Goodbye Dame Hadid
Dame Zaha Hadid, the world-renowned architect, whose designs include 2012’s London Olympic aquatic centre, has died aged 65.
Her company Zaha Hadid architects announced she contracted bronchitis while in Miami earlier this week and died in hospital on Thursday morning.
In a statement, the company said: “It is with great sadness that Zaha Hadid Architects have confirmed that Dame Zaha Hadid, DBE died suddenly in Miami in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“She had contracted bronchitis earlier this week and suffered a sudden heart attack while being treated in hospital.”
Jane Duncan, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba), told the Daily Mail that news of Dame Zaha’s death was ‘absolutely terrible’.
She said: “Dame Zaha Hadid was an inspirational woman, and the kind of architect one can only dream of being. Visionary and highly experimental, her legacy despite her young age, is formidable.
“She leaves behind a body of work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars, that delight and astound people all around the world.
“The world of architecture has lost a star today.”
The British culture minister, Ed Vaizey, posted on Twitter that he was stunned at the news and praised her ‘huge contribution to contemporary architecture’.
The London mayor, Boris Johnson, tweeted: “So sad to hear of death of Zaha Hadid, she was an inspiration and her legacy lives on in wonderful buildings in Stratford and around the world.”
Zaha was born in Baghdad in 1950 and for three decades has been turning heads with her awe-inspiring architectural designs.
Amongst her most renowned creations is the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, with its glorious curves and arches, and the Galaxy Soho in Beijing, which is the most ‘space age’ design in her catalogue of works.
