Zaha Hadid, renowned architect, dies at 65

Internationally recognized architect Zaha Hadid, whose work made an indelible impression on the world of architecture, has died at 65 from a sudden heart attack after contracting bronchitis.

Hadid, born in Baghdad, began her architectural career in 1972 at the Architectural Association in London and had established her own architecture practice by 1979, according to The New York Times.

Her career took her to some of the highest profile and largest international architectural projects including the London Olympics Aquatics Center, the Guangzhou Opera House and the currently under construction 2022 World Cup stadium in Qatar, NPR reported.

“I think that people want to feel good in a space,” Hadid was quoted by NPR. “Architecture on the one hand is about shelter, but it’s also about pleasure, and I think … the more you carve out of city civic spaces and the more it is accessible to a much larger mass and public, then it is about them enjoying that space.”

Hadid also held many positions as a teacher, including appointments at Harvard, Yale, Columbia and the University of Illinois, the Times stated.

In 2004, Hadid became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, according to NPR.

The projects based on her designs for the headquarters of the central bank and parliamentary complex in her native Iraq have not been completed, the Times added.