Rowan Moore writes…
Jun 22nd, 2007Anyone who knows Zaha knows that the most fearful word in her vocabulary is “hello”. Or rather a gravelly, contemptuous, interrogatory “hel-lo-o?” whenever she encounters something particularly absurd. If it were possible to convey the full phonetic and expressive richness of this word in mere digital type “Hel-lo-o?” would be a great name for this blog, combining as it does, in the manner perfected my Marcus Fairs, the style of Hello! magazine with architectural revelation and the persona of ZH.
For those paps and fans wanting to catch her next public appearance I’m delighted to announce that it will be on Saturday night at Tate Modern, where she will be taking part in the Architecture Foundation’s Debate London series, an honour she shares with such diverse stars as Boris Johnson (Friday 22nd June) and Alex James, ex of Blur, (Sunday 24th June).
I write as (I think) Zaha’s first repeat client, having commissioned her to design a temporary pavilion for Blueprint magazine back in 1995, and now working with her on the Architecture Foundation’s new building in Bankside.
And I’d like to pay tribute to Patrick Wilson of Thrislington, makers of among other things the world’s finest toilet cubicles, and a key figure in those distant days when her now hyper-productive office was battling to get anything built.
His moment came when the Blueprint pavilion hung in the balance. The project needed the sponsorship of ten of Blueprint’s advertisers, who gathered round a table to hear Zaha make a passionate but slightly obscure presentation. When she finished there was a pause, a slight shuffling, and the beginnings of the audible trickle of budgets being allocated elsewhere. But Patrick said,in his broad northern accent, “I think it’s bloody marvellous” and started clapping. The others had no choice but to follow, and the trickling stopped. The Pavilion, Zaha’s first structure in Britain, was built.
From Thrislington to Omniyat, it is people like this who help make Zaha’s building happen.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Hello
I have a question!
Have you realy a big fantasie or is this all only show?
I am 14 Years old and from Switzerland, and i like buldnig!
I want be a architekt and a big tower whit a waterfall bulding.
Its that impossible, i have very much idea but sobody listen me !!!!!
What i can do?
When do you now, phone me!
Ismael Moeri 079 35 19 789
July 19th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
it’s amazing how simple and understandable very complicated materias are showed. welldone.