Migrant workers building the first stadium for Qatar's 2022 World Cup have been earning as little as 45p [≈75¢] an hour, the Guardian can reveal [...] More than 100 workers from some of the world's poorest countries are labouring in ferocious desert heat on the 40,000-seat al-Wakrah stadium, which has been designed by the British architect Zaha Hadid [..] — The Guardian
This is just the most recent in a slew of bad PR for the British-Iraqi architect. Earlier, she was rebuked for asserting that architects have neither power over nor responsibility for the conditions of workers on their buildings. She won the 2014 Design Museum award for a building in Azerbaijan that has been criticized for both its construction practices and more generally for being a symbol of support for the country's dictatorial leader. Her designs for a new stadium in Tokyo were called too big, too expensive, and inappropriate for its urban context. And the awarding of the Iraqi Parliament project to her was also met with controversy (the emerging Islamic State is probably threatening the viability of the project anyway).
Still, ZHA don't seem to have any trouble finding clients!
3 Comments
SHE is also a salve to these absolute monarchies. Unfortunately she doesn't understand. It's funny how money and the illusion of prestige can warp ones' thinking. Don't be fooled.
Archinect, keep this negative propoganda coming! Use the power of your media to influence the dialogue. Zaha is bad for the practice of Architecture and its time we act against what she seems happy to symbolize.
Apathy - Hegemony - Cruelty - Celebrity - Pretension.....
Do we, the architects, through the design process and development of construction documents represent the practices and conditions of the construction company and their crews?
How is the architect, in the case of the stadium project, one of the responsible parties in charge of monitoring directly the working conditions of the construction crew? Wouldn't the observance of human rights, worker compensation rights and working conditions of the construction crew as well as compliance to building codes, be the responsibility of the construction company and/or the local officials?
Should we, the architects and any other professional and individuals, take a stand and comment what we believe is wright or wrong, in this case the mishandling of the workers? Sure, we should express our personal opinions ad let the authorities of the country and locality deal with such wrong doings.
Is ZHA really bad for the architecture profession? How can people be so radical?
Hadid is in a position of leadership, world recognized, winner of prizes and awards, yet she remains absolutely silent - or worse, absolving herself of any responsibility. She won't speak up because she doesn't see anything wrong, or because she doesn't want to alienate fat clients, or because she is more concerned with her own titanic ego. Or maybe all of the above. It really doesn't matter, it's just another bad model and black eye for the profession.
I'd like to see Shoemaker try to bullshit this issue with his new paradigm.
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