Zaha Hadid Architects has won the Admiral Serebryakov Embankment competition, an international master planning contest for Novorossiysk, a Russian city on the Black Sea coast with the nation’s largest shipping port. Created in collaboration with local architecture firm Pride TPO, the winning master plan aims to reconnect the city with its coast and celebrate the region’s rich industrial history and relationship with the sea. The master plan will introduce a diverse mix of programming and facilities that prioritize non-vehicular circulation. As the nation’s main port on the Black Sea, the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk connects the country with the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and the Suez Canal. The city is the third-busiest port in Europe by turnover and is the leading Russian port for exporting grain. Zaha Hadid Architects and Pride TPO tap into Novorossiysk’s rich history and traditions as a center of trade in their master plan. The 13.9-hectare master plan is a phased development of nine principal buildings with a total floor area of approximately 300,000 square meters. Applying the concept of “instancing”, in which nine iterations of a single form evolve in a gradient across the site, the configuration of each building is established according to its unique function, conditions, and requirements. The master plan’s first phase will include facilities for civic, cultural, and corporate events as well as a hotel. More than 40 teams from 13 countries took part in the competition. Construction of the master plan’s first phase is projected to start in the second half of 2019.

Construction has begun on Zaha Hadid Architects' residential high-rise in the Mexican capital, set to become the city's tallest apartment building. The Bora Residential Tower is being built in Santa Fe, a major business district in the west of Mexico City. The 280 thousand square meters La Mexicana park lies adjacent as well as three universities and the regional offices of Fortune 500 firms including the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) was given a prime location for the building, beside the Mexicana park and in walking distance to schools, theatres, cafes and restaurants. It will also be near to the new Santa Fe Transit Hub, which will offer a quick connection to the city's metro network. As the area is suited to a range of potential buyers, like families, retirees and young professionals, the British firm designed the building with six different layouts, which are arranged as separate sections around the central circulation. The tallest of the sextet will have over 50 storeys – a feat that ZHA claims will make it the "highest residential tower in Mexico City". In total, the building will include 200 apartments of one, two and three bedrooms. Each will have two glazed sides to make the most of natural light and views to the surroundings. These will open onto private terraces so that residents can enjoy the mild, subtropical climate. Newly released renderings show that the balconies will have a triangular profile, and be offset from one another so as not to block light to levels below. The tower tapers inwards at the base, as the corner edge skirts out over 10 stories to form canopies over public space below. The multi-level space underneath will be occupied by restaurants and shops facing onto the street. Renderings show a glazed entrance, leading into an atrium with marble-like walls. The levels wrapping the space will be occupied by seating areas.

Zaha Hadid Architects just won an international competition to redevelop one of Europe’s fastest growing ports in Estonia’s bustling capital of Tallinn. The Masterplan 2030 will oversee a comprehensive and long-term redevelopment strategy for the Old City Harbor and reconnect disparate parts of the city into a more cohesive whole. Pedestrian friendly design, improved public transit access, and increased public space are part of ZHA’s redevelopment plans, as is sensitivity to the city’s historic fabric. An uptick of cruise ships and ferries to the Port of Tallinn has accelerated the demand for better passenger services as the port moves beyond just cargo needs. ZHA’s aim is to redevelop the port into a more attractive and easy-to-traverse urban space. The design will combine Tallinn’s innovative digital information technology with the charms of Tallinn’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s best preserved medieval cities. “We’re honored to work with the Port of Tallinn, developing unique solutions to create these important connections for the Old City Harbor’s long-term vision,” said Gianluca Racana, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects. “Supported by its network of new pedestrian routes and public transport links, the master plan reinvents a familiar space in Tallinn and reconnects the city with its harbor, enabling residents to reclaim a part of the city that is currently difficult to access and designed only for transit.” The new master plan is centered on a central pedestrian promenade with branching pedestrian footpaths that connect disparate parts of the city and link the ferry and cruise terminals to the city center. In addition to the emphasis on connectivity, the design preserves the city’s urban fabric from existing vistas to the sizing of new city blocks. The flexible and mixed-use civic spaces will provide cultural, entertainment, shopping, and hotel amenities to the over 5 million visitors to the port every year. The master plan for the Old City Harbor is expected for completion by the end of 2017. ■ Zaha Hadid died of heart attack on 31 March 2016, aged 65.

In preparation for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar has hired architect Zaha Hadid to design a sprawling new soccer stadium. Hadid's studio will partner with AECOM to construct the stadium in Al Wakrah outside of Doha. Details of the design are still a bit fuzzy, but according to AECOM, the new stadium will integrate energy-efficient design strategies to cool spectators in the desert climate. The historic area of Al Wakrah is known for its rich cultural heritage, including archeological sites, Islamic architecture and historic buildings. The city sought a design that would not disrupt the legacy of the area. The stadium campus will seat 45 thousand soccer fans during games, but it can be reduced to 20 thousand using modular pieces that will repurpose seating areas for other uses. The stadium campus will infuse green space into the desert domain, creating lush forested areas for the community to enjoy. The forested perimeter will also help cool the area while producing fresh oxygen and helping to filter the air. However, it is worth noting that there are no details on what types of plants will be used, and what level of irrigation will be required in what remains a desert environment. The stadium itself will feature a perforated double skin, which is expected to filter in light and encourage cross breezes. Construction is set to begin this year. Zaha Hadid Architects has also been selected to design the new national stadium for Japan and was the firm behind the Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympics, which recently had two temporary spectator stands removed from its sides.

In order to serve its rapidly expanding population of more than five million, the ArRiyadh Development Authority has commissioned Zaha Hadid Architects to construct the new King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station in its capital city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Best known in Britain for her design of the Olympics Aquatic Centre, Hadid has again envisaged a curved structure, with the station's undulating form supposedly referencing Saudi Arabia's desert sand dunes. Measuring 20,434 square meters in size, the huge space will feature four public floors as well as two levels of underground parking and is intended to function as a gathering place as well as an interchange. A number of gangways and route within the structure will be incorporated to alleviate congestion and the station will also be connected to the Riyadh monorail via a skybridge. Looking more like the inside of five-star hotel, the proposed network, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will boast a space age design featuring marbled walkways, gold-plated walls and, naturally in one of the hottest places on earth, air conditioning. The facade will apparently be designed to let in light while keeping out the harsh desert sun, while the overall shape is meant to recall the country's wind-blown sand dunes. King Abdullah has instructed the new Riyadh Metro be completed in four years. Prince Khaled bin Bander, the governor of Riyadh, said the project is progressing to plan and the ArRiyadh Development Authority has released details of the city's public transport plan including the six metro lines that will serve as the backbone for public transport in the city.