Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, founder of Zaha Hadid Architects, was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work.
Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary exploration and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design.
She was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1950. She studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London in 1972 to attend the Architectural Association School where she was awarded the Diploma Prize in 1977.
She founded Zaha Hadid Architects in 1979 and completed her first building, the Vitra Fire Station, Germany in 1993. Hadid taught at the AA School until 1987 and has since held numerous chairs and guest professorships at universities around the world. She is currently a professor at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and visiting professor of Architectural Design at Yale University.
Since joining Zaha Hadid in 1994, Woody Yao has successfully managed and designed a number of key projects, and has curated major exhibitions including Zaha Hadid Retrospective at, MAK (Vienna), Guggenheim Museum (New York), Design Museum (London). Woody also has considerable experience in interiors and product design. As a senior member, he continues to direct his team from competition to construction.