Zaha Hadid Read By Neri Oxman

Rebel Girls

Kids & Family, Education For Kids, Stories For Kids

4.5 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2026

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

[This episode originally aired in May 2021.] Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Zaha Hadid had a groundbreaking career as an architect. She became known as the “Queen of the curve” for her innovative designs and buildings. Zaha was the first woman ever to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and designed the London Aquatics Center for the 2012 Olympics, the Guangzhou Opera House, and many other beautiful and creative buildings. She used her skills in art, architecture, and mathematics to leave her mark on cities around the world. You can listen to more podcast episodes you know and love, PLUS exciting new content on our Rebel Girls app! Just go to go.rebelgirls.com/dream-on to download and listen for free! About the Narrator A multi-disciplinary designer, architect, and professor, Neri Oxman founded The Mediated Matter Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2010 where she established and pioneered the field of Material Ecology. Oxman received her PhD in Design Computation at MIT in 2010. Prior to that, she earned a diploma from the Architectural Association in London. In addition to over 150 scientific publications and inventions, Oxman’s work is included in the permanent collections of leading international museums. In 2018, Oxman was honored with the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and the London Design Innovation Medal. In 2019, Oxman received an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Contemporary Vision Award by SFMOMA. Credits This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and is based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Isaac Kaplan-Woolner. Sound design and mixing by Camille Stennis and Steve Pogatch. This episode was written by Annu Subramanian and proofread by Ariana Rosas. Executive Producer was Katie Sprenger. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A big thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this show possible! For more, visit www.rebelgirls.com. Until next time, stay REBEL!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Once upon a time there was a girl whose dreams were sky-high and whose resolve was solid as steel.
0:10.0	Her name was Zaha.
0:14.0	When Zaha was young, her country was in a boom time.
0:19.0	She lived in the biggest city in Iraq, Baghdad.
0:23.6	In the 1950s, Baghdad was a wash in oil money, so the government commissioned all the biggest names in architecture
0:32.6	to come to this ancient city and fill it with modern-style buildings.
0:38.3	A new university campus, a sports complex, a US embassy.
0:44.3	These modern designs swirled all around her,
0:48.3	but in her house, she was the designer.
0:56.0	Zah's mother was an artist,
0:58.0	and early on she saw that her daughter had a flare
1:01.0	for light and shape and color.
1:05.0	She would let Zaha design rooms in their home in Baghdad.
1:09.0	By the time she was 11, she was already designing clothes
1:13.6	and even furniture. Maybe. Just maybe what Zaha's mother knew was that this encouragement
1:21.6	was just what her daughter needed to become what she would become. An artist, a teacher, a builder, and the queen of the curve.
1:36.6	I'm Neri Oxman, and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls,
1:42.4	a fairy tale podcast about the rebel women who inspire us.
1:48.8	On this episode, Zaha Hadid.
1:58.5	Zaha was born in 1950. Her father was a wealthy business executive and a politician.
2:06.6	Her mother, as we've said, was an artist who taught Zaha to draw with precision and with imagination.
2:15.3	Zaha was full of curiosity and independence.
	...

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