Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan. Photo from Hofton + Crow.

And on the 8^th day, Zaha injected life into buildings.

They couldn’t fade dully in the background anymore.

She didn’t fade dully in this world either.

She was surely a starchitect, but truly an icon who inspired millions of architects, engineers and dreamers across the world.

And icons don’t fade.

Zaha Hadid was born in Bagdad, studied maths in Beirut before rising to become a groundbreaking architect in London. Photo Copyright: ©designboom

One of Zaha Hadid’s last public interviews was published by the brilliant Oxford Union on YouTube on the 13^th March 2016, just two weeks before she passed away from a heart attack on the 31^st March. The world’s most famous architect, praised as the Queen of the Curve, was hospitalized a few days before that to treat a Bronchitis.

In that video, she seemed to have a cold. She could also come across as cold in the first few minutes, before her charm and contagious smile, wit and humour warmed up a star-struck student audience.

Her tips for success? “There’s no magic. You have to work hard.”

Watch below this revealing conversation with the Bagdad born icon which gives a valuable portrait on her philosophy, her architecture and her personality.

An interview in which she admitted:

“I don’t switch off…unfortunately. That doesn’t mean I don’t have fun.”