How the Curtain Rose on One of Zaha Hadid’s Final Acts
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- The Royal Theater of Rabat, designed by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, features a wave-like structure on the Bou Regreg River, with innovative interior elements such as ribbonlike stairways and an auditorium resembling a geode.
- Hadid, known for pioneering fluid, high-tech architectural designs, was personally invited by King Mohammed VI of Morocco in 2010 to create the theater after her Casablanca competition design was rejected.
- The project marked a fresh start tailored to the Rabat river valley site, reflecting Hadid's pursuit of "ultimate movement and fluidity" through digital technology in her later career.
- Hadid's invitation to Morocco contrasted with her earlier professional setbacks in the UK, notably the controversial rejection of her Cardiff Opera House design, which she attributed to resistance and prejudice against her background and style.
