Cover image via Visual News
Who is this architect?
Her name is Zaha Hadid and she has erected buildings across 44 countries.
Born in Baghdad in 1950, Ms. Hadid was raised in one of Baghdad's first Bauhaus-inspired houses. She came of age in an era when the Middle East was enchanted by Modernity: its glamorous forms, progressive aura and faith in the future.
Early on, she soaked up the cosmopolitan values that bound cities as diverse as London, New York, Moscow, Beirut and Berlin. In the mid-1970's, she settled in London, where she cut her teeth as a student at the Architectural Association, then a center of experimentation.
The Iraqi-born London-based architect has earned a place as one of the most sought-after architects in the world, having bestowed her trademark blobs on cityscapes from Baku to Guangzhou.
She has been described the "most precocious talent in her profession" by the NYT.
Image via The Guardian
What is the award for?
Called the Royal Gold Medal for architecture, it is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), personally approved by the Queen, in recognition of an individual's or group's lifetime of work.
Zaha is the first woman without a male partner to win the award in its 167-year history.
Below are some of Zaha's award-winning works.
Opera House, Guangzhou
Image via BBC
Image via BBC
The building was inspired by the River Pearl which it overlooks.
