Five Zaha Hadid-designed projects still to be finished following architect’s death
Iraqi British ‘starchitect’ died in 2016 with an impressive list of daring buildings to her name – and some equally stunning projects in the works. From China to Mexico, these five projects are set to open in the next couple of years
Last month saw the opening of the Zaha Hadid-designed Morpheus hotel in Macau. Sporting 780 ultra-luxurious rooms and a VIP casino, the centre of the 40-storey, futuristic building is shaped like the lucky number eight.
The wonder of the Zaha Hadid-designed Morpheus hotel in Macau
It’s one of many Hadid projects unveiled since the shock death of the Iraqi British architect in 2016 from a heart attack at the age of 65. Others include the Meixi Lake International Culture and Arts Centre in Changsha that opened last year in the Chinese province of Hunan, and an 11-storey New York luxury residential building called 520 West 28th Street that opened in March.
Luckily for fans of Hadid, the first woman to win architecture’s coveted Pritzker Prize, there are more projects to come – 36 of them, in 21 countries, were under construction or in detailed design development when she died.
Here are five slated for opening over the next couple of years.
1. 1000 Museum, Miami, US – opens 2018
Started in 2012, this huge residential complex has 83 residences that will cost between US$5.7 million and US$49 million. Features of the 62-storey structure – Hadid’s first skyscraper in the western hemisphere – include South Florida’s first residential roof helipad as well as a high-end security vault. Once open, it will offer spa treatments and fitness classes, and an organic food and juice bar.
2. Esfera City Centre in Monterrey, Mexico – opens 2018
This high-density residential building – the designer’s first project in Mexico – comprises 981 flats and spans nine storeys at its highest point. The flats range from single-person lofts measuring 485 square feet to 592 sq ft, to four-bedroom flats measuring 1,506 sq ft to 1,776 sq ft.
3. Beijing’s new international airport, China – opens 2019
To cope with growing outbound traffic (journeys are expected to rise again this year after a record 4.5 billion trips were taken by Chinese tourists last year, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), China is building what is billed as the world’s biggest airport. Unofficially called the Beijing International Airport, the site is 67km south of the capital. It will have seven runways, cost US$12 billion and is designed to handle 100 million passengers a year by 2040.
Chinese architect and Zaha Hadid protégé celebrates the beauty of nature in his urban designs
Designed to look like a phoenix spreading its wings, construction was delayed in December last year when more than 200 tombs from the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) were unearthed during construction.
4. King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – opens 2019
This beautifully designed project has all the distinctive trademark curves of a Hadid structure. A key part of the city’s transport network, the station is on the edge of the King Abdullah Financial District, and will function as a major interchange between three of the city’s six new metro lines.
5. One-North Masterplan, Singapore – opens 2021
This plan for a large neighbourhood in the city state – capable of serving a population of 138,000 – is a true reflection of the avant-garde sketches from early on in Hadid’s career. Set to be a 500-acre tech centre, the project is well into its 20-year development cycle, and is set to dramatically change the city’s skyline.
