Date: 11 January 05
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Zaha Hadid is one of the most dynamic and prolific architects working today, and for nearly thirty years she has consistently pushed the boundaries of architecture and urban design.
Born in Baghdad in 1950 to a leading liberal politician father, Zaha Hadid was educated in Iraq, Switzerland, Britain and Beirut before finally settling in London in 1972 to study architecture at the Architectural Association. Since setting up her London practice in 1979, Hadid has gained a considerable reputation for her approach to architecture which simultaneously engages in practice, teaching and research.
As a result of her achievements Hadid was honoured with a CBE in 2002 and is the current recipient of architecture’s most prestigious prize, the Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2004.
Central to Zaha Hadid’s approach to architecture is the idea of experimenting with new spatial concepts, intensifying existing urban landscapes in the pursuit of a visionary aesthetic that encompasses all fields of design. The first ZHA built project was the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany, completed in 1993.
It was a dramatic debut and a fine embodiment - in microcosm - of Hadid's commitment to the exploration of the essence of forms. For in addition to being a fully functional building complete with vehicle hall, washrooms and fitness room, the Vitra Fire Station was also a symbol of the notion of speed inherent in the action of the fire engines. Its startling form, which rises from the ground in a series of soaring angular projections, is similar to the effect of ''jets'' taking off.
Since this extraordinary debut Hadid has gone on to considerable success with completed projects such as the LFone pavilion in Weil am Rhein, Germany (1993/1999), a housing project for IBA-Block 2 in Berlin, Germany (1993), the Mind Zone at the Millennium Dome, Greenwich, London, UK (1999), a Tram Station and Car Park in Strasbourg, France (2001), a Ski-Jump in Innsbruck, Austria (2002) and the Contemporary Arts Centre, Cincinnati, US (2003). Memorable temporary structures include the summer pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery, London, UK (2000) as well as a snow and ice installation at the Snow Show, Lapland (2004). Completed interiors and furniture projects include Moonsoon Restaurant, Sapporo (1990); and Z-Play (2002) and Z-Scape (2000) furniture, currently manufactured by Sawaya and Moroni. And Zaha Hadid has also worked on a number of stage sets, chief amongst these was the Pet Shop Boys World Tour (1999/2000); Metapolis, for Charleroi Dance production company, Belgium (2000); and Beat Furrer’s opera, Desire, commissioned by the Steirischer Herbst, Graz (2003).
A plethora of current projects include the Maritime Ferry Terminal in Salerno, Italy; the High Speed Train Station in Napoli-Afragola, Italy; a housing project in Florence, Italy; an office tower and residential housing complex “Milano Fiera - CityLife” in Milan, Italy; a building for the Department de l’Herault Culture Sport in Montpellier, France; the new CMA CGM Headquarters in Marseille, France; the Guggenheim Museum in Taichung and the Guangzhou Opera House in China. ZHA is also currently on site with: the “Central Plant Building” for BMW in Leipzig, Germany; The National Centre of Contemporary Arts “MAXXI” in Rome, Italy; the Ordrupgaard Museum extension in Copenhagen, Denmark; the “Phaeno Science Centre” in Wolfsburg, Germany; and a major bridge structure in Abu Dhabi.
Recently the practice completed a design for the “One North” Master Plan in Singapore (currently in construction), a Master Plan for Bilbao’s “Zorrozaurre” district in Spain and a Master Plan for Beijing’s “Soho City” in China.
Hadid’s exploration of her architectural vision by means of dramatically expressive paintings and drawings, inspired by a love of calligraphy, has also contributed in no small part to her success.
The architect prefers to see these large scale coloured canvasses as design drawings rather than paintings, yet like her buildings, these canvasses are powerful architectural explorations in their own right. Indeed, an exhibition featuring ‘Zaha Hadid’s Paintings’ can currently be seen (until the 16th January) at the Gilbert Collection, Somerset House, London.
Finally, 2005 is set to be a momentous year for ZHA in that it will see the unveiling of the practice’s first built project in the UK - the Maggie’s Centre drop-in cancer care centre at the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, Fife. ZHA were also recent winners of a competition to design the new Transport Museum on the River Clyde, Glasgow. Zaha Hadid, who once described herself as ''a double, triple whammy, an Iraqi woman doing work that isn't normative,'' discusses both of these projects in the featured interview below.
ZAHA HADID INTERVIEW
(Caroline Ednie)
The Maggie’s Centre drop-in cancer care centre at the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, Fife is due for completion this year? Can you describe your conceptual and personal response to the brief presented?
(Zaha Hadid)
The proposed site is a unique situation within the hospital grounds. The specific site of the Maggie's centre is in the north-eastern section of a hollow to the southeast of the main entrance. The hollow has a dramatic topography, which in combination with the overgrown foliage and trees creates a very natural environment in contrast to the rest of the hospital.
The border of this area is naturally protected and enhanced by the trees along its edge. The positioning of the centre in the NE corner makes it clearly visible from the hospital and the car park the centre. As a single storey construction, it is at eye level a continuation of the border that the trees already provide.
An overall objective for the design of the centre was that it is a transition between the two different types of spaces, the natural landscape and the car park / hospital. The intervention of building has been to exploit this location. As it exists now, there is no formal edge to this part of the hollow so various study models were used to explored how an edge could be developed which could transform itself into a building envelope and thus become a gateway to the landscape.
Externally the submitted design is a play between the form a folding surface and a connecting ground slab. The folding surface articulates a directional emphasis of moving the visitor into a different space from the rest of the hospital grounds.
This folded surface is articulated by cladding the visible roof and two opposing walls with the same material, a sheet cladding of corten steel. Making the remaining elevations a mix of translucent and clear glass reinforces the directional nature of this form.
The metal cladding is expressed clearly at the eaves to accentuate the continuity of the cladding from wall to roof. The large overhangs of the roof are used to extend the building into the landscape on both sides. So on the north side its extends to illustrate the entrance doors.
On the south side it provides solar shading to the glass elevation and partially cover the terrace. The centre sits on a concrete plinth slab, which connects it to the surrounding areas and landscaped areas.
On the north side, the slab outlines the car parking before rising to the same level as the public entrance to the centre. The strong directional language and material contrasts of the slab to the tarmac should mark out clearly the entrance for the new visitor. Lighting will be incorporated to illustrate this at night.
The area between the parking and existing trees will be landscaped with new trees planted to extend the area to the parking. The slab continues along the eastern side separating the centre from the car park with a wall. The rising of the wall on this edge indicates the gradual separation of public space of the entrance to the private spaces of the terrace.
It terminates by wrapping around the southern tip of the centre as a south-facing terrace. A concrete wall acts as a balustrade in this area. Where the terrace is in front of the centre a glass balustrade is used. The northern section of the terrace cantilevers off the sloping ground.
When completed, Maggie’s will be the first new built ZHA project in the UK, won’t it? How do you feel about this?
I am proud of my design for The Maggie Centre. I think it is a beautiful and appropriate response to the task and I am confident it will fulfil its good purpose.
You recently won the competition to design the new Museum of Transport on the Clyde in Glasgow. Can you describe your design concept and proposed approach to this unique riverside site?
The historical development of the Clyde and the city is a unique legacy; with the site situated where the Kelvin flows into the Clyde the building can flow from the city to the river. In doing so it can symbolise a dynamic relationship where the museum is the voice of both, linking the two sides and allowing the museum to be the transition from one to the other.
By doing so, the museum places itself in the very context of its origin and encourages connectivity between its exhibits and their wider context.
The building would be a tunnel-like shed, which is open at opposite ends to the city and the Clyde. In doing so, it becomes porous to its context on either side. However, the connection from one to the other is where the building diverts to create a journey away from the external context into the world of the exhibits.
Here the interior path becomes a mediator between the city and the river which can either be hermetic or porous depending on the exhibition layout. Thus the museum positions itself symbolically and functionally as open and fluid with its engagement of context and content.
The building is conceived as a sectional extrusion open at opposing ends along a diverted linear path. The cross-sectional outline is a responsive gesture to encapsulating a wave or a ‘pleated’ movement. The outer pleats are enclosed to accommodate the support services and black box exhibits.
This leaves the main central space to be column-free and open. Circulation is through the main exhibition space.
Openings are envisaged in the roof and walls as appropriate. It is perceived that there should be views out of the exhibition space. These would allow the visitors to build up a gradual sense of the external context, moving from exhibit to exhibit.
All openings would be solar controlled so that total black out could be achieved when required. At the end, with a view of the Clyde and the Kelvin, is the café and corporate entertainment space.
These also allow access and overflow into the open courtyard. The end elevation is like the front elevation with an expansive clear glass façade. It has a large overhang to reduce solar exposure to the building interior. It will allow expansive views up and down the Clyde.
The landscape is designed to direct the activities surrounding the building. A ring of varying stones slabs creates a shadow path around the building. On the west side the hard surface progresses to a soft landscape of grass to create an informal open courtyard space.
A line of trees will be added alongside the existing ferry quay to reduce the exposure of this area to prevailing winds. Along the south side and the east, shallow water pool features are used to give continuity with the river at quay level.
Can you describe your general thoughts on working in Scotland and your perception of the country’s responsiveness and contribution to new architecture?
So far, I have enjoyed working in Scotland. I feel welcomed with my ideas and I am happy to contribute to a country that has started to thrive in recent years with many new pieces of good architecture.
Hardly a week goes by without news of a new Zaha Hadid commission. How do you feel about this huge demand for your services? And how will this demand affect the size and characteristics of your architectural operation? Are you happy to embrace expansion? If so, do you feel you will be able to continue to maintain the level of design and quality control you have always been able to exercise?
Yes, I am happy to embrace expansion of my workload and offices. It is still the fact that most of my commissions are hard won competitions rather than direct commissions. This means that if we get the project, we already have an idea and a team in place to do it. What the current rapid expansion will do to the quality of the work currently underway is yet to be seen, but I am optimistic that we'll grow to meet the challenge.
Are there any projects that you have turned down? If so why?
Just recently we started to reflect on whether we should continue to take up any job offered or whether we should start to be selective. It is tough to let a job opportunity pass after many years of craving for such jobs. So far, we have taken everything on.
I recently interviewed architect Renzo Piano and when questioned about the current obsession for commissioning ‘iconic’ architecture, Piano responded that “the idea that architecture should be iconic and recognisable is not a strength, it is a weakness.
Iconic is when you start to become self referential..the tendency by people to value buildings by their recognisibility is a trap. Architecture shouldn’t be about being a sculpture…it should be about society and community.” I would be grateful if you could give me some of your thoughts on the current preoccupation with commissioning ‘iconic’ architecture?
It seems ironic that Renzo Piano, who created the most iconic building in Paris in the twentieth century (the Pompidou Centre), should try to deny this aspect of architecture. The iconic station of a building does not necessarily emerge from a wilful and superficial gesture. It might be the effect of an innovative spatial translation of a socially important building in place.
Finally, you have been described as a something of a maverick and even as ''architecture's first bona fide diva!'' Does this amuse or annoy you?
I neither see myself as a diva or a maverick. I simply work in the tradition of modern avant-garde architecture. However, the label of diva is amusing rather than annoying.
