Amazed!

I just realized the other day when I was going to class that Zaha Hadid's name was one of the call button in the same building as the Pantheon Institute!  I couldn't believe that she might be in the same building I was.


Zaha Hadid is one of the most famous current day architects.  She is originally from Baghdad, Iraq and now works out of London, England.  In 2004, she was the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize.  In 2008, she was ranked 69th in Forbe's list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women.  Most recently, in 2010, she was awarded the Stirling Prize for the MAXXI (National Museum of the 21st Century Arts) in Rome.  I learned about her this past year in my Gender in Architecture class taught by Professor Van Slyck.  One of my fellow classmates wrote her research paper about Zaha Hadid and her appearance in the media.  If you have never heard of Hadid, I definitely suggest looking her up as well as her architecture.  Her contemporary structures are breathtaking! 

MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Art 

Hopefully I will be able to see Hadid's MAXXI building in Rome as a new architectural structure in the city.  It is rare for there to be new construction in the city because space is limited and buildings are rarely demolished.  It would be great to see how a modern building is integrated among historical structures.