Dive Into Zaha Hadid’s Unfinished Designs

One may be commissioned in a city near you.

Zaha Hadid.
Photo: © Patrick McMullan.

With the sudden death of Pritzker Prize-winning Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, a number of her building designs remain unfinished. The renowned architect passed away at 65 from a heart attack on March 31 in Miami, where she was working on 1000 Museum, an ambitious condo development in the city.

Hadid has no shortage of architectural masterpieces to her name (as evidenced by this New York Times round-up of her most influential designs), but as her final works near completion, her oeuvre stands to become even more memorable.

Zaha Hadid, Al Wakrah Stadium, Qatar, rendering. <br>Photo: Zaha Hadid.

Zaha Hadid, Al Wakrah Stadium, Qatar, rendering.
Photo: Zaha Hadid.

Perhaps Hadid’s most high-profile current design is her controversial Al Wakrah soccer stadium, being built in Qatar despite allegations that migrant workers there have, and continue to be, the victims of human rights violations.

The sports facility, which will host the 2022 World Cup, is just one of her many ongoing projects across the globe. A few of the dozens of in-progress designs from the architectural great are below.

Zaha Hadid, 1000 Museum, rendering. <br>Photo: Zaha Hadid.

Zaha Hadid, 1000 Museum, rendering.
Photo: Zaha Hadid.

1000 Museum, Miami
This massive residential complex, in the works since 2012, will boast 83 “museum-quality residences” that will cost anywhere between $5.7 million and a mind-boggling $49 million. It will reportedly feature South Florida’s first residential roof helipad, and a high-end security vault for resident’s valuables. It is slated to open in late 2018.

Zaha Hadid, Central Bank of Iraq, rendering. <br>Photo: Zaha Hadid.

Zaha Hadid, Central Bank of Iraq, rendering.
Photo: Zaha Hadid.

Iraqi Parliament, Baghdad
In the city where she was born, Hadid was in the midst of work on the Iraqi Parliament. Her selection on the project was a source of controversy, as her design was originally only the third-place selection in a competition held by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Though Hadid’s plans for the building are currently shrouded in secrecy, she is also building the city’s Central Bank of Iraq, pictured above.

Zaha Hadid, 530 West 28th Street, rendering. <br>Photo: Zaha Hadid.

Zaha Hadid, 530 West 28th Street, rendering.
Photo: Zaha Hadid.

520 West 28th Street, New York
Among Hadid’s most recently-announced projects is this Chelsea luxury apartment building, which is her first residential project in New York. The structure will come with a 2,500-square-foot roof deck adjacent to the High Line, that will be outfitted with specially-commissioned artwork curated by High Line Art.

A rendering of the abandoned Zaha Hadid design for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium. Photo: Zaha Hadid.

A rendering of the abandoned Zaha Hadid design for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
Photo: Zaha Hadid.

2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium
One Hadid design the world will never see is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium, plans for which were controversially scrapped last year due to budget constraints. Hadid initially attempted to revise her plans to lower the projected $2 billion cost, before ultimately withdrawing her bid. A replacement design, from Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, has been accused of borrowing element’s from Hadid’s original concept.


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