Zaha Hadid's Former London Studio to Open as Public Arts Venue

The Zaha Hadid Foundation will open a public arts venue next month inside the former London headquarters of Zaha Hadid's eponymous studio, the foundation has announced.

The building at 10 Bowling Green Lane in Clerkenwill — a Grade II-listed Victorian school that housed the studio for more than 30 years — has been refurbished by architecture practice Studio KA. The venue will serve, in the foundation's words, as "a dynamic new hub for architecture and design."

"We're thrilled to see this next evolution for the Foundation at 10 Bowling Green Lane, from what was Zaha's home base to a new home for architecture and design in London," foundation director Aric Chen said.

"It will be where Zaha's legacy will live on both through our programmes and exhibitions drawn from her archive, and through her forward-looking ethos as we actively engage with architectural culture today."

What opens first?

The venue opens with a two-day symposium organised with the Architectural Association and the Serpentine Galleries to mark the foundation's tenth anniversary. The inaugural programme includes:

• A collection-based exhibition curated by Catherine Howe and Liblib Sellers, dedicated to stage and set designs by Hadid and her studio
• An 11-minute video installation by London-based artist LionHeart
• A timeline of Hadid's life, work and influence by Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrator Mona Chalabi

Events will take place across newly completed galleries and display areas, alongside a learning space and lecture hall that will host future exhibitions, talks, workshops and creative residencies.

How has the building changed?

Studio KA refurbished the ground floor, opening up the interior to improve circulation and restoring original building features. A fireplace and doorways have been reopened; Z-shaped door pulls implemented by Hadid have been preserved.

The foundation is also unveiling a new visual identity developed by Amsterdam-based design studio Experimental Jetset, alongside a new website designed by technology agency Made by ON.

Hadid founded the Zaha Hadid Foundation in 2013, three years before her death in 2016.

The opening follows a turbulent period for the architect's legacy. Earlier this year, studio principal Patrik Schumacher renamed the practice ZHA after the conclusion of a legal battle with the foundation. The new Clerkenwell venue now positions the foundation — with its archive, commissions and residencies — as the institutional custodian of Hadid's name and work.