Previously, JobsNHire reported that renowned Zaha Hadid died of a heart attack. She was 65 years old. Her death has reverberated through the far reaches of the architecture world. Many have mourned the loss while most tried to remember her influence in the female sphere. The World Architects have once noted that architecture is a male-dominated field. Which was why many saw Zaha Hadid as a beacon towards change against sexism.
Eva Jiricna, a former president of the Architectural Association in London and a close friend of Ms. Hadid's, said, "I don't think any man could actually compete with her. If we can eliminate the practice of talking about female architects, it would be the greatest tribute we could give her," quotes The Guardian.
"As a female architect, I am in shock and distressed that another brilliant creative mind has passed away, especially a woman on par with the best male architects in the world," says Gisela Schmidt, an architect in Atlanta.
These women and more have spoken out, according to NYTimes, about how the industry still has sexism in the workplace. Jiricna described that even after advances for women in recent years, it remained more difficult for a woman than for a man to get a job in architecture and to be paid the same. "A client of ours said to me he didn't want any of my female colleagues to work on his project," Ms. Jiricna said.
What does this have to do with Zaha Hadid? For these women and many more, Zaha Hadid was the beacon of hope. These women are saying that if Zaha Hadid could go anywhere in the world and become a great architect and design for the Olympics and everywhere else, they could too. Hadid broke new ground by being the first woman to achieve such heights. "She's a woman architect who never wanted to be called a woman architect - she was just an architect and one of the best ones," said Amale Andraos, the dean of Columbia University's architecture school.
Her outstanding designs contributions to the architectural world will always be remembered, but for women, she will always be remembered as that beacon.
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