One year after starchitect Zaha Hadid’s passing, we remember five of her signature designs that have shaped Asia’s built landscape.
A year ago from Friday, the world lost an architectural gem. No, not an actual building, but the Iraqi-born British architect Dame Zaha Hadid, who passed away after suffering a heart attack in Miami. The 65-year-old was the first woman to win architecture’s highest honour, the Pritzker Prize. And she was also the first woman to receive a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) gold medal.
Some regarded her as the greatest female architect in the world. Indeed, her impact was felt far and wide. Beyond architecture, she designed furniture, interiors, homewares, cars and even shoes. But she was best-known – and best-loved – for her buildings: extraordinary, curved structures that presented a striking vision of the future.
Here, we take a look at five of Zaha Hadid’s projects in Asia that best represent her forward-looking spirit.
1. Moon Soon Restaurant
Location: Sapporo, Japan
Year: 1989–1990
The Moon Soon Restaurant in Sapporo, Japan, was one of Zaha Hadid’s early works. But her signature fluid design language was already apparent. Taking inspiration from two contrasting elements in nature – fire and ice – Hadid transformed the 435 sqm (almost 4,700 sq. ft.) space into a rugged landscape. She sculpted ribbons of searing orange that descend from the ceiling to meet shard-like tables and seats coloured cool grey. The scene resembles an arctic volcanic landscape, where lava flows collide with icebergs in dramatic fashion.
2. Guangzhou Opera House
Location: Guangzhou, China
Year: 2003–2010
Zaha Hadid’s design for the Guangzhou Opera House effectively sealed the city’s status as a top-tier Chinese municipality. It also signalled the city’s aspirations of becoming a global, culturally savvy metropolis. Shaped like a pair of stones, the elegantly contoured buildings perch on the banks of the Pearl River. Walkways and promenades connect the dock area with the city proper, while open concourses encourage interaction among the city’s residents. The project breathed much-needed life into a formerly grim, industrial neighbourhood.
3. Jockey Club Innovation Tower
Location: Hong Kong, SAR
Year: 2007–2014
The Jockey Club Innovation Tower lies a short distance away from the hustle and bustle of Tsim Sha Tsui. But its striking form is worlds apart from the buildings that populate the latter. Resembling a cruise ship or a striated rock formation, the tower forms part of Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University (PolyU). As home to PolyU’s School of Design, it’s meant to drive Hong Kong’s ambitions of becoming Asia’s leading design hub. With its space-age interiors marked by vast, whitewashed spaces and numerous skylights, students can draw inspiration from their immediate surroundings.
4. Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Year: 2007–2013
Seoul’s fashionable, buzzy Dongdaemun district received a huge jolt of adrenaline in 2014. That was when the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) opened to the public. Conceived as a hub for art, design and technology, the enormous cultural complex spans 86,500 sqm (more than 900,000 sq. ft.) in size. Then there is a landscaped park, which brings much-needed green relief to the area. But most spectacular of all is the building’s backlit aluminium facade, which transforms into a glittering, animated surface by night.
5. D’Leedon
Location: Singapore
Year: 2007/2010–2014
D’Leedon has the honour of being one of only three Zaha Hadid projects in Singapore. The other two are Nassim Villas and the One North masterplan. Each of the seven curvy towers that make up the development has a flower-shaped plan, which results in many different apartment layouts. In fact, there are 340 unique layouts, out of a total of 1,715 units. You can read more about D’Leedon here.
Photos sourced from zaha-hadid.com