Nova Shoe by Zaha Hadid for United Nude
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Zaha Hadid, the founder of Zaha Hadid Architects.This woman, is an architect who is from London and has a strong voice in architecture field.
Zaha was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work. Each of her projects builds on over thirty years of exploration and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design. Zaha's earliest memory of architecture was perhaps six years old, was of her aunt building a house in Mosul in the north of Iraq. |
In her childhood, she travelled with her family every summer, and her parents made sure that she went to every important building and museum in each city. She still remember going as a child to see the Great Mosque in Cordoba when she was seven years old, and that was the most stunning space in her memory.
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Q: When did you get interest in Architecture design?
I wanted to explore new ideas so I went to the American University in Beirut where I became interested in geometry while studying mathematics. I realized there was a connection with the logic of maths to architecture. I then moved to London to attend the Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture. There was such a buzz in the school at the time. Everyone was on the brink of doing something new - I will never forget that. The students and the staff at the AA School at that time have been seminal to the past 30 years of global architecture. Q: Could you talk about your personal life? How it influenced your views on architecture design? I had a nice childhood in Iraq with a very liberal background. My parents gave me a secular modern upbringing and for such enlightened open-mindedness and selfless support, my mother and father were definitely an inspiration. I think both my parents were interested in architecture in an indirect way.The architect was a close friend of my father’s and he used to come to our house with the drawings and models. I remember seeing the model in our living room and I think it triggered something, as I was intrigued by it. Of course there are lots of other truly great spaces but this building left a really tremendous impact on me. When I was growing up in Iraq, there was an unbroken belief in progress and a great sense of optimism. If you look back to the 1960s, it was a moment of nation-building, there was a lot of emphasis on architecture, not only in the Arab world but also in South America and Asia. The ideas of progress and innovation of this era were critical to my development, and this ideology was important to me and my work. |
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Q: What is your favorite design style?
I really like the Brutalist, post 1960s buildings on the South Bank, London - the Hayward Gallery, the National Theatre, all that area. It’s one of the few examples of post-sixties work remaining in London - it’s actually some of the best examples of architecture in London. These Brutalist projects appear to be of their time, and yet they are essentially timeless. The 1960s were a remarkable moment of social reform. The ideas of change, liberation and freedom were critical. Now, people think public buildings should be more embellished, but these were times when people did tough projects. It is pure – its beauty is in its austerity. There are no additions to make it polite or cute. It is what it is. This architecture has fallen out of favour – and much of it has been demolished or left to decay - but it actually includes some of our best buildings. Many Brutalist projects around the world have suffered neglect; yet sensitive renovation reveals a profound lightness and spatial generosity. |
Q:Do you think there have connections between architecture and fashion? Which part?
We greatly enjoy our product fashion collaborations– they are of great importance to us. The pieces are quicker to execute than the architecture and inspire creativity. These collaborations also provide an opportunity to express our ideas through different scales and through different media - and we see it as part of a continuous process of our on-going design investigation. It’s a two way process – we apply our architectural research and experimentation to these designs – but we also learn a great deal from the process of collaborating with others in different fields. There is a lot of fluidity now between art, architecture and fashion—a lot more cross-pollination in the disciplines. But this isn’t about competition; it’s about collaboration and what these practices and processes can contribute to one another. It is essential to find key collaborators to work on new discoveries and push them into the mainstream. These fashion projects convey the mood of the day, of the moment—like music, literature, and art: whereas architecture is a very long process from the start of a project to its completion. There is the perception of architecture as different because it is a more immersive experience. Q:How do you handle stress? My friends and family are most important to me. Time doesn’t stop when you’re working to meet a deadline - and the intensity of working under such pressure can create great things - but you must never neglect your friends and family. They will always be your greatest support. Q:What is your current project? We are currently working on some very exciting projects around the world including train stations in Naples and Riyadh; the Grand Theatre in Rabat; the new Iraqi Parliament, the Sleuk Rith Institute in Cambodia and residential projects in Australia, Asia, New York and Miami. In terms of form, I find each of the projects equally rewarding – though there is a big difference in the scale and process. All are very different and present unique challenges – and as such, I’m equally interested in all of them. |
Q: What do you think are the current and future trends in architecture design?
The rapid developments that computing has brought to architecture are incredible and 3D printing is certainly opening many new possibilities for the construction industry. Our designs demand continual progress in the development of construction technology, and the industry continues to respond by providing ever more sophisticated tools and materials. There is a strong reciprocal relationship whereby our more avant-garde designs encourage the development of new design technologies and construction techniques - and those new developments in turn inspire us to push the design envelope ever further. Great things come from this method of working!
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