Google Doodle Honors Visionary Architect Zaha Hadid

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Google honored Dame Zaha Hadid on Wednesday with its latest Doodle depicting the Iraqi-born British architect in front of the Heydar Aliyev Center that she designed in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Doodle marks the date that Hadid became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize on May 31, 2004. The world-renowned architect also became the first woman awarded the Royal Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Hadid, who died of a heart attack last year at age 65, designed ground-breaking visionary buildings that spanned the globe. Her designs include the London Olympics Aquatics Center, Glasgow’s Riverside Museum, the Jockey Club Innovation Tower in Hong Kong, Guangzhou Opera House, the Port Authority Building of Antwerp and Salerno Maritime Terminal.

In each of the far-flung cities that now host one of her projects, Hadid drew inspiration from the local culture and surrounding landscapes: from the wavelike London Aquatic Center to the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, which was inspired by Islamic calligraphy and geometric patterns.

See Zaha Hadid’s Most Awe-Inspiring Buildings

Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.Hufton+Crow—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.Helene Binet—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Messner Mountain Museum in Plan de Corones, Italy.
Messner Mountain Museum in Plan de Corones, Italy.Inexhibit/Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany.
BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany.Helene Binet—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
London Aquatics Centre in London.
London Aquatics Centre in London.Hufton+Crow—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
London Aquatics Centre in London.
London Aquatics Centre in London.Luke Hayes—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Jockey Club Innovation Tower, at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong.
Jockey Club Innovation Tower, at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong.Doublespace/Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Guangzhou Opera House in Guangzhou, China.
Guangzhou Opera House in Guangzhou, China.Virgile Simon Bertrand—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
The Phæno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany.
The Phæno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany.Werner Huthmacher—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Evelyn Grace Academy in London.
Evelyn Grace Academy in London.Luke Hayes—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany.
Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany.Christian Richters—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Galaxy Soho in Beijing.
Galaxy Soho in Beijing.Hufton + Crow—Zaha Hadid Architects
Nordpark Railway Stations in Innsbruck, Austria.
Nordpark Railway Stations in Innsbruck, Austria.Werner Huthmacher—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.Roland Halbe—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Chanel Mobile Art Container in New York City.
Chanel Mobile Art Container in New York City.Arcaid/UIG/Getty Images
MAXXI Museum in Rome.
MAXXI Museum in Rome.Richard Bryant—Arcaid/Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Oxford University Middle East Centre at St. Antony's College in Oxford, U.K.
Oxford University Middle East Centre at St. Antony's College in Oxford, U.K.Luke Hayes—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
DDP in Seoul, South Korea.
DDP in Seoul.Virgile Simon Bertrand—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
DDP in Seoul, South Korea.
DDP in Seoul.Virgile Simon Bertrand—Courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects

In 2002, Hadid was awarded a CBE, and in 2010 TIME Magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in its TIME 100 issue.

On the future of architecture, she told TIME: “For excuses that are valid — like the recession — there has been a return to very banal and conservative ideas in architecture,” she said. “It’s not like people will come back in 40 years and say these buildings are terrible. We know that now. And that is a tremendous shame considering the progress we’ve made in terms of ideas and innovation in technology, material, fabrication and construction. I hope this does not have a very negative impact on what the future holds.”

 

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