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
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
Riverside Museum, 2013 (Glasgow, Scotland) —
Hadid's Riverside Museum took home the European Museum of the Year Award in 2013.
Hufton + Crow
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
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
Phaeno Science Center, 2005 (Wolfsburg, Germany) —
This interactive science center that resembles a space ship was a landmark project for the country.
Werner Huthmacher
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Bergisel Ski Jump, 2002 (Innsbruck, Austria) —
Along with the ramp itself, the Austrian ski jump includes a cafe and viewing terrace.