ZHA Architects
British architecture and design firm
ZHA Architects (formerly Zaha Hadid Architects) is a British architecture and design firm founded by architect Zaha Hadid (1950–2016), with its main office in Clerkenwell, London.
History
After the death of "starchitect" Hadid, Patrik Schumacher became head of the firm, which continued to trade under Hadid's name under a licensing agreement which involved paying a portion of turnover to the Zaha Hadid Foundation. At the time the company had a staff of 400, with 36 projects across 21 countries. The licensing agreement cost the firm £21.4m between 2018 and 2024, and it became embroiled in a court battle to terminate the agreement.
In the early 2020s, the firm designed a virtual city, Liberland Metaverse, based on the Liberland micronation and hosted on the Metaverse platform. The firm had in the 2020s turned to artificial intelligence to help in the design of workplaces; the firm created a dedicated internal unit called ZHAI (Zaha Hadid Analytics + Insights) to address AI utilization, something uncommon among peer firms.
In June 2026, the licensing agreement relating to the firm's continued use of Hadid's name was ended following a court ruling, and the firm rebranded as ZHA (company registered as ZHA Architects Ltd). It employs around 500 staff worldwide.
Awards
2022
World Architecture Awards
Source:
Realised Award Winning Architecture Projects: BEEAH Headquarters (United Arab Emirates)
Designed Award Winning Architecture Projects: International Convention Centre and Theaters (French Polynesia)
Johnson Controls Blueprint of the Future Award
BEEAH Headquarters (United Arab Emirates)
2022
UK Excellence in Design Award
Infinitus Plaza (Guangzhou, China)
Architizer Awards A+ Awards
Jury Winner for Best Large Firm
Jury Winner for Architecture + Concrete: Striatus 3D Printed Bridge (Venice, Italy)
Architectural work
Conceptual projects
Price Tower extension hybrid project (2002), Bartlesville, Oklahoma – pending
Guggenheim-Hermitage Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania, (2008–2012) – not realised
Kartal-Pendik Waterfront Regeneration, Istanbul, Turkey
Szervita Square bubble office building Budapest, Hungary – not realised
Liberland Metaverse
Dorobanti Tower, Bucharest, Romania - not realised
Bishoftu International Airport, Bishoftu, Ethiopia – construction started
Major completed projects
Vitra Fire Station (1994), Weil am Rhein, Germany
Hoenheim-North Terminus & Car Park (2001), Hoenheim, France. Project architect: Stephane Hof
Bergisel Ski Jump (2002), Innsbruck, Austria
Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art (2003), Cincinnati, Ohio, US
BMW Central Building (2005), Leipzig, Germany
Ordrupgaard annexe (2005), Copenhagen, Denmark
Phaeno Science Center (2005), Wolfsburg, Germany
Maggie's Centres at the Victoria Hospital (2006), Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Tondonia Winery Pavilion (2001–2006), Haro, Spain
Eleftheria square redesign (2007), Nicosia, Cyprus
Hungerburgbahn new stations (2007), Innsbruck, Austria
Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion (2006–2008), Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York City, London, Paris, Moscow
Bridge Pavilion (2008), Zaragoza, Spain
J. S. Bach Pavilion, Manchester International Festival (2009), Manchester, UK
CMA CGM Tower (2007–2010), Marseille, France
Pierres Vives (2002–2012), Montpellier, France
MAXXI - National Museum of the 21st Century Arts (1998–2010), Rome, Italy.
The public source identifies “ZHA Architects” as british architecture and design firm. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Architects, British and architecture.
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The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q8064602. VIAF identifies the subject as 132086489. The Library of Congress control number is no2010057562. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1950, 2016, 2018 and 2024.
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