Zaha Hadid: How the 'Queen of the Curve' redefined our cities

One of the most recognizable buildings in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, the Heydar Aliyev Center is typical of Hadid's flowing arch...

One of the most recognizable buildings in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, the Heydar Aliyev Center is typical of Hadid's flowing architectural style

From Beirut to Beijing, Zaha Hadid's distinctive buildings have transformed skylines around the world. Nicknamed the "Queen of the Curve," the late architect will be remembered for her bold, fluid designs, including London's Olympic aquatics center and the Heydar Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan.

One of the most recognizable buildings in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, the Heydar Aliyev Center is typical of Hadid's flowing architectural style. Credit: Hufton+Crow

But while Hadid lives on through her neo-futuristic buildings, the company she founded is hoping to further honor her legacy with a new book -- the first to be published about her work since she died of a heart attack in 2016.

Hadid's signature style

Through a series of drawings and photographs, "Zaha Hadid Architects: Redefining Architecture and Design," highlights some of Hadid's most memorable creations. Despite some notable omissions, such as the Guangzhou Opera House, the collection of over 30 buildings offers insight into the Iraqi-British architect's unique take on form, function and geometry.

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The book presents a heavy bias towards the later, more polished stages of Hadid's career (the vast majority of the featured buildings were finished after 2010). But, consequently, it also profiles 12 new projects which will be completed posthumously, including the terminal building for Beijing's new international airport and a collection of sleek towers in Brisbane, Australia.

Exhibition reveals architect Zaha Hadid's artistic prowess
Established in 1980, Zaha Hadid Architects continues to operate following its founder's death. The firm's principal, Patrik Schumacher, contributed an essay to the new book that discussed her signature style.

Dominion Office Building, Russia.

"Hadid's intricately variegated curves offer more adaptive versatility to push into irregular sites ... to give room to internal requirements where needed," Schumacher writes. "The curves and curvilinear compositions display lawful and coherent trajectories that we can recognize as coherent and legible figures, each with its own poise, dynamism or degree of fluidity."

Source: CNN Health News

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