10 Zaha Hadid Designs That Will Stand The Test Of Time

Zaha Hadid built amazing structures and left a legacy. Hadid’s recent passing is a big loss to the architecture world, and it seemed like the industry lost a beam that had supported it for years.

The founder of Zaha Hadid Architects created designs that resulted in game-changing innovations, but at the same time, produced designs that echo the classics. Hadid had been a strong, steady column who helped shaped recent innovations in the industry.

“I really believe in the idea of the future,” said Hadid in a 2012 interview with Freshome. Indeed, she helped shape the future of architecture.

Here are some of the designs of the Iraqi-born, British architect that will stand the test of time.

Guangzhou Opera House (Guangzhou, China)

(Source: Design Boom)

The Guangzhou Opera House’s “twin-boulder” design was made to look like two pebbles sitting on the banks of the Pearl River in China’s Guangdong Province. The concrete auditorium features exposed granite with glass-clad steel frames.

Hadid took inspiration from the fusion of nature and architecture, the river valleys, as well as from the principles of geology and erosion.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place in 2005 while the Guangzhou Opera House was inaugurated five years later. The structure houses a 1,800-seater theater, a 400-seater multifunctional hall, several rehearsal rooms, and a grand entrance hall.

Sheikh Zayed Bridge (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)

(Source: Arch2o)

Hadid’s design for Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Bridge reeks of opulence. The lavish 842-metre-long bridge connects the mainland to the Abu Dhabi Island.

The design echoes its purpose and location, as concrete waves go up and down with a maximum height of 64 meters. The sides of the Sheikh Zayed Bridge support the two road decks and four-lane highway. The luxury project was completed in 2010.

Heydar Aliyev Center (Baku, Azerbaijan)

(Source: Dezeen)

The flowing design of the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan features overlapping fluid surfaces that seem to rise from its surrounding lush plaza.

Entrances and windows are designed in varying volumes. Hadid’s futuristic design  is a stark contrast to the stiff Soviet architecture that peppered Azerbaijan’s capital city.

The Heydar Aliyev Center’s design took inspiration from the traditional Islamic architecture’s curves and ornamental outlines. The resulting design is a feast of elaborate geometric structures wherein the curtain walls beautifully conceals the vertical columns that support it.

The Heydar Aliyev Center was completed in 2012. It is the home of a 1,000-seater theater, a museum, and a library.

Salerno Maritime Terminal (Salerno, Italy).

(Source: ArchDaily)

This “oyster-looking” architecture structure was inaugurated on April 25, 2016. Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the Salerno Maritime Terminal adds to Salerno’s initiatives to “transform” itself. Moreover, the newly built structure serves a great reminder of the architect who designed it.

The structure’s “outer shell” is made of concrete, while the interiors feature elegant inclines. The design takes inspiration from one of the most-loved seafood in Salerno. Like an oyster, its hard outer shell protects the delicate features within.

Capital Hill Residence (Moscow, Russia)

(Source: ZahaHadid.com)

Its aerial view resembles a futuristic spacecraft that landed on a secluded forest. The Capital Hill Residence was designed for a private client and completed in 2011.

The futuristic design features a somewhat floating structure elevated 22 meters above the ground. This enables the residents to take advantage of the Barvikha forest lush views.

The structure features a lower level designed as a place for leisure—complete with fitness areas, massage rooms, hammam baths, and a sauna.

The next level features the main living area plus a kitchen, entertainment and dining spaces, and an indoor swimming pool while the master bedrooms and exterior terrace are placed on the upper level.

Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transport (Glasgow, United Kingdom)

(Source: ZahaHadid.com)

Built in 2011, the design of the Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transport in the United Kingdom is a futuristic take on the water waves that represent the relationship between the city’s ship building industry and the industrial and seafaring legacies of the River Clyde.

The museum’s most notable design elements are the outer waves or “pleats” on the roof as well as its 36-meter high all-glass glazed façade that elegantly faces the river. The design allows the natural light to enter the clear glass front, illuminating the exhibition area.

Volu Dining Pavilion – Zaha Hadid for Revolution

(Source: Revolution Precrafted)

Taking inspiration from another sea creature, Hadid designed a dining pavilion that resembles an open clam shell for Revolution Precrafted.

Hadid’s Volu Dining Pavilion is a celebration of lightweight engineering and precision fabrication. The prefab pavilion highlights beautiful, strong silhouettes coupled with computational geometry.

The pavilion was designed to look like a continuous piece with its oval roof bending downwards forming a spine—just like a mushroom.

The pavilion’s scheme features a “porous” design with irregularly cut-out shapes on the roof and the spine. The cut-outs on the pavilion’s floor are filled with wooden boards, giving it a modern, luxurious feel.

This particular project by Hadid would live on just as her other designs would, as both art collectors and enthusiasts could acquire the Volu through Revolution as they please.

Revolution offers a collection of limited edition, pre-crafted properties aimed at democratizing high-design and architecture by transforming them into modern prefab homes and pavilions such as Hadid’s, which can be delivered to anywhere in the world.

Silene Cuff

(Source: ZahaHadid.com)

This beautiful Silene Cuff designed in 2014 is adorned with 1,048 white diamonds. Hadid designed the Silene Cuff for the House of Aziz & Walid Mouzannar, a family of fine jewelers in Lebanon since the 18th century.

The intricate piece is both passionate and contemporary. The flowing design of the 18-carat white gold band is accompanied with a subtle “branch-like” image that is made more expressive with the diamonds.

Overall, the combination of age-old craftsmanship and innovative architectural design makes the Silene Cuff an elegant yet show stopper piece.

Find out more about this piece at Zaha Hadid Design.

Skein Cuff

(Source: ZahaHadid.com)

The Skein Cuff is part of Hadid’s Skein Collection, which is a collaboration with Swiss goldsmiths Caspita. The collection showcases Hadid’s futuristic design approach coupled with the goldsmiths’ high-level craftsmanship.

The cuffs and rings in the Skein collection feature intricate lattices that are both elegant and modern. Some of the items in the collection have stones embedded in the sophisticated lattices.

Find out more about this piece at Zaha Hadid Design.

NOVA Shoe

(Source: ZahaHadid.com)

Hadid’s limited edition haute couture footwear, the NOVA shoe, is a collaboration with United Nude’s Creative Director, Rem D Koolhaas.

The innovative, futuristic looking footwear denotes Hadid’s dynamic architectural language. The NOVA shoe challenged the conventional rules in shoe design not just with the footwear draft, but also with the materials used.

The duo utilized chromed vinyl for the NOVA shoes and gave it an upper metallic finish. The finished product represents forward movement with each step.

Find out more about this piece at Zaha Hadid Design or check out United Nude’s website.

Although the industry has lost a legend, Hadid’s designs will forever be remembered and be considered as inspirations by architects from different parts of the world.