Zaha Hadid’s Projects In Turkey – OpEd
The life story and influence of the world-renowned British architect Zaha Hadid has left an impressive mark felt in different geographies. Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1950 and studied mathematics as a teenager. After completing the mathematics department at the American University of Beirut, she turned to the field of architecture and received a diploma from the London Architectural Association school. In 1977, she had the opportunity to work at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture with the teachers of the school she studied. Continuing her architectural journey, she established her own architectural firm in London in the 1980s and brought her vision to wider audiences. During this time, she transferred her knowledge and experience to the younger generations as a lecturer at the Architectural Association and at prestigious institutions around the world.
Zaha Hadid’s influence went beyond geographical borders and reached important cities in Turkey such as Izmir and Istanbul. It was planned that the EXPO 2020 İzmir project would be put into operation on an area of 205 hectares in İzmir İnciraltı. This project envisaged the transformation of this large area into a large health center and natural park after the EXPO process, in accordance with the EXPO law adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. However, this anticipated plan could not be implemented due to the fact that EXPO 2020 İzmir did not take place.
Zaha Hadid’s influence extended to the Kartal district of Istanbul. The owner of the winning design in a competition held in 2006 for a major transformation project in Kartal, Hadid aimed to completely reshape this seaside town and build a completely different reality. With her computer-aided design approach, she planned to separate Kartal from the general fabric of the main city and make it a part of the firm’s global design network. However, this project could not be implemented as a result of objections and the court process.
Zaha Hadid’s influence in Turkey was not limited to these projects. She participated in the concept design competition for the Air Traffic Control Tower of Istanbul New Airport with a whirling dervish motif, but failed to win the competition.
Zaha Hadid’s vision of realizing a project in Turkey was unfortunately not realized. Although Zaha Hadid is no longer with us, her creative genius and architectural vision will live on through her works and legacy.
