Zaha Hadid receives the Royal Gold Medal 2016, which is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The award has been presented since 1848 to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to architecture. Hadid is the first female award winner
The jury based its decision on the fact that Zaha Hadid has made a significant contribution to architectural theory and practice throughout her entire career, without following trends and fashions.
Peter Cook, jury member, characterized her work and her person as follows: “If Paul Klee takes a line for a walk, then Zaha does the same with surfaces and takes them on a journey through space. (…) In our British culture of modesty, neither her work nor she herself is modest. But her vociferous criticism of bad work and stupidity is surely a sign of the seriousness with which she views the whole industry. (…) This self-assurance is easily accepted by filmmakers and soccer managers, but makes many architects uncomfortable, perhaps because they are secretly jealous of Zaha’s undeniable talent. We could have awarded the medal to a worthy, smooth personality. But we didn’t, we chose Zaha: larger than life, bold as Oscar, and certainly on a mission. Our heroine. How lucky we are to have her in London.”
Call for architects to raise the standard
Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad in 1950 and first studied mathematics in Beirut and later architecture under Elia Zenghelis and Rem Koolhaas in London. She then worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam, where she became a partner shortly afterwards. In 1979, she founded Zaha Hadid Architects in London. She is a frequent lecturer at Harvard and Yale University and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
Among the numerous awards Zaha Hadid has received in her career are the Pritzker Prize and the Stirling Prize. UNESCO honored her as an “Artist for Peace”, the Queen ennobled her in 2012 and Forbes Magazine named Hadid one of the “World’s Most Powerful Women”.
Zaha Hadid on her honor: “I am very proud to receive the Royal Gold Medal and especially to be the first woman to receive this honor personally, and not as part of a collective. I would like to thank Peter Cook, Louisa Hutton and David Chipperfield for nominating me and Jane Duncan and the Honors Committee for their support. Nowadays, more and more female architects are establishing themselves in the industry. That doesn’t mean it’s getting easier. Sometimes the challenges are immense. There has been a huge change in recent years and this process will continue. This award is an honor for me and my office, but equally for all our clients. It is always exciting to work with people who have great civic pride and vision. Part of an architect’s job is to make people feel good about where they live, go to school or work – so we are committed to constantly raising the standard. Homes, schools and other important public buildings have always been based on the concept of minimal existence – this should no longer be the case today. Architects today have the ability and the tools to tackle these critical issues.”
In the past, architectural greats such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, David Chipperfield and Peter Zumthor have been awarded the Royal Gold Medal. The medal will be officially awarded in spring 2016.