World renowned architect Zaha Hadid dies at 65


Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid has died at the age of 65. Hadid, whose practice is based in London, was in a Miami hospital being treated for bronchitis when she suffered a heart attack Thursday.
Hadid's work has been commissioned all over the world, from China and Baku to Rome and London, where she built the 2012 Olympic Aquatics Centre. There is no single Hadid style, though her buildings have been described as sculptural, curvaceous, and futuristically smooth. "Her exteriors seem to be shaped by the movement inside and around them, rather than by some predetermined notion of external form," John Seabrook wrote in a 2009 New Yorker profile.
Hadid boldly worked her way through the male-dominated architecture industry. Among her many accolades, she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honor, in 2004. And just this year she became the first woman to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal in recognition of her work. Hadid's creations may have been divisive, but there was no denying she pushed the art form to become one of the most influential architects of her time.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"She was so distinct that there isn't anybody like her," architect Graham Morrison told The Guardian. "She was in a world of her own and she was extraordinary."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.
-
How will the new tax deductions on auto loans work?
the explainer Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a tax deduction on auto loan interest — but eligibility for the tax break is limited
-
Is Trump actually going to prosecute Obama for 'treason'?
Today's Big Question Or is this just a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal?
-
5 best movie sequels of all time
The Week Recommends The second time is only sometimes as good as the first
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada