Innovatia

table said: “From the earliest drawings and models to current buildings and work in pro- gress, there has been a consistently original and strong personal vision that has changed the way we see and experience space. Hadid’s fragmented geometry and fluid mobility do more than create an abstract, dynamic beau- ty; this is a body of work that explores and ex- presses the world we live in.” Hadid’s numerous other accolades included the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperi- ale prize for architecture in 2009, and the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Royal Gold Medal for Architecture – the world’s oldest and most established architecture prize – in 2016. In 2012 she was made a Dame Commander of the Or- der of the British Empire, the female equivalent of a knighthood. Her influence stretches well beyond the awards bestowed on her. Hadid’s groundbreak- ing designs have inspired a new generation of architects to push the boundaries of what is possible; many have embraced her design principles, incorporating fluid forms, innova- tive materials, and parametric design into their own works. Her organic forms and sci-fi aes- thetic have also found their way into product design, fashion, and even urban planning. The versatile artist applied her creative touch on scales both large and small: she designed stadiums, schools, and factories, attracted ac- claim for her furniture collection inspired by melting glacial ice, and collaborated with ma- jor fashion labels – from fashion spaces for Chanel and Stuart Weitzman to Adidas shoes, Louis Vuitton bags and Swarovski jewellery. She was even behind the stage set for the Pet Shop Boys’ world tour of 2009.

Bold, unapologetic, and progressive, Ha- did carved a career in a field that had a long- standing reputation as a male-held profession, breaking stereotypes around what a woman – and a Muslim woman at that – could achieve. “I never use the issue about being a woman ar- chitect ... but if it helps younger people to know they can break through the glass ceiling, I don’t mind that,” she told Icon magazine. She had high-profile industry friends – among them Norman Foster and Frank Gehry, who de- scribed her as “an extraordinary force of na- ture” – yet she admitted to feeling ostracised at

times. She never compromised on her designs, had little patience, and was sometimes labelled a diva – a charge she rebuffed: “If I were a man they’d call me an opinionated maverick.” “I’ve always been independent and because I’m ‘flamboyant’ I’ve always been seen as diffi- cult,” she told The Financial Times in 2015. “As a woman in architecture you’re always an outsider. It’s OK, I like being on the edge.” Challenges and criticism For all her success, Hadid was not immune from challenges and criticism.

Her fantastical designs were at times derided, and the expense and scale of her commissions often attracted criticism; a common complaint was that her structures were impractical, and ended up using 10 times as much steel than a simpler design would have. In a 2015 article, the Spectator UK summarised the disapproval: “Her fabulous forms were always eye-catching, but often difficult to build. And, almost always, so neglectful was she of tectonic practicalities that her buildings went deliriously over budget.” The sheer amount of material in her design for the London Aquatics Centre sparked contro- versy, along with the $299 million pound cost, which tripled from the initial budget. “What do the critics know about how much steel should be in a roof?” Hadid said at the time. She was later forced to scale back her design. Her design for a stadium for the 2020 Olym- pics in Tokyo (later postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic) was scrapped after mounting protests – notably from preeminent Japanese architects Arata Isozaki and Fumi- hiko Maki – erupted over her plan. Critics de- rided it as reminiscent of a bicycle helmet or drooping oyster and said it was out of sync with the neighbourhood. In an open letter, Isozaki declared it to be a “monumental mistake” that would “disgrace … future generations”. “As a woman in architecture you’re always an outsider. It’s OK, I like being on the edge.”

KAPSARC Research Centre Riyadh

INNOVATIA

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