The Vitra Fire Station, Zaha Hadid's first independently realized building, was completed in 1993.
Vitra Fire Station, 1993 (Weil Am Rhein, Germany) —
The Vitra Fire Station, Zaha Hadid's first independently realized building, was completed in 1993.
Christian Richters/RIBA
This cancer care center on the grounds of Victoria Hospital was Hadid's first UK building.
Maggie's Centre at Victoria Hospital, 2006 (Kirkcaldy, Scotland) —
This cancer care center on the grounds of Victoria Hospital was Hadid's first UK building.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Hadid's Riverside Museum took home the European Museum of the Year Award in 2013.
Riverside Museum, 2013 (Glasgow, Scotland) —
Hadid's Riverside Museum took home the European Museum of the Year Award in 2013.
Hufton + Crow
With her fluid design, Hadid hoped to move away from the rigidity that defined Azerbaijan when it was part of the USSR.
Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, 2012 (Baku, Azerbaijan) —
With her fluid design, Hadid hoped to move away from the rigidity that defined Azerbaijan when it was part of the USSR.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
The distinctive curves of the Sheikh Zayed Bridge are meant to recall desert sand dunes.
Sheikh Zayed Bridge, 2010 (Abu Dhabi, UAE) —
The distinctive curves of the Sheikh Zayed Bridge are meant to recall desert sand dunes.
View Pictures/Universal Images Group Editorial/Getty Images
This interactive science center that resembles a space ship was a landmark project for the country.
Phaeno Science Center, 2005 (Wolfsburg, Germany) —
This interactive science center that resembles a space ship was a landmark project for the country.
Werner Huthmacher
A year after completing the BMW Central Building, Hadid won the prestigious Prikzter Prize, making her the first woman to do so.
BMW Central Building, 2004 (Leipzig, Germany) —
A year after completing the BMW Central Building, Hadid won the prestigious Prikzter Prize, making her the first woman to do so.
Bloomberg/Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Sitting atop Mount Kronplatz, the mountain museum was a collaboration between Hadid and Reinhold Messner, the first man to complete the ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.
Messner Mountain Museum Corones, 2015 (South Tyrol, Italy) —
Sitting atop Mount Kronplatz, the mountain museum was a collaboration between Hadid and Reinhold Messner, the first man to complete the ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.
Inexhibit
A hybrid of pedestrian footbridge and exhibition pavilion. Hadid's fluid design mirrored the theme of the Expo that year; water and sustainable development.
Bridge Pavilion, 2008 (Zaragoza, Spain) —
A hybrid of pedestrian footbridge and exhibition pavilion. Hadid's fluid design mirrored the theme of the Expo that year; water and sustainable development.
PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images
Hadid's curvy London Aquatics Centre was the highlight of the 2012 Olympic Park.
The London Aquatics Centre, 2012 (London, England) —
Hadid's curvy London Aquatics Centre was the highlight of the 2012 Olympic Park.
Hufton + Crow, courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Hadid likened her Guangzhou Opera House in China to two rocks washed up from the Pearl River and deposited on its bank.
Guangzhou Opera House, 2010 (Guangzhou, China) —
Hadid likened her Guangzhou Opera House in China to two rocks washed up from the Pearl River and deposited on its bank.
zhang zhenghua/Moment Editorial/Getty Images
The 290,000-square-foot structure became Italy's first national public museum of contemporary art when it opened in 2010.
MAXXI: Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts, 2010 (Rome, Italy) —
The 290,000-square-foot structure became Italy's first national public museum of contemporary art when it opened in 2010.
CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images
The Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, which opened in 2003, was Hadid's first building in America.
Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, 2003 (Cincinnati, Ohio) —
The Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, which opened in 2003, was Hadid's first building in America.
Mike Simons/Getty Images
Along with the ramp itself, the Austrian ski jump includes a cafe and viewing terrace.
Bergisel Ski Jump, 2002 (Innsbruck, Austria) —
Along with the ramp itself, the Austrian ski jump includes a cafe and viewing terrace.
ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images