A Systematic Analysis of Formative Design Ideas of Zaha Hadid

The iconic architecture has an imperative role in making image of modern urban communities. Looking through Zaha Mohammad Hadid’s architectural works, one can see a large variety of iconic buildings regarding their architectural forms and notions to the degree that some doubt shrouds the possibility of specifying the outstanding aspects of her iconic buildings, how Zaha Hadid could produce such iconic architecture, and how her buildings are influential in the field of architecture. Hadid is one of this era’s well-known architects who have contributed to conceive the architectural form and space from a new, innovative, and futuristic perspective. The iconicity embodied by Hadid’s projects is rooted in contradiction. The paradox between ideas in the formative stages serves to integrate the processes of conceiving and implementing innovative and rational architecture. Despite her great influence in the new generation of architects and architectural students around the world, there is a lack of systematic research on her architectural approaches. In this sense, this study attempts to understand design approaches of Zaha Hadid by analyzing her most well-known projects. The selected individual cases passed through different analytical criterion which are basically design idea generated, form patterns created and the design techniques used, so as to enforcing the iconicity of her works. Through a literature survey, Zaha Hadid’s design techniques and form patterns are thoroughly searched in order to provide a theoretical and conceptual framework to the study as well as a base to the analysis of the selected cases. Then formative design ideas are discussed and documented by means of specially developed analytical diagrams. Under this scope, it is can be stated that Hadid often works within the framework of personally-developed design techniques and creates certain form patterns communicating her formative design ideas. The architectural forms which are generally abstract, fragmented, fluent, layered, interacted with landscape, defying gravity or enchanting with the play of light and masses are the indications of a new way of design thinking and production in the field of Architecture. In fact, this is the architecture that expresses the understanding of Zaha Hadid that never ignores and excludes the changing views, realms and circumstances of the contemporary world. Keywords: Zaha Hadid, Architectural Design, Form Patterns, Design Techniques, Formative Design Ideas.