Born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1950, Hadid studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London in 1972 to attend the Architectural Association (AA) where she was awarded the Diploma Prize in 1977.

Hadid founded Zaha Hadid Architects in 1979 and was awarded the Pritzker Prize, regarded as the Nobel for Architecture, in 2004. She taught at the AA School until 1987 and held numerous chairs and guest professorships at universities around the world including Columbia, Harvard, Yale and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

Hadid’s outstanding contribution to architecture and design has been acknowledged and acclaimed by the world’s most respected institutions, media, and academics, as well as by the general public around the world. In 2010 and 2011, Hadid’s designs were awarded the Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects and in 2012 she became a Dame Commander of the British Empire.

Zaha Hadid passed away on the 31st of March 2016, and her legacy endures within the DNA of the design studio she created.