Despite coming in third place in the RIBA-run international competition, Zaha Hadid’s design was chosen for the parliament complex in her native country Iraq.
Archinect reports that Hadid’s plans for the Iraq Parliament have not been free of controversy; one reason is because her designs have been kept secret by the Iraqi architectural community, another because of the current Isis insurgency – and constant political upheaval in general – that renders the question of the need for such an expensive project.
Hadid's design was chosen over that of the original first-place winning design by London-based firm Assemblage.
If the plan goes on as expected, the Iraq Parliament building will be Hadid's second building in Iraq, after the headquarters for Central Bank of Iraq.
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