Dame Zaha Hadid, awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, is renowned worldwide for her innovative architectural work. Born in Baghdad in 1950, she studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London in 1972 to attend the Architectural Association (AA) School, where she graduated with the Diploma Prize in 1977.

In 1979, she founded Zaha Hadid Architects, and in 1993 completed her first major project, the Vitra Fire Station in Germany.Hadid taught at the AA School and later held professorships at leading universities, including Columbia, Harvard, and Yale. Her landmark projects, such as the MAXXI Museum in Rome, the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics, and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, exemplify her vision of fluid and dynamic spaces.

Her work has been celebrated globally, with major exhibitions at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, London’s Design Museum, and the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Recognized with numerous accolades, Hadid won the Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011, was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace, and appeared on TIME’s list of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2012 and received the Royal Gold Medal in 2016. Zaha Hadid passed away in March 2016, but her architectural legacy lives on.