“It’s a matter of giving life to a space which, in a whole variety of ways, offers people pleasure, fun, comfort and well-being... The basic problem is really that of adding something to our lives”. This is the ultimate aim of architecture, according to Zaha Hadid, who from today can boast yet another award to her name. Hadid is the 26th winner of the Pritzker Prize, the most prestigious (and biggest) in architecture and not only that but also the first woman to receive such an honour. Since 1979 when the award was given for the first time to Philip Johnson, it has only ever been given to male architects. Born in Baghdad in 1950, Hadid has been living in London since 1972 where she studied at the AA and where in 1987 she set up her practice. Amongst her most recent projects is the Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Arts in Cincinnati. She is currently working on a new centre for BMW in Leipzig, the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Rome and is amongst the five finalists for the 2012 Olympic village in New York. The awards ceremony is to take place on 31 May in the Russian city of St Petersburg. E.S.

https://www.pritzkerprize.com
https://www.zahahadid.com