The Complete Zaha Hadid

by Aaron Betsky (Introduction)

This expanded and up-to-date volume showcases Zaha Hadid’s remarkable and inspiring work over the course of her career Zaha Hadid (1950- 2016) was one of the most innovative and celebrated architects of our time. This comprehensive survey of over two hundred projects―from her earliest experimentations to product design, from speculative follies to large- scale built works―is a testament to the depth, range, and inventiveness of her vision. This compact and comprehensive edition has been thoroughly expanded and brought up to date with the latest completed buildings and Hadid’s final projects. Prepared in collaboration with the architect’s office, the book contains a dazzling array of imagery, including large- scale paintings, sculpture- like models, multi-perspective drawings, and dynamic computer renderings. Organized chronologically over Hadid’s career, this volume reveals her earliest inspirations and also includes the last projects she worked on, such as the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the Dominion Office Building in Moscow, and the Port House in Antwerp. Critic and museum director Aaron Betsky’s introduction examines Hadid’s entire career, both in the context of architectural history and as a manifestation of the current and future state of architecture. 700+ color illustrations

Genres: Architecture

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Aaron Betsky is an American critic on art, architecture and design. He was the director of Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design until early 2022.
Trained as an architect and in the humanities at Yale University, he is the author of over a dozen books, including Architecture Matters, Making It Modern, Landscrapers: Building With the Land, Scanning: The Aberrant Architectures of Diller + Scofidio, Queer Space, Revelatory Landscapes, and Architecture Must Burn. Internationally known as a lecturer, curator, reviewer and commentator, he writes the blog "Beyond Buildings" for Architect Magazine. Director of the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale, he has also been president and Dean of the School of Architecture at Taliesin (originally the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture), director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute (2001-2006) the Cincinnati Art Museum (2006-2014), and was founding Curator of Architecture, Design and Digital Projects at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1995-2001). As an unlicensed architect, he worked for Frank O. Gehry and Associates and Hodgetts + Fung. In 2003, he co-curated "Scanning: The Aberrant Architectures of Diller + Scofidio" at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zaha Hadid was a true visionary in the field of architecture and I was saddened by her death in 2016. This book does a beautiful job of commemorating her life’s work, from her thesis project to career retrospectives. While she was primarily known for her structural design work, she also applied her sweeping, modern aesthetic to fashion and home decor products. Hadid’s projects provide us with a blueprint for a future that is both inspired by and supportive of the environment.

[Allegra Giuliani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would call this book an excellent read for anyone desiring a deep dive into perhaps the most important female architect of all time. Words and photos take equal importance (if not equal space) here, as Hadid's work calls for engaging both the eyes and the mind. This book is no biography and doesn't try too hard to contextualize her projects in the history of architecture as a whole, but it will absolutely give you new insights into the wide range of forms Hadid took on over the course of her career. This book might rest on your coffee table, but where it comes alive is in your hands!