Almost every modern and postmodern style of architecture strived for a more minimal and sustainable approach- and rightly so. But the same architects somehow also made it a norm for the building to appear rigid and conventional, which can be somewhat boring.
The one who broke this repetitive mold, without compromising on the building's sustainability and function, was none other than the genius, Zaha Hadid.
Being a rare woman in an incessantly male-dominated stage, Hadid was celebrated for her unique styles and shapes when it came to designing. While most architects of the era went for a more conventional approach to their buildings, Hadid had a more futuristic idea to her designs, fully utilizing all the magic of modern technologies.
Zaha Hadid's designs somehow seem to defy gravity itself. The facades of her buildings appear to change shapes and sizes depending on the viewer's perspective. Overall, the structures have a certain fluidity and dynamism to them, which looks as if someone had somehow stopped a moving or a falling building midway.
Hadid’s designs were mostly distinguished by curvy facades, sharp angles and dynamic shapes. Most of her works employed hard materials like concrete and steel, in contrast to the shape of her buildings which appear soft and curvy.
Some of Zaha Hadid's designs, like the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin and the Düsseldorf Art and Media Center, were never constructed in real life since they were considered too unrealistic to be taken beyond drawings and sketches.
Overlooking the traditional infrastructures of Baku, Azerbaijan, the Heydar Aliyev cultural center was built as a symbol to signify the city’s departure from Soviet Modernism to a more futuristic development, while also referencing elements of traditional Islamic and Azeri architecture.
The space frame is one of the unique elements employed in the building. It is a rigid and lightweight structure which is used to span large areas with very few supports. This was employed in order to support the flexible and unconventional structural design.
Located at the second largest shipping port in Europe, this structure acts as the new headquarters for the 12 kilometers long portline, bringing together 500 staff members. On the condition that the old fire station be preserved, a new, contemporary-looking structure was built above it, overlooking the Scheldt river and its port, supported by a large column.
Although most praised the Iraqi-born British architect for her bold approach to designing, many criticized her, giving the name “the paper architect”, considering her works to be fanatical and too unrealistic to be built in real life. Although this might seem partly true, Hadid's ideas come from the belief that it is the architect's duty to contribute to society's progress by facilitating the collective well-being of both the people and their surroundings.
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