Zaha Hadid was a Iraqi-British architect, known for her radical designs inspired by the use of “curves” across her projects Her designs reflect a person’s culture, innovation and imagination and modern architects, like her, are redefining possibilities of this craft. From her first built project, the Vitra Fire Station, in Germany all the way to the renowned Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, we dive into Zaha Hadid’s architectural legacy and her Top UAE designs.
1. Cultural District at Dubai South
This upcoming US $680 million project seeks to enhance Dubai’s cultural and artistic landscape while promoting innovation in the creative industry. It also highlights Dubai’s dedication to nurturing creative talent, reinforcing its position as a leading hub for artists and innovators globally.
The cultural district in Dubai South features an impressive selection of venues aimed at enhancing the emirate’s artistic scene. At its center stands a remarkable 2,500-seat opera house, designed with a forward-thinking, futuristic aesthetic by Zaha Hadid Architects. This opera house will incorporate state-of-the-art acoustic and visual technology to ensure an exceptional artistic experience. Additionally, a cozy 400-seat theatre offers a flexible setting for drama, comedy, art workshops, and smaller performances.
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2. Sheikh Zayed Bridge
Sheikh Zayed Bridge was one of the first structural designs by Zaha Hadid in the UAE. Opened in 2010, this 2-way, 4-lane Bridge is a prominent symbol in Abu Dhabi named after the founding father of the UAE. The bridge named in his honor means to embody the connection between the past and the present.
This highway bridge boasts cantilevered road decks suspended from symmetrical arches, which form a sinusoidal waveform, like sand dunes. Zaha Hadid masterfully designed the Sheikh Zayed Bridge to echo the flowing, organic forms of the UAE’s iconic desert landscape. With its sweeping steel and concrete structure, the bridge mirrors the undulating curves of sand dunes, paying homage to the natural terrain of the region.
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3. The Opus, Dubai
The Opus is a multi-purpose archiectural marvel located in the Burj Khalifa district. Developed by Omniyat, this building was made possible through Zaha Hadid’s and her team’s desgins.
Spanning over 84,300 square meters, the Opus is shaped as a cube, with two distict towers seamlessly merging into a unified structure. This building explores the balance between solid and void, opaque and transparent. Home to residential apartments, office spaces and the 5-star ME Hotel, this was the only development in which Zaha Hadid designed both its architecture and interiors.
4. Aljada Central Hub, Sharjah
This US $6.5 billion development is the new leisure and entertainment destination in the UAE. Spanning an area of over 65,000 sqaure meters, this central hub will be home to different facilities, garden area and public space. This entertainment facility is currently under construction and will be open to the public by 2025 hopefully.
Developed by Arada and designed by Zaha Hadid’s architects, the design conceptualizes what looks like “a water droplet once it touches the earth’s surface”. It meticulously captures a range of oval-shaped buildings that are designed to divert prevailing winds into the common spaces.
Smart and sustainable technologies are also integrated in the Central Hub, with the development’s natural ecosystem, irrigated by recycled water, helping to sustain the microclimate for the gardens. In addition, the Central Hub’s lighting will be entirely provided through solar power systems.
5. Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Center
This is one of the most promising attractions on the Cultural District, Saadiyat Island. Desined like a spaceship, this upcoming arts center will be home to five theaters, a music hall and an opera house.
Zaha Hadid described the development as “a sculptural form that emerges from a linear intersection of pedestrian paths within the cultural district, gradually developing into a growing organism that sprouts a network of successive branches. As it winds through the site, the architecture increases in complexity, building up height and depth and achieving multiple summits in the bodies housing the performance spaces, which spring from the structure like fruits on a vine and face westward, toward the water.”
