It was always with awe that I looked upon the designs Zaha Hadid completed for such projects as the London Aquatics Centre & the like. It was with great shock in the architectural world that she suddenly passed away in March of this year aged only 65.

Most of her work was for public buildings and remarkably there was only a single house that was designed and constructed within her lifetime – the Capital Hill Residence is a villa in Barvikha Forest close to Moscow. And thanks to Dezeen magazine I found this Youtube movie showing Sir Norman Foster comparing the CGI visuals to what was constructed (below):

It got me to thinking whether it would be possible for an Irish County Council; as the Rural Design Guide from Mayo County Council states:

THIS DOES NOT PRECLUDE HIGH QUALITY CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN THAT IS SENSITIVELY SITED, SCALED AND DETAILED.

But would this be a step too far? We’re in the process of trying to get a ‘normal’ house through planning in Mayo at the moment in a very similar forested location. The ridge doesn’t even protrude above the treeline but the Council is still looking for it to be lowered!

Russian Oligarchs wishing to test the system & looking for an architect, please CONTACT

ps As someone that uses CAD 3D models throughout the design an construction process; it’s incredible to see what was promised and what was actually delivered – bravo Zaha – RIP