Zaha Hadid (1950-2016)

Wikipedia

Zaha Hadid, the ‘Queen of the curve’, was born in Iraq and moved to England to study at the Architectural Association school in London. Hadid opened her first office in Islington, where she also made her home. The office soon has over 400 staff, and Hadid is now one of the most celebrated modern architects internationally.

Hadid, celebrated for her modern use of curvature, has designed some of the most recognisable buildings worldwide, including the Olympic Aquatics Centre in London, the Maxxi art museum in Rome (the RIBA Stirling prize winner in 2010), a skyscraper complex in Beijing, an opera house in Guangzhou, and an exhibition centre in the middle of Seoul. In 2004, Hadid became the first woman to win the Pritzker prize for architecture. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002 and, in 2012, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). At the time of her death, several of Zaha’s buildings were still under construction, such as the Daxing International Airport in Beijing, and the Al Wakrah Stadium in Qatar, a venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.