What will the cities of the future look like? How important will factors such as resilience, flexibility, sensitivity, and above all the ability to connect and communicate with others become? What does respect for tradition and the uniqueness of each place mean within an architectural framework? Does politics have, and will it continue to have, a place in architectural creation? Economic Review spoke with Zaha Hadid Architects Director Paola Cattarin about how architectural design is increasingly being called upon to respond to real life by creating spaces where shared experiences can unfold.
Interview by Antonis D. Papagiannidis and Konstantinos Tsalakos
(Published in Economic Review - December 2025)
You work for one of the world’s most important and forward-looking architectural firms. How do you imagine the cities of the future?
At Zaha Hadid Architects, we see future cities as fluid, adaptive and interconnected ecosystems—places where architecture, nature and technology blend seamlessly. The cities of tomorrow will be networked organisms, capable of learning and evolving alongside their inhabitants. Our design vision embraces mobility, flexibility and resilience, integrating sustainable materials, smart systems and spatial intelligence to create environments that are both responsive and inspiring. For example, the Shenzhen Bay Smart City Masterplan demonstrates how data, climate intelligence and human behavior can be merged to create responsive urban systems.
Zaha Hadid Architects has always emphasized innovation while respecting local culture, history and distinctive characteristics. What is required for cities to transform while honoring the past?
Transformation and heritage are not opposing forces; they are two sides of the same narrative. When we design in historic contexts, we do not seek to imitate the past but to engage in dialogue with it. We study a place’s cultural DNA—its materials, geometries and rituals—and translate these qualities into a contemporary architectural language. Respecting history means allowing it to evolve naturally through new interpretations. It does not mean freezing it in time.
Our approach to urban transformation is based on dialogue rather than disruption. When working in culturally rich environments, we reinterpret heritage through a contemporary lens. For example, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh references traditional Middle Eastern courtyard typologies while employing advanced geometries and sustainable strategies. To honor the past, we allow it to breathe within the present and project itself into the future.
What is the role of technology in architectural design today? There is extensive discussion about artificial intelligence. How has technology supported architects’ creative vision? And what does the concept of parametricism, which you advocate, signify?
Technology plays a pivotal role in the way we think, design and build. Artificial intelligence, advanced simulation and parametric design tools enable us to explore spatial complexity and performance in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago. Parametricism, a concept developed by Patrick Schumacher, is not a style but a methodology—a way of designing that organizes complex systems through algorithms and relationships rather than fixed forms. It allows buildings to respond dynamically to their environment, climate and patterns of use.
The list of examples could be endless. It includes the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku and Beijing Daxing International Airport, where structure, circulation and enclosure are integrated into a single coherent system—fluid, efficient and human-centered.
During your career at Zaha Hadid Architects, what has been the most challenging project you have worked on and why?
Every project presents its own unique challenge—often involving the exploration of the limits of engineering, materials or digital fabrication. For me, Hangzhou Seamless City was among our most demanding projects because of its enormous scale and complexity. It required perfect synergy between design intent, urban vision and technological precision. At the moment, I am directing several new projects. The most challenging one is always the next one.
If new styles emerge not because it is time for a new fashion but because society changes and develops a different dynamic, what are today’s dynamics and how do they affect architectural design compared with the past? We are no longer on the mass-production assembly line of the Fordist era, but in a post-Fordist period characterized by different networks, scales and dimensions...
Architecture reflects the social and technological realities of its time. We have moved beyond the Fordist model of repetition and uniformity. We now operate in a post-Fordist world of customization, fluidity and interconnectivity. Architecture responds to networks rather than hierarchies, to diversity rather than standardization. Our work reflects this evolution: spaces are adaptive rather than static—designed for continuous transformation rather than permanence.
Projects such as the Generali Tower in Milan and One Thousand Museum in Miami embody architectural fluidity, where every element responds to unique contextual and structural parameters. We design for a society that values diversity, adaptability and connectivity, where architecture must respond to complexity rather than seek to control it.
Can you tell us more about the metaverse and the opportunities architects at Zaha Hadid Architects see in it? Whose job is it to design the metaverse—the architects’ or the video game designers’? More broadly, what are the prospects of digital space for architects?
The metaverse offers architects a new spatial frontier—an opportunity to create original ideas without being constrained by physical limitations. We have developed the ZHA Metaverse Gallery, where we experiment with fluid geometries, social spaces and new economies of interaction.
Designing the metaverse is inherently interdisciplinary. Architects define spatial logic, coherence and cultural meaning, while digital artists and developers bring depth and interactivity. The architect’s role is to ensure that digital spaces remain human-centered, meaningful and connected to real-world values such as accessibility, beauty and social purpose.
One of Zaha Hadid’s greatest achievements was her radical transformation of the concept of design. Hadid and her office constantly experimented with geometry and scale, resisting 90-degree angles—deliberately so, because, as Hadid herself said, she wanted architecture to reflect life itself. Could you explain this approach further?
Zaha’s rejection of rigid geometry was never merely aesthetic; it was philosophical and democratic. She viewed architecture as a continuum of movement, reflecting the dynamism of life itself. Our geometries flow because human experience is not linear. Cities are not grids of repetition but fields of interaction. Curvature allows us to express continuity, energy and connection—an architecture that feels alive and inclusive.
Zaha’s work organized space in three dimensions. Public space within each project extended literally everywhere. She developed and refined her designs to democratize every building, creating generous extensions of articulated urban space that invited visitors to explore deeply within each project. Her architectural methodology embodied an enlightened philosophical framework, creating open forms and spaces that engaged local cultures through attraction rather than imposition.
The MAXXI Museum in Rome and the London Aquatics Centre exemplify this logic: flowing geometries that guide movement and perspective, spaces that invite discovery rather than dictate behavior. For Zaha, curvature was not an aesthetic revolution but an expression of vitality. Life unfolds through ascents, descents and transitions—not through rigid divisions. Our architecture seeks to translate this living continuity into built form.
What was it like working with Zaha Hadid? Can you describe the experience? And how difficult was it to continue after her death?
Working with Zaha was an extraordinary experience and a unique privilege—it demanded rigor as much as imagination. Her passion for experimentation matched her intuitive understanding of space and form. Continuing after her passing was emotionally difficult, but her methodology and vision remain deeply embedded in our firm’s DNA.
Today, ZHA is not concerned with imitation but with evolution—continuing Zaha Hadid’s pursuit of innovation, pushing boundaries and keeping the spirit of inquiry alive.
There are two statements by Zaha Hadid that have always impressed me. She said that “we work to create environments” and “to create an entirely new kind of urban space for the city.” Is this approach a way of combining aesthetic impact and practical use—a way of creating an immersive experience for people?
Zaha believed that architecture should create environments that engage people, not simply buildings. For us, aesthetics and functionality are inseparable—form emerges from use, flow and human experience. Urban spaces are where design meets society. They are immersive, participatory environments that invite people to connect, move and belong.
In this sense, architecture becomes an act of creating shared experience. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, for example, is both a sculpture and a social condenser for Seoul’s creative, cultural and design communities. Its flowing interiors encourage gathering, performance and movement. These projects embody Hadid’s vision of architecture as a medium that connects people with one another, fostering a sense of belonging and providing a stage upon which urban life can unfold.
This architectural philosophy is clearly popular with communities around the world. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza welcomes nearly 20 million visitors every year to its program of cultural events and exhibitions.
Do politics and global events influence your design work, directly or indirectly?
Architecture is deeply intertwined with global dynamics—social, political and environmental. Our practice constantly responds to these realities by designing net-zero carbon campuses, climate-adaptive waterfront districts and inclusive public spaces.
For example, the Bee’ah Headquarters in Sharjah was designed to minimize the impact of the harsh desert climate and is powered entirely by renewable energy, symbolizing a commitment to environmental responsibility.
In a world defined by uncertainty, our role is to transform global challenges into architectural opportunities for resilience, meaning and beauty.