No compendium on walls can be deemed complete without acknowledging Zaha Hadid and her transformative influence on architecture and interior design. Her revolutionary approach, marked by fluid forms and audacious geometries, dismantled conventional design constraints. By harnessing cutting-edge technology and computational design, Hadid brought forth structural and spatial possibilities previously confined to imagination. Her integration of dynamic forms with avant-garde materials pushed the boundaries of architectural expression and invigorated a new generation of architects and designers to explore and expand the frontiers of their discipline. Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) continue to redefine the essence of design, seamlessly merging form, function, and sophisticated computational techniques; breaking walls and redefining boundaries. Bidisha Sinha, Associate Director- ZHA, shares some of the defining works of the practice.

The design of space is a social contract that has guided us since humans first felt the need to create individual or communal fortifications. These spaces are realised through physical elements often categorised within basic Euclidean definitions—floors, walls, and ceilings—terms intrinsically linked to any transformative space within the built environment. At a primal level, they provide support, shelter, and security. Of these, walls hold the unique responsibility of defining how a space is perceived and occupied, either through their dominating presence or conspicuous absence.

When ZHA was invited to contribute a piece on one of these elements—’Walls’—I pondered how to articulate the essence of an architectural element so personal to everyone who inhabits an environment. A wall is a manifestation of boundaries within our lived spaces, symbolising both separation and connection. It delineates distinct realms within a unified whole, embodying the paradox of creating unity through division. This reflection led me to return to our work at Zaha Hadid Architects, examining how walls have played a crucial role in defining the intentions and character of our projects at different scales.

The dynamic interplay of light and shadow, lack of colour and right angles provide visitors with an unusual spatial experience.

why play with only 90 degrees?

The Vitra Fire Station is the very first building complex designed by Zaha Hadid. Photo by Christian Richters

Bold and unapologetic, Zaha Hadid paved the way for us to question everything taken for granted, including the expression and role of ‘The Wall’ in defining a space. Her perspective-defying drawings were not mere abstractions but envisioned realities where the rigidity of a basic Euclidean grid dissolved and boundaries between inside and outside blurred. Through determination and meticulous attention to detail, we have had the opportunity to transcend these representations into tangible spaces, reshaping the built world and redefining architectural norms. Complemented by our research in computational design through advanced software we continue to conceive and shape spaces as we adapt to the socio-topographical shift in design paradigms. The following selection captures the value-led design conception which underlies all our projects.

Bold and unapologetic, Zaha Hadid paved the way for us to question everything taken for granted, including the expression and role of ‘The Wall’ in defining a space

Penetrable Boundary

The boundary wall, or more precisely, the element of fortification, is the first to greet us before we step into most buildings. Often looming with an ominous air, it exudes an aura of impenetrability, casting a formidable presence that commands respect and caution. For the Evelyn Grace Academy, we questioned this approach to demarcating a boundary.

This school was a unique endeavour by the government for a community in South London, long beset by severe socio[1]economic challenges and bereft of local access to senior secondary education. As a newly founded establishment, it bore a responsibility that transcended the realm of education; it had to become a beacon of regeneration. This institution promised not only to enrich the educational tapestry of this vibrant and historic quarter of London but also to enhance the built environment of a predominantly residential area. As an educator, Zaha believed that anyone could be taught if they wanted to learn, and in the formative years of a student, the school was their first foray into the world outside of their familiar home setting. The fact that students coming to this school had already seen far more hardships than they deserved at a young age meant it was on us to create that sense of security for the duration they spent in the school.

Our vision was to present the Academy as an open, transparent, and welcoming addition to the community’s urban regeneration. The strategic location of the site, nestled between two primary residential arteries, naturally called for a coherent and harmonious built form that would assume a strong urban character and identity, easily discernible to both local and neighbouring zones. This presented an opportunity to create a perimeter that, while physically secure from intruders, remained visually open and inviting. The formal landscaping was designed to extend beyond the site’s boundaries, and both frontages were crafted as main elevations, ensuring that the community on all sides, particularly the students, would feel a sense of ownership and belonging.

The Evelyn Grace Academy's façade integrates security with transparency, blending seamlessly into its urban context while inviting the community into a space of educational and spatial regeneration. Photo by Luke Hayes.

View Within

The façade stands as the second line of fortification, defining the building’s identity and offering the world a glimpse into its inner workings. At Zaha Hadid Architects, regardless of scale, it is paramount that each façade enhances the character of the built environment and expands the boundaries of possibility.

The design of the Mews house in London sprung from a desire to replace a building of modest architectural merit, with a new, high-quality contemporary structure. This new edifice aimed not only to elevate the area’s character but also to provide significantly improved and more sustainable residential accommodation.

Extending the tectonic principles that Zaha had pre-empted through her early paintings, this façade explored fabrication supported by advanced software, paying homage to the context by using the conservation area’s predominantly brick-fronted character. Departing from the traditional elevation of solid brick walls punctuated by selective fenestration, the proposal embraced contemporary aesthetics where the wall transforms into a free-standing visual screen. It is peeled back just enough to give a glimpse into a completely different world of sculptural objects forming the family residence. This effect is achieved by meticulously laying each brick course in a specific pattern, creating a dynamic interplay of open and closed spaces. The wall is self-supported with embedded reinforcement and laterally restrained to the glazing plane only at critical points. Constructed by a robotic arm that plotted the design in 3D, this façade stands as a testament to the ongoing research within our practice, committed to shaping the heritage of tomorrow.

The facade reveals a dynamic interplay of open and closed spaces through a carefully patterned brick course. This self-supported wall, anchored to the glazing plane at critical points, exemplifies our commitment to pioneering future architectural heritage. Photo by Luke Hayes

The sculptural interplay of open and closed spaces; as the façade unpeels to unveil a dynamic and contemporary residential environment, blending advanced technology with the traditional brick. Photo by Luke Hayes

Walls that Shape and Segment

The significance of walls as active participants in defining internal spaces cannot be overstated. As tools for delineating functions and creating distinct areas, they offer endless possibilities beyond the mere creation of barriers. The Winton - Mathematics Gallery exemplifies this concept. Designed as a permanent exhibition space to celebrate one of the STEM disciplines, it showcases over 100 treasures from the Museum’s extensive collection. Carefully curated, these exhibits narrate compelling stories of how mathematics has shaped and been shaped by, some of humanity’s most fundamental concerns—trade and travel, war and peace, life and death, form and beauty. Zaha Hadid herself studied maths at Beirut University before pursuing architecture. For a lot of us embedded in the ZHA computational research group led by Patrik Schumacher a profound understanding of how deeply intertwined our lives are with mathematics, is an innate instinct. Therefore, architecture became one of the stories being told within the gallery and also became the tool to tell the stories. To embody this concept, our design responded to the brief’s key concerns: increasing visitor retention time and creating cul-de-sacs within the expansive space to facilitate diverse storylines. This was achieved through the suspension of a pod, its geometry defined by the study of air displacement around one of the key exhibits—the Hanley Page aircraft. This floating wall allowed for stories requiring greater intimacy to be nestled within the pod’s folds, while still maintaining a connection to the overarching narrative. The result is a space where mathematics is not only displayed but also experienced through the very fabric of its architectural design.

Playful Dividers

The concept of retail stores has evolved over the decades, becoming increasingly immersive and experiential. Yet, the ‘Display Wall’ remains a constant presence within physical stores. These walls are not merely shelves for stacking items; they actively participate in telling the story of the brand and its products.

Our design for the Neil Barrett flagship store in Tokyo draws inspiration from the minimalistic precision of the brand’s fashion design, mirroring its use of fixed points, folding, pleating, and cutouts. Instead of defining a single room or space, the design creates a circular passage, allowing customers to experience the space in varied and interpretive ways. Through two formal elements, the design seamlessly shifts between architecture and sculpture. A compact mass of surface layers unravels and folds to form shelving displays and seating. These emergent folds serve as display areas for the brand’s accessory collection, merging functionality with aesthetic intrigue.

The fluid and dynamic walls of the Neil Barrett store evoke a sense of continuous ebb and flow. Their organic forms not only enhance the spatial experience but also seamlessly integrate display and seating functions into the architectural design.

In contrast to the display within a retail space, the design for the Il Makiage pavilion functions as an autonomous shop-in-shop entity. It reinterprets the distinctive motif that adorns the corners of all Il Makiage packaging. A sequence of folded black and white structural ribbons generates a striking rhythm of contrasts along the pavilion’s length. Each ribbon is subtly rotated, creating a slightly different relationship with its neighbours. These ribbons feature integrated lighting, meticulously calibrated to reveal the true colour of makeup on one’s skin.

A visual representation of the display wall intended for the Neil Barrett store. Render Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects.

The dynamism of these rotating elements captivates perception and invites exploration, crafting a uniquely personal space. Each visitor, as they traverse the pavilion, claims ownership of their path of discovery and investigation.

The IL Makiage pavilion features a series of folded black and white ribbons that dynamically rotate, creating a rhythm of contrasts and unique interactions.

The cascading and layered walls of the Neil Barrett flagship store create a sculptural play of surface textures and depths. These dynamic folds provide functional display areas while echoing the minimalistic elegance of the brand’s fashion.

Striped Walls at the Il Makiage Pavilion. Photo by Paul Warchol

An undulating structure inspired by the graceful curves of the arum lily creates an immersive environment that blurs the line between design, sculpture, and nature, inviting deep reflection and exploration. Photo by Nico Saieh

Private Sanctuary

Sometimes we must draw a line around ourselves, crafting a private sanctuary within the broader social milieu—a personal wall. This often arises from the need to experience and process information without the intrusion of public interaction.

Designed as part of our ongoing research agenda, the following two structures are presented to explore and expand the conversation about the potential forms a personal space might assume.

Named after the Greek word for flora that lacks differentiation between stem and leaf, Thallus is an experimental structure that delves into the exploration of form and pattern through advanced manufacturing and computational methods. Utilising six-axis robotic 3D printing technology, a 7-kilometre extruded structural strip was crafted as a continuous line that loops repeatedly, intertwining with itself on a ruled surface. Ruled surfaces, a class of geometries generated by the motion of a straight line in space around an axis, were integral to the fabrication process of this piece. This innovative approach not only showcases the potential of cutting-edge technology but also redefines the boundaries of architectural and structural design.

The Arum, in stark visual contrast, presents as a more monolithic and introspective structure. Debuting at the Venice Biennale Exhibition in 2012, it comprises 488 interlocking, polished aluminium panels, each meticulously folded by robots to achieve a stable form. This structure exemplifies how the richness, organic coherence, and fluidity of desired forms and spaces can rationally emerge from an intricate balance of forces. Through Arum, Zaha Hadid Architects pay homage to the historical lineages of collective research that has led to the major works of today’s contemporary architecture.

In Summary

My reflections allow me to summarise that there is no singular definition for the concept of a wall. It serves as a versatile tool, both dividing and uniting spaces to support the natural flow of functions and creating environments where individuals can thrive. As architects and designers, it is our duty to continually redefine what this element of design can become. As an agent of spatial definition, the wall choreographs the flow between privacy and community, solitude and interaction. It is both a literal and metaphorical structure that shapes our experiences, guiding the flow of movement and the allocation of functions while reflecting the evolving dynamics of human relationships and social constructs.