About Buildings + Cities 66 — Zaha Hadid — 1/4 — AA Days
7 snips
Apr 8, 2020 Dive into the fascinating world of Zaha Hadid as the podcast unveils her background at the Architectural Association in the 1970s. Explore her student projects influenced by avant-garde Russian art, and witness the tension between innovation and traditional architectural practices. The discussion also highlights her unique minimalist style and the abstract geometries that define her work. Delve into her early competition entry for the Irish Taoiseach's residence, showcasing a blend of complex forms and expressive designs in architecture.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Zaha's Pioneering Woman Architect Role
- Zaha Hadid was the preeminent woman architect who achieved global fame distinctly from any equal partner.
- Her reputation during life was influenced by gender biases and the late 1990s-2000s star architect culture critique.
Unit System's Educational Revolution
- The Architectural Association adopted the 'unit system' to liberalize architectural education and encourage individual polemics.
- This system fostered exploration and competition among students during a low-building period in the UK, promoting experimental and manifesto-driven projects.
Suprematism Shapes Early Architecture
- Hadid's student project inspired by Suprematism showed abstract, floating cuboid forms rejecting gravity and traditional mass.
- Her architectural representation hybridized abstract art with technical drawing, evoking a new architectural aesthetic beyond modernism.