
Zaha Hadid, Groundbreaking Architect, Has Died - antr
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/arts/design/zaha-hadid-architect-dies.html
======
numair
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...](http://www.abitare.it/en/research/2011/04/06/being-zaha-hadid-2/)

~~~
nailer
> 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](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11397904)

~~~
numair
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.

~~~
gadders
For a contrasting view:

[http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/08/the-heckler-
architecture-...](http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/08/the-heckler-architecture-
would-be-better-off-without-zaha-hadid/)

------
neoCrimeLabs
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.

~~~
yannk
Licencing issues?

~~~
neoCrimeLabs
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:Buildings_by_Zaha_Hadid)

* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:CITCO_with_Zaha_...](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:CITCO_with_Zaha_Hadid_for_The_Secret_Garden)

* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Furniture_by_Zah...](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Furniture_by_Zaha_Hadid)

* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wirl_%28Zaha_Had...](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wirl_%28Zaha_Hadid%29)

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/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

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

~~~
tmd83
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.

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

[https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/zaha-hadids-
dr...](https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/zaha-hadids-drawings-1/)

[https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/zaha-hadids-
dr...](https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/zaha-hadids-drawings-2/)

------
gadders
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.

~~~
return0
Good. I would think less of her if she wasn't.

~~~
Alterlife
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.

~~~
return0
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.

------
tpowell
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/](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/44262008816410725/)

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

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

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neom
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.

------
pensketch
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/](http://www.zaha-
hadid.com/)

~~~
pimlottc
> A note on her website: [http://www.zaha-hadid.com/](http://www.zaha-
> hadid.com/)

It's offline now, what did it say?

------
rmason
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-...](http://www.inexhibit.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/eli-and-edithe-
broad-art-museum-university-michigan-05.jpg)

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

[https://i.embed.ly/1/display/resize?key=1e6a1a1efdb011df8489...](https://i.embed.ly/1/display/resize?key=1e6a1a1efdb011df84894040444cdc60&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FB0Bchm6CYAIa91P.jpg)

[http://broadmuseum.msu.edu/](http://broadmuseum.msu.edu/)

~~~
guard-of-terra
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".

~~~
rmason
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.

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

------
jerryhuang100
reviewed by jon stewart:

[http://www.cc.com/video-clips/q9k5o3/the-daily-show-with-
jon...](http://www.cc.com/video-clips/q9k5o3/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-
unnecessary-muffness)

------
prbuckley
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.

~~~
kayoone
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.

~~~
et2o
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.

~~~
kayoone
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.

------
altotrees
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.

------
return0
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).

------
libeclipse
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.

------
kayoone
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.

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

~~~
nailer
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.

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

------
kafkaesq
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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heydar_Aliyev_Center)

