REPORT
A retrospective on the astonishing career and lasting contribution of the late Zaha Hadid
我們回顧已故Zaha Hadid的精彩工作生涯和影響深遠的貢獻
Unconventional, unexpected and uninhibited – these are three words that can be used to describe the late Zaha Hadid and her unique works. Many of the outspoken Iraqi-British architect’s proposals were so radical that clients doubted that they could actually be constructed, so many of them never left the drawing board.
Born in Iraq in 1950, Hadid’s father was a high-ranking Iraqi diplomat. Her liberal parents encouraged her curiosity and their various travels sparked a love for architecture. Growing up during a period when masters such as Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius were invited to design in Iraq certainly also exerted some influence.
After studying mathematics at the American University in Beirut, Hadid undertook her studies at the Architectural Association in London. Upon her graduation in 1977, she joined her professors Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis as a partner in OMA. Two years later, she founded her own firm, Zaha Hadid Architects. Despite her avant-garde approach and reaction-provoking designs, it was not until 1993 that she completed her first major project – the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany.
突破非凡、喜出望外、無拘無束——這三組形容詞大概可總結已故Zaha Hadid本人和她的獨特創作。這位伊拉克裔英國建築師大部分建議方案也是如此突破常規，客人更甚至懷疑是否能真正建出如此結構，故多數作品也只限於紙上談兵。
生於1950年伊拉克的Hadid，父親為德高望重的伊拉克外交官。在開明父母的鼓勵下，她勇於追求自己的理想並充滿好奇，多次出外旅遊也燃起她對建築的熱愛。成長期間，設計大師Le Corbusier和Walter Gropius等獲邀在伊拉克參與設計項目，無疑為她日後的路向埋下種子。
在貝魯特美學大學唸過數學後，Hadid便到倫敦Architectural Association攻讀。1977年畢業加入教授Rem Koolhaas和Elia Zenghelis，成了OMA的合夥人。兩年後，創立自家公司Zaha Hadid Architects。她雖憑藉前衛取向和引發情感的設計贏得注意，但還是要待到1993年完成首個大型項目——德國Weil am Rhein的Vitra Fire Station後才真正贏得嘉許。
Hadid’s designs are defined by fragmented geometries, futuristic forms and alternative spatial concepts, creating architecture that appears surreal. Her bold expression of geometry pushes design, construction and structural boundaries. Hadid was once quoted as saying, "There are 360 degrees. Why stick to one?" Early works, such as her competition proposal for The Peak Leisure Club in Hong Kong (1983) are characterised by geometric shapes, jagged edges and sharp lines, a language of abstraction and fragmentation techniques that she shared with Russian abstract artist Kazimir Malevich.
In later years, these shards evolved into more organic forms and fluid shapes. Hadid had a knack for making concrete appear gravity-defying to perform contortionist-like moves. The sweeping curve of the Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck, Austria (2002) is an extension of the ski slope topography into the alpine sky, while the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art in the US city of Cincinnati (2003) conceives of concrete as an "urban carpet" that becomes a wall, ramp, walkway and artificial park space. Concrete’s sculptural capabilities are pushed to their limit in the Phaeno Science Centre in Wolfsburg, Germany (2005), which has been described as "an architectural adventure playground".
A major turning point in Hadid’s career came in 2004, when she became the first woman to receive the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. In 2010, she was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize for the MAXXI Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome. The following year, she received another Stirling Prize for the Evelyn Grace Academy in London.
Earlier this year, Hadid was named the recipient of the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, placing her in the esteemed company of past medallists including Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd Wright. In his citation, Peter Cook captured the essence of Hadid’s style: "If Paul Klee took a line for a walk, Zaha took the surfaces that were driven by that line out for a virtual dance, deftly folded them over and then took them out for a journey into space."
Hadid received numerous awards throughout her career, but she also battled her fair share of controversies. She won an international competition to design the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales (1994) but opposition from local politicians resulted in the government’s refusal to fund the project. Hadid claimed that the reason was due to prejudice against her ethnic background and gender. She remarked that "it’s tough being an Arab woman in the architecture business" but that "people are much more accustomed now to women". The design for the Cardiff Bay Opera House was eventually used for the Guangzhou Opera House (2010).
Hadid的設計以分裂幾何、滿未來動態的形態和另類空間概念為本，讓建築帶有超現實觀感。她對幾何造型的大膽取向，深深挑戰設計、結構和結構界限。Hadid曾說過：「明明有360度角，怎麼只緊貼一角？」早期作品，如她的1983年香港The Peak Leisure Club參賽報告書便以幾何形狀、不平邊緣和尖銳線條作特點，這也是她跟俄羅斯抽象藝術家Kazimir Malevich共有的抽象與分裂技術。
接下來的年月間，這些碎片已進化成有機形態和流動外形。Hadid擅於將混凝土改造成帶反地心吸力的觀感，有如柔體雜技演員的表演動作。2002年奧地利Innsbruck的Bergisel Ski Jump帶連綿俐落曲線，是滑雪山岥地形伸展至高山天際的延續，而2003年的美國辛辛那提市Lois & Richard Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art則把混凝土視為「城市地墊」，可成牆身、坡道、走廊和人造公園空間。混凝土的雕塑潛能在2005年德國Wolfsburg的Phaeno Science Centre中源源展現，並挑戰限制的能耐，更被形容成「一個富冒險精神的建築遊樂場」。
2004年是Hadid事業的重大轉折點——成為首位榮獲普利茲克建築獎的女性。2010年，她憑著羅馬二十一世紀藝術博物館，獲頒英國皇家建築師協會RIBA的史特靈獎。隨後一年，她的倫敦Evelyn Grace Academy再獲另一史特靈獎殊榮。
本年初，Hadid榮獲英國皇家建築金質勳章，擠身過往得獎者如Frank Gehry和Frank Lloyd Wright的行列。Peter Cook曾這樣形容Hadid的風格：「要是Paul
A more recent controversy surrounded Hadid’s proposal for the New National Stadium in Tokyo, which was intended to be the showpiece for the 2020 Olympics. It sparked a great deal of public scorn and was criticised for being incongruous with the surroundings, before eventually being scrapped in favour of Kengo Kuma’s design.
Hadid saw her designs as having a social imperative. Speaking about the City of Dreams Hotel Tower in Macau (2014), Hadid said, "It is so important to include these inspirational public spaces within all of our projects. They help unite people – and tie the urban fabric of the city together."
On March 31, 2016, Hadid died suddenly after suffering a heart attack while being treated for bronchitis. Ranked among one of the most prominent female architects of our time, her illustrious career spanned more than 30 years, with 950 projects in 44 countries. An aptly named 2013 BBC documentary by Alan Yentob, Zaha Hadid: Who Dares Wins, comes to mind. Venturing where few would ever dream of going, certainly Zaha Hadid dared – and ultimately, she won. // Klee走在單線上，Zaha就從那道線勾勒出多個表面，再在其上翩翩起舞，然後熟練地將之摺合，投擲出一處空間旅程。」
Hadid在多年事業生涯中屢獲殊榮，但也面對輿論爭議。她憑1994年威爾斯Cardiff Bay Opera House設計於國際比賽上勝出，但立場相對的政客卻逼令政府拒絕提供基金。Hadid指，反對無不因她的種族和性別。她表示「在建築界當阿拉伯女性不容易」，但「人們已愈見習慣面對女性的存在了」。Cardiff Bay Opera House的設計最後應用於2010年廣州歌劇院。
近期有關Hadid提議報告的爭議就是東京新國立競技場，原為2020年奧運展示品。公眾認為建築外形跟四圍環境毫不協調，最後選擇了隈研吾的設計。
Hadid把自己的設計視作社交必需。談到2014年澳門City of Dreams Hotel Tower時，Hadid表示：「項目中定要把這些滿有啟發性的公用空間包括在內。它們能把人們團結起來，並將城市緊密連繫。」
2016年3月31日，Hadid在治療支氣管炎期間突然因心臟病發過身。作為最舉足輕重的當代女建築師之一，她的工作生涯橫跨30多年，950個項目遍佈44個國家。2013年Alan Yentob的BBC紀錄片Zaha Hadid: Who Dares Wins的確貼題到位。Zaha Hadid走進無人想過的國度，並大膽創新，最後更打了一場漂亮的勝仗。//