World renowned British-Iraqi architect Dame Zaha Hadid dies at 65

Internationally renowned architect Zaha Hadid died on Thursday at the age of 65 in the United States, after suffering a heart attack, according to her office in London.

The pioneering architect, whose designs include the London Olympic aquatic center in 2012, among others, was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize in 2004, the most prestigious prize in architecture.

The BritishIraqi architect had been admitted this week in a hospital in the United States for bronchitis, but she suffered complications early on Thursday morning.

Hadid was born in Baghdad in 1950 and moved to the United Kingdom in 1972 to study architecture.

After graduating in 1977 she opened her office and gained international reputation with works such as the Kurfurstendamm 70 in Berlin and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales.

Hadid received several awards such as the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Royal Gold Medal and France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II honored Hadid as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to architecture.