verge yesterday, noticed they included Aesthetica Magazine in something, which looked interesting, so I hopped over there and saw one of her designs, and was so taken aback by it I tracked down a larger version of it and pinned it, learning about her (for the first time) in the process. Today I open hacker news to see she's gone. :\

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/44262008816410725/

Just last month Kirsty Young did a nice interview with Zaha Hadid on Desert Island Discs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0713rtr

Huge fan of Zaha Hadid. Really sad to read about her passing, brilliant brilliant and inspirational woman. Huge contributions to the art of architecture and landscape architecture. Rest well.

Her designs have had (and continues to have) a huge influence on my own work and many other designers out there. I remember seeing her Guggenheim show in 2006 and being completely blown away.

This is really sad to hear and my condolences to those closest to her.

A note on her website: http://www.zaha-hadid.com/

> A note on her website: http://www.zaha-hadid.com/

It's offline now, what did it say?

Zaha Hadid designed the Broad Art Museum in East Lansing. I drive by it daily and it takes your breath away. It is clearly the best thing Michigan State has done for the community in a generation. The lady had a very special talent.

http://www.inexhibit.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/eli-and-...

They used it as a set for the movie Batman vs Superman

https://i.embed.ly/1/display/resize?key=1e6a1a1efdb011df8489...

http://broadmuseum.msu.edu/

But will it be as good if you had to walk by it daily?

I'm afraid, for many buildings in this style, the answer is "no".

I suspect your eye is just trained to notice a different genre. It's like how some people listen to hip hop and hear the evolution of jazz but other people just hear noise.

The design was controversial but once it was open won over all its critics.

They may seem like odd angles but the light inside is amazing. The Broad is an extraordinary place to view art.

"Groundbreaking" architect? A pun in an obituary title?

reviewed by jon stewart:

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/q9k5o3/the-daily-show-with-jon...

It said she died of a heart attack after contracting bronchitis! Scary to think that something so minor can kill a person at a relatively young age given our medical system.

Very rare i guess but it happens. Even very young people sometimes die (>200k per year in the US) of sudden cardiac arrest for often no particular reason while being completely healthy.

Young people die sudden deaths from cardiac arrest due to congenital heart defects.

People of her age and stature, on the other hand, suffer cardiac arrest from rather more predictable causes.

Sudden cardiac death is different from myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Sudden cardiac death in younger people/athletes is usually due to hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, a congenital defect. In older people it is usually due to ventricular arrhythmias, which can have their own etiologies.

Death resulting from an MI is typically more gradual, usually actually from complications of heart failure b/c the heart simply can't pump as well.

Yes, my point was more about that sudden deaths happen in our society and sometime even our advanced medical possibilities can't really do something, probably was not clear enough.

I feel bad for saying this so soon after her death, but from what I've heard she was a pretty heavy smoker.

Watch your health, folks

Then you have cuban singers that do none of that and live 105yo. Damn you nature.

She was a heavy smoker.

I always did love the angles and sharpness of the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati. I always felt like going into a building she designed was like walking into a real-life geometry problem set.

Granted, I am only marginally aware of the work of many architects, but I actively sought hers out whenever possible. I was never disappointmented. This is sad news, indeed.

So sad to hear of the sudden passing of such a dynamic and inspiring (and even controversial) person. She has left a number of projects unfinished (including the 2022 world cup stadium).

Damn. I based my entire GCSE coursework on one of her works a few years back, and I remember just sitting there loving every piece. It's a sad day.

I am not much into Architecture and just some weeks ago found out about her and the work she did and was amazed by it. This is really sad.

Incredibly inspiring work and background with a style as recognisable as Gehry, her Riverside Museum in Scotland is one of my favorites.

Gehry's designs are more recognisable because they're consistent: Disney LA looks like Guggenheim Bilbao looks like Gehry designed jewellery. He has a signature look and it's part of his branding.

Hadid's a lot more exciting because she evolved from boxy to hyper-aggressive acute angles to a final style that was combined softness with acute. It's great to look back through her oeuvre (see the other links in the thread) and see the evolution.

Indeed. Huge fan - she was easily one of the most creative and original architects of the last fifty years.

Her achievements are no doubt singular and impressive. But still, did she really have to lend her artistic credibility -- and her "signature, voluptuous design aesthetic" -- to a 619,000 square-foot convention center and performance hall named after this guy? Whose family continues to run Azerbaijan as their personal fiefdom; and whose son (and successor) has been compared, in leaked U.S. diplomatic cables, to a mafia crime boss?

As head of the KGB's branch in Azerbaijan, Aliyev ran an anti-corruption campaign as a cover for purging his opponents.[15][16][17] Following the purge, he became the undisputed leader of Azerbaijan. During this time, Aliyev acquired wealth and prestige by developing prominent ties with the Azeri mafia. With its help, he amassed profits from the sale of various commodities, including Caspian Sea caviar, Sumgait oil, fruit, vegetables, and cotton—and from his involvement in Azerbaijan's border control (customs) and transportation industries.[15][16] In order to remain the unchallenged leader of Azerbaijan, Aliyev bribed Brezhnev with lavish gifts—such as the so-called "Sun King" diamond ring, worth an estimated 226,000 rubles, described above.[15][16][17] After two Moscow prosecutors investigated the Azeri mafia, one was tried and expelled from the Communist party, and the other was convicted and executed.[15] Aliyev became a candidate (non-voting) member of the Soviet Politburo in 1976. He occupied this position until December 1982, when Yuri Andropov promoted him to the office of First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers.[15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heydar_Aliyev_Center

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