Archinect - Features

From the Ground Up: Zaha Hadid

2018-03-09T09:00:00-05:00

From the Ground Up is a series on Archinect focused on discovering the early stages & signs of history's most prolific architects. Starting from the beginning allows us to understand the long journey architecture takes, in even the most formative of hands, and the often surprising shifts that occur in its journey. These early projects grant us a glimpse into the early, naive, ambitious, and, at points, rough edges of soon to be architectural masters.

The Proust Questionnaire: Patrik Schumacher

2017-09-12T10:45:00-04:00

The high priest of parametricism, Patrik Schumacher, endures our personality quiz and talks cacti, Google, and everyone's favorite British-sculptor, Anish Kapoor.

Never Meant to Copy, Only to Surpass: Plagiarism Versus Innovation in Architectural Imitation

2017-04-13T12:15:00-04:00

Wangjing SOHO, a three tower complex in Beijing penned by Zaha Hadid, became a worldwide sensation when it was revealed that the scheme was being allegedly plagiarized by a construction team in Chongqing, southern China. Despite the subsequent outcry from the professional design world, Hadid responded that if the ‘copy-cat’ designs displayed innovative mutations, “that would be exciting”. While many architectural icons are commissioned precisely for their artistic originality, the design response is often non-site specific, which raises interesting questions when such icons are reproduced around the globe. What does it mean for architectural originality and innovation, when a ‘copy-paste’ strategy is normalized?

View from above: ACADIA Conference 2014 in a nutshell

2014-11-05T12:14:00-05:00

At thirty-three years old and counting, the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture has seen a lot of changes in the field of digital design. Its annual conference is a time to step back and reflect, and particular to this year's conference, consider the power computers have over architects' work.

Zaha Hadid Keeps it Light at ACADIA 2014 Conference

2014-10-31T16:59:00-04:00

If you didn’t know better, it would be easy to mistake the eager faces populating the swarming mass of ticket lines outside of Bovard Auditorium at USC as the fans of a pop icon instead of the prolific, controversial ‘starchitect’ Zaha Hadid. Behind us, students were being interviewed by reporters from the USC newspaper about the architect; everyone seemed genuinely enthused, albeit perhaps drawn more for her celebrity than appreciation for her work.