Milan to name street after architect Zaha Hadid ahead of 2026 decennial

Milan's culture councillor Tommaso Sacchi has proposed naming a street after Zaha Hadid, the celebrated architect who died in 2016. The initiative anticipates the tenth anniversary of her death on March 31, 2026. Hadid, born in Baghdad in 1950 and died in Miami, was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize in 2004, and also received two Stirling Prizes and the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture. Her Milan connection is strong: she designed the Torre Hadid (also known as Torre Generali) within the City Life redevelopment project, which has become an iconic part of the city's skyline. The street to be named after her is a pedestrian walkway inside City Life, between Via Demetrio Stratos and Viale Eginardo on one side, and Via Stratos and Viale Duilio on the other. The plaque will bear her dates and the title "architect and designer," and will be unveiled on March 31, 2026, exactly ten years after her death. Hadid's notable works include the MAXXI in Rome, the London Aquatic Centre, the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Baku, the Napoli Afragola railway station, Pierres Vives in Montpellier, and the Generali skyscraper in Milan's City Life.