Zaha designed a bridge to culture in UAE

The iconic dune-shaped Shaikh Zayed bridge in Abu Dhabi

British-Iraqi Architect Zaha Hadid will be long remembered for bringing Abu Dhabi on the world map of the futuristic buildings and unusual structures. She died on Thursday in Miami, at the age of 65 after a heart attack.
The Iraq-born designer was first approached for Al Wahda Sports Centre in the Capital in 1988. However, the project did not materialise.
In the 2000s, she was commissioned to design the iconic Shaikh Zayed Bridge that connects the Capital city with the mainland. The dune-shaped bridge was opened to traffic in 2010.
It was her first masterpiece in Abu Dhabi that gave a global recognition to the UAE. As her work was discussed and followed by art-loving circles globally. She had designed some of the world's inspiring museums, buildings, tourist attractions and structures.
Till then Abu Dhabi was known for few landmark buildings that included the famous Emirates Palace and Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
In 2005, When Abu Dhabi decided to build a culture district on Saadiyat Island and decided to develop The Performing Arts Centre, Shaikh Zayed Museum, Maritime Museum and The UAE Pavilion, Zaha Hadid was the one who was invited to take part in the design competition.
It was her work that attracted leading architects as Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and several others to Abu Dhabi to design the mega museums like Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim that raised the architectural profile of Abu Dhabi.
For the Saadiyat Island cultural district, Zaha Hadid designed The Performing Arts Centre with 6,300-seat capacity. Inspired by the forms within organic structures, The Performing Arts Centre is overflowing with design themes such as leaves, stems, buds, fruits and branches.
Zaha designed the enclosed spaces to maximise the use of natural energy from huge windows that capture natural daylight to the orientation of spaces to enhance acoustics.
The theatre and lobbies all face magnificent sea views to maintain constant visual contact with the surrounding environment.
The Centre, which will bring the world's top names in music, drama and performing arts to Abu Dhabi, will be built in the coming years in the second phase of the cultural district development.
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com