The vast technical advancements of the 21st century have unavoidably led to drastic alterations in today’s architecture. One of the well-known architects who has helped to create unusual, inventive architecture is Zaha Hadid. The “iconic” architecture plays a crucial part in shaping the perception of contemporary metropolitan areas. When one looks at Zaha Mohammad Hadid’s architectural works, one can see a wide range of iconic buildings in terms of their architectural forms and notions to the point where it’s difficult to pinpoint what makes her buildings so remarkable, how she was able to create such iconic architecture, and how important her works are to the field of architecture. Hadid is one of the well-known architects of this era who has made a significant contribution to the new, inventive, and futuristic conception of architectural form and space. The contradiction lies at the heart of Hadid’s projects’ iconicity. The tension between concepts throughout the early phases of the design process helps to unite the steps involved in creating creative and sensible architecture.
Zaha’s approach to architecture
Upon first viewing Hadid’s designs, one could question if the projects’ functional performance is flawless, given her emphasis on the external form and its relevance in her design process. Going around project spaces, however, reveals that the project has completed its functional tasks to the same degree as a typical one, but with an added sense of adventure, excitement, and a restless eagerness to find out what comes next. According to Hadid, architecture plays a major affective impact on a person’s mood, quality of life, and worldview. She asserted that architecture should soothe, stimulate thought, keep people “dry,” and uplift the soul in addition to serving as a closed building to house the functions for which it is designed
Moreover, she maintains that architecture needs to be something special, impacting the community and drawing visitors. Her intention is for her construction to create “a new kind of landscape, to flow together with contemporary cities and their peoples’ lives.” Hadid’s distaste for the notion of repetition drove her to employ novel strategies, including fragmentation, to defy and subvert numerous architectural regulations that led to the creation of repeating buildings. The product that “follows the inherent logic of cycles of innovation generated by social and technological developments” is architecture, in her opinion.
Zaha Hadid and Deconstructivism
Deconstructivism seeks to dismantle everything of the postmodernist movement’s logical demands, including the use of historical architectural imagery. It was defined as the philosophically based architecture of inhumanism, based on fragmentation, deconstruction, and annihilation (Salama, 2007). Seven architects, renowned for their deconstructivist designs, were accepted to the MOMA Exhibition (1988) in New York, overseen by Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley (Straeten, 1997). They have founded a brand-new architectural movement whose approach completely subverts the design tenets of modernism and is centered on boundless and unrestrained forms. First, there were the architects who drew inspiration from many sources, like Frank O. Gehry from nature/organic, Rem Koolhaas from constructivism, and Zaha Hadid from suprematism. From a creative image or sculpture, these architects typically view buildings. Derridean architects, such as Peter Eisenman, Bernard Tschumi, and Daniel Libeskind, comprised the second group. They dissect philosophy in writing and then represent it in their creations (Straeten, 1997). More sensible and grounded in reality is the first group.
Among the pioneers of this movement is Zaha Hadid. Although she uses fragmentation and abstraction in her work, the idea behind her architecture is based on a close examination of external form ideas, inspiration, and language that conveys meaning through design. Analyzing Zaha Hadid’s works reveals that they are appropriately classified as Deconstructivism because they defy conventional wisdom in the conception of inherited architecture while also serving as a model of excellent design that takes into account the needs of people in terms of both function and shelter, providing privacy
Process of design through Zaha Hadid’s eyes
Hadid has an excellent eye for aesthetics, the natural world, architecture, and well-designed surrounds. She was competent in creating her methods because of her desire to investigate the origins of their aesthetic appeal and the primary elements that drew people to them. By employing these methods, she creates an unparalleled collection of works that are distinguished by their originality and creativity. Through content analysis of her texts and interviews conducted by others, the approaches are derived from Hadid, and the methods of implementing each technique are determined by using her words to describe the form notion and prevailing qualities of the projects.
Abstraction and Fragmentation
The most intriguing techniques employed by Hadid to create her deconstructivist projects and creative spaces are abstraction and fragmentation. Through her rigorous research into space design, she came to see abstraction as a research principle that serves as a tool for unlimited innovation as well as being useful for building and discovering unique environments. Similar to how Hadid defined it, fragmentation is the act of breaking the established guidelines of known illustrated architecture, which results in the fabrication of the same architecture as industrial mass production. According to Hadid, fragmentation is the result of applying these techniques to “break the block, make it porous,” and then “create organizational patterns which imply a new geometry.”
The idea of the Ground and Gravity
The most well-known architect to employ this method is Zaha Hadid, whose ability to rise above the earth is thought to be a crucial component of most of her designs. By allowing some of the ground floor to remain unsupported, she breaks the rigid idea of it. She occasionally allows some pieces to function independently by making the earth porous; as a result, these elements could actively replace the ones found in the existing urban design. Hadid typically avoids dealing with right angles by using slanted columns, flowing surfaces, and inclined surfaces. “There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?” was her defense. She said that modernist architects were stuck creating the same architecture for a long time because of the unchanging notion of the ground. The supremacist Kazimir, who stated, “We can only perceive space when we break free from the earth when the point of support disappears,” is the source from whom Hadid acquired this approach.
Layering
Hadid can design incredible voids and spaces that satisfy her vision of architectural space thanks to this technology. One of the things Hadid promised to do was create a complex and fluid space. In most of her huge buildings, which she regarded as the primary component of socializing projects, it is assumed that Zaha Hadid’s signature fluid large foyer.
Applying multiple layers of color to a painting is known as layering, and it gives the work a sense of depth. In this study, layering refers to treating the building’s floors as distinct layers or levels, bending the ground’s borders, and paying minimal attention to the lower floor’s grid.
Play of light and fluidity
According to Hadid, the building’s color may be changed and visible through the concrete by taking into account alterations made to it before construction and the play of daylight. She uses mass organization preset in bundles, such as fragmentation, overlapping, accumulation, and juxtaposition, to manipulate this approach. Especially in the most recent works by Hadid, there is a clear prevalence of fluidity and seamlessness. Her inspiration for this approach comes from Arabic calligraphy, the intricacy of forms found in nature, and the beautiful vision that arises from the natural, seamless flow of the terrain in the Syrian village in Iraq between reeds, water, and sand.
Impact of Zaha Hadid
By creating architecture that is thought to exist in the future and is distinguished by defying gravity, seamlessness, and fluidity, Hadid has truly outdone ourselves in this regard. Her exceptional sense of art and beauty in design has drawn the interest of the younger generation of architects and other designers from many fields, who view her as an inspirational role model for their work. Her deft use of contradictory design strategies led to the creation of a fresh, aesthetically pleasing style of architecture that is popular throughout the world. Without overstating it, Hadid has changed how people conceptualize architecture worldwide. She has forced many architects to reexamine their creations to see if they accurately capture this period of history.
Citations:
A systematic analysis of formative design ideas of Zaha Hadid. Available at: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-Systematic-Analysis-of-Formative-Design-Ideas-of-Youns/2e7b9ce114aa29324c0a69d0f92ff55a07876448 (Accessed: 14 December 2023).
Zaha Hadid Design Museum. Available at: https://designmuseum.org/designers/zaha-hadid (Accessed: 16 December 2023).
Zaha Hadid’s techniques of architectural form-making – researchgate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275570596_Zaha_Hadid%27s_Techniques_of_Architectural_Form-Making (Accessed: 16 December 2023).
Abdullah, A., Said, I.B. and Ossen, D.R. (no date) Zaha Hadid strategy of design, Sains Humanika. Available at: https://sainshumanika.utm.my/index.php/sainshumanika/article/view/589 (Accessed: 17 December 2023).
