Archinect - News

Zaha Hadid-Designed Riverside Museum Wins European Museum of the Year Award 2013

2013-05-23T18:57:00-04:00

The Zaha Hadid-designed Riverside Museum: Scotland’s Museum of Transport and Travel keeps raking in recognitions [...]: the new Glasgow museum attraction just won the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award 2013, presented by the European Museum Forum. The announcement was made at a special awards ceremony at EMF's annual assembly hosted by the Gallo Romeins Museum in Tongeren in Belgium, EMYA Winner in 2011.

Zaha Hadid beyond buildings: architect launches new design gallery

2013-05-23T13:01:00-04:00

She has become a global brand so desirable that her buildings in China are now being pirated – before they are even finished. So what territory is left to conquer? The answer might be found by peering through the windows of an innocuous looking building on Clerkenwell Road in east London, which opened this week as the Zaha Hadid Design Gallery, part of Clerkenwell Design Week.

The Financial Times calls Zaha an "Unlikely ‘pushover’ who doesn’t play safe"

2013-03-06T15:08:00-05:00

Referring to younger staff variously as “kids” or “the children”, Dame Zaha, cloaked in black and with smudges of fuchsia on both her eyes and lips, says she is approachable. Those who know her (and prefer not to be named) characterise her as volcanic – she blows up but then it’s over. There are no lasting grudges. Her business partner, architect Patrik Schumacher, says the explosions are the byproduct of “uncompromising standards”, suggesting such bust-ups are normal in creative offices.

She pulls the architect responsible to one side. “I don’t care where [the lights go] as long as they’re not in my presence,” she snaps. Dame Zaha’s two assistants stare at the ground. Moments later they fall to the floor to take off her high-heeled Martin Margiela ankle boots so she can walk five yards across the room.

Why does this globally renowned architect – the first female winner of the Pritzker award (considered the Nobel Prize of the field) – pick on her employees? “Some people take the piss and I don’t like that,” she says. “People have to understand my limits. There is a point of no return. Most people who work with me know that line.” You cannot run a business and be “a complete doormat”.

Philip Michael Wolfson featured in VICE's Art Talk

2013-02-27T17:18:00-05:00

Philip Michael Wolfson is an architect from Philadelphia. He was Zaha Hadid's head of design for ten years and now runs his own studio where he works on sculptural pieces and interior architecture. In this episode of Art Talk, we visit Philip in his London studio and he discusses his creative process and shows us a recent piece called "Tsukumogami."

Zaha Hadid: Britain must do more to help encourage its women architects

2013-02-17T10:31:00-05:00

In a damning indictment of the prevailing culture of her own profession, Dame Zaha Hadid, the world's leading female architect, says she has faced "more misogynist behaviour" in London than anywhere else in Europe and that things are not improving at all for women in architecture.

Construction begin on Zaha's Softbridge Building at Oxford University

2013-01-31T16:33:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid visited Oxford to celebrate the start of construction works at St Antony's College.

Dubbed the 'Softbridge', the new building will be known as the The Investcorp Building on completion in the summer of 2014.

The building has been made possible through a generous donation of £11 million funded by the international alternative asset management firm, Investcorp. The guest of honour at the ground-breaking ceremony was Investcorp's Executive Chairman and CEO, Mr Nemir Kirdar.

The three-storey Softbridge building will form a suspended 'bridge' between numbers 66 and 68 Woodstock Road and provides 1,200 square metres of floor-space. Its new lecture theatre, replacing the cramped rooms where public seminars are currently held, offers 125 seats and disabled access. The building will also house a new library and purpose-built archive facility, doubling the amount of space currently available.

Mr Nemir Kirdar said: 'Investcorp was founded to create a bridge betwee...

Zaha Hadid Honored for Creative Leadership with Aenne Burda Award

2013-01-24T14:21:00-05:00

Earlier this week, Zaha Hadid was presented the Aenne Burda Award for Creative Leadership at the Digital Life Design (DLD) Conference in Munich, Germany. The Award for Creative Leadership honors women for outstanding entrepreneurial and creative achievement.

Zaha Hadid Modernises UK’s Oldest University Building

2013-01-17T13:58:00-05:00

Construction on Zaha Hadid’s anticipated Softbridge building extension to the University of Oxford building in the UK is set to commence at the end of the month. The Middle East Centre Project is an upgrade for St. Antony’s College, one of seven graduate colleges that are part of the original building. While the the building’s foundation date is unclear, it is the oldest university in the English-speaking world with teaching on the site believed to have commenced in 1096.

Pharrell Williams hints at pre-fab collaboration with Zaha Hadid

2013-01-04T17:32:00-05:00

There’s a collaboration I’m working with Zaha Hadid, we’re touring around with the idea of a prefab for a house.

NPR talks to McGill professor about China's architectural knock-off of Zaha's Wangjing Soho

2013-01-04T13:07:00-05:00

China is also the land of the knock-off: knock-off designer handbags, knock-off blockbuster movies on DVDs, etc. But now, it seems the knock-off has gone off the charts in terms of proportion: entire buildings.

As we have previously mentioned, Zaha Hadid is the latest victim of piracy in China, with a upcoming copy of her Wangjing Soho complex... scheduled to be completed before the original. NPR explores this issue with McGill architecture prof Avi Friedman.

Zaha Hadid vs. didaH ahaZ

2012-12-29T00:47:00-05:00

Star architect Zaha Hadid is currently building several projects across China. One of them, however, is being constructed twice. Pirates are the process of copying one of her provocative designs, and the race is on to see who can finish first.

Does she have anything to say to thousands of architecture students who copy her designs every semester?

Zaha Hadid to design Miami tower

2012-12-19T13:08:00-05:00

Hadid’s tower will be built at the site that is now occupied by the BP Station at 1000 Biscayne Boulevard, directly across from Museum Park. The selection of Hadid was confirmed Monday by the investment group behind 1000 Biscayne Tower, which is managed by local developers Gregg Covin and Louis Birdman.

Glen Small, "Zaha Hadid Exhibit @ Sci-Arc Sham"

2012-12-09T22:45:00-05:00

the recent october 12, 2012 installation at sci-arc with zaha hadid partner patrik schumacher, demonstrated trying to emulate thin shell construction with sticks. it can be done, but not like what was built in the sci-arc museum demonstration space recently. thin shell depends upon significant warpage of surfaces. the ambitious shapes sought were a confused mess, reduced to sculpture with no inherent structure. in one instant relying on connecting into the museum space wall to brace itself.

In his review Glen Small calls Zaha Hadid Exhibit at SCI Arc a sham and here is why...

Editor's Picks #290

2012-11-20T11:24:00-05:00

With the latest edition of the Showcase series, Archinect highlighted House Yagiyama in Sendai, Japan by Kazuya Saito Architects. The one-story house for an old couple, located in Sendai's hilly Yagiyama district was photographed by Yasuhiro Takagi.

News
Zaha Hadid Architects was awarded a contract to design and construct a centerpiece, billion-dollar national stadium that forms a key part of Tokyo’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games. Thayer-D reacted "These images are quite spectacular! The exterior reminds me of some beautiful animal skull that Georgia O'Keefe would have painted. I hope the street level view of this building is as sympathetic as these images" while Will Galloway noted it was "within walking distance of my office. nice area. olympics would be cool here too, but hopefully this stadium makes sense without them coming. looking forward to seeing it go up".

David Ng reported, that this past Saturday the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum (also designed by ar...

Designing the ‘World’s Greatest Stadium - Japan National Stadium

2012-11-20T11:11:00-05:00

As cultural and architectural icons, sporting stadiums are extremely important to a city’s built of environment. As such, the structures maintain a high profile and promise acclaim to those who design and deliver them well.

Watch Koolhaas; Hadid; Rogers Stirk Harbour; and Foster pitch their proposals for the new L&L Tower

2012-11-19T12:32:00-05:00

The series of videos below offers a fascinating insight into how this generation of "starchitects" behaves under pressure, as they each pitch to win one of the most high-profile competitions in recent years: a new tower for L&L Holding Company on Park Avenue in New York. The site has such daunting neighbours as Mies van der Rohe's Seagram building, and it will be the first full-block office tower to be built on the street in almost half a century.

Zaha Hadid: 'Being an Arab and a woman is a double-edged sword'

2012-11-15T12:06:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid on growing up in Iraq, getting the architecture bug, and the legacy of her Olympics Aquatics Centre

Zaha Hadid Wins Japan National Stadium Design Competition

2012-11-15T12:02:00-05:00

Japan’s Sport Council on Thursday awarded a contract to design and construct a centerpiece, billion-dollar national stadium that forms a key part of Tokyo’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games to lauded U.K. firm Zaha Hadid Architects.

Previously: New National Stadium Japan Competition Unveils 11 Finalists

Eli Broad inaugurates new Michigan State University art museum

2012-11-12T11:58:00-05:00

Eli Broad returned to his alma mater Michigan State University over the weekend to inaugurate a new contemporary art museum that bears his name. The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum had a formal dedication on Saturday and opened to the public on Sunday. The museum on the university's East Lansing campus was designed by architect Zaha Hadid. Broad gave $28 million to MSU in 2007 for the creation of the museum -- $21 million going toward construction of the facility and $7 million for acquisitions

Glamour Magazine names Zaha Hadid "Woman of the Year 2012"

2012-11-02T12:26:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid is a Woman of the Year because… “She’s an extraordinary force of nature that came out of the blue and whacked us all on the back of the head and said, ‘Wake up, kids, there’s more stuff to do.’ ” —architect Frank Gehry

Happy Birthday, Zaha Hadid!

2012-10-31T18:42:00-04:00

Today is the birthday of Iraqi-British architect, Zaha Hadid. Known for her sculptural designs and commanding demeanor, the renown female artist is turning 61 years old this Halloween.

Rich X Rich

2012-10-30T00:09:00-04:00

Double happiness by Zaha Hadid and Philippe Starck .

A house for Russian billionaire and his gf Naomi Campbell. And a Steve Job design directed yacht called Venus.

Architects + Architecture + the power of money.

"Taking over the galaxy? Naomi Campbell's Russian billionaire boyfriend builds her a house that looks like a spaceship by Zaha Hadid, who specializes in ecostyle buildings and was also the brains behind famous buildings including the opera house in Guangzhou and the Olympics Aquatics Center in London." The Mail

“I know that it’s possible I will die and leave Laurene with a half-built boat. But I have to keep going on it. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die.” Mashable

Hadid, Koolhaas and Rogers Losing Designs for Park Avenue Tower Unveiled

2012-10-18T11:53:00-04:00

“For us, it was really a blend of what’s the right concept for Park Avenue, a place that has not had a new building for almost 50 years, an avenue that is quite possibly the most important commercial boulevard in New York City, quite possibly the United States, and what is the place of a new build down the street from Seagrams and Lever House, two of the greatest buildings ever built,” Daivd Levinson said.

Four very different schemes for an office tower in New York. Who's your pick?

Pharrell: Places and Spaces I've Been

2012-10-05T13:37:00-04:00

In his own unique graphic language, he details his extensive creative pursuits, including clothing lines, jewelry, and accessories designs for Louis Vuitton, furniture and other product design, limited-edition toys, graphic designs, skate graphics, and collaborations with Moncler, Marc Jacobs, the artist KAWS, and with architects Zaha Hadid and Masamichi Katayama/Wonderwall.

Lord Foster Beats Rem, Zaha, Rogers for Unusual NYC Office Tower

2012-10-03T12:42:00-04:00

“We are grateful to each of the firms for the thoughtfulness and creativity they demonstrated throughout the process. There is no doubt that each group was fully capable of helping us realize our vision of a 425 Park Avenue tower that redefines the modern office environment while also respecting and enhancing the timeless allure of the Plaza district.”

In one of the most unusual assignments around, Foster, Rogers, Koolhaas and Hadid were asked to tackle a New York City office building on Park Avenue. A famous address with two famous towers, but really, the rest of them stink. The catch for 425 Park, one of those middcentury stinkers, is that the zoning for the existing 1957 building was modified a few years later so any new building on the site would be smaller than what is there now. The developer figured out that if he tore down most but not all of his tower and built back up from there, he could keep his zoning envelope. Check out Lord Foster's fascinating design for this challenging project.

Donna Karan’s Woman Perfume Gets a Bottle Design by Zaha Hadid

2012-08-24T17:07:00-04:00

A curving, fluid-seeming container made of ombré charcoal glass, Hadid’s design makes for a shape that is distinctly sexy. “The bottle’s dark, translucent qualities offer a sense of mystery that awakens our curiosity,” the Pritzker Prize winner explains. The vessel, whose sensuous lines echo the bottle that Karan’s late husband, sculptor Stephan Weiss, designed for her 1994 scent Cashmere Mist, is sure to awaken many.

Jean Nouvel Said To Edge Gehry, Hadid For Beijing Museum Job

2012-08-21T17:16:00-04:00

Rumor has it that Pritzker Prize–winning French architect Jean Nouvel has been selected to design a mammoth new building for the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC), renowned for its exhibitions of 20th-century and contemporary Chinese art, in Beijing. If reports prove to be true, Nouvel will not only have the distinguished honor of executing this highly coveted commission, but also to win bragging rights for outgunning his blockbuster contemporaries, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid...

Diving ticket-holders informed of obstructed views in Zaha-designed Aquatics Centre

2012-07-26T14:01:00-04:00

The 600 seats in question only concern 10-meter platform events, which start Monday. Small portions of the dives may not be visible. The Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre features a dipping roof that limits viewing from the highest seats.

Fire at Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku: no damage

2012-07-21T13:56:00-04:00

As a result of the fire that took place at the Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in Baku today no damage was caused to inner part of the building, halls and others, a joint statement of Emergency Situations Ministry and Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office says.

Norman, Zaha, Rem and Richard Compete to Design 425 Park Avenue in Manhattan

2012-07-12T14:38:00-04:00

The developer David W. Levinson could have set for himself the simple task of commissioning a better-designed tower for 425 Park Avenue than the one that’s been there since 1957. But that would have been a very low bar. He has engaged four of the world’s leading architects to compete for the job: Norman Foster of Foster & Partners, Zaha Hadid of Zaha Hadid Architects, Rem Koolhaas of OMA, and Richard Rogers of Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners.