{"id":741583,"date":"2026-06-16T23:59:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/741583\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:59:13","slug":"zaha-hadid-architects-rebrands-as-zha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/741583\/","title":{"rendered":"Zaha Hadid Architects rebrands as ZHA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zaha Hadid Architects<\/a> has rebranded as ZHA, the studio announced<\/a> on social media. The office also has a new visual identity and website. <\/p>\n

Patrik Schumacher<\/a> said in a statement the renaming is a \u201cnatural brand evolution.\u201d (Schumacher won the rights to make the name change<\/a> last March in court.)<\/p>\n

The rebrand is happening as \u201cthe final projects led by our founder near completion ten years after her passing,\u201d ZHA said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for ZHA told AN:<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing forward, we will be known as ZHA, marking the evolution of our practice through a new name, visual identity and website. This announcement reflects both the practice we are today and the future we are building, as an employee-owned, interdisciplinary collective shaped by the talent, creativity and expertise across our studios and teams worldwide. The practice remains deeply rooted in its history and in its commitment to forever advancing the pioneering architecture for which it has always been known.\u201d<\/p>\n

ZHA also announced it terminated its licensing agreement with the Zaha Hadid Foundation (ZHF), the London<\/a>-based philanthropic group Zaha Hadid<\/a> founded before her death in 2016. <\/p>\n

This means ZHA will no longer have to pay 6 percent of its annual earnings to the ZHF, which cumulatively amounted to over $27 million between 2018 and 2024.<\/p>\n

Legal battles between Schumacher, Hadid\u2019s relatives, and the ZHF started in 2016, coinciding with Hadid\u2019s death.\u00a0Schumacher fought over Hadid\u2019s estate valued at $133 million with her niece Rana Hadid, artist Brian Clarke, and property developer Peter Palumbo.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Schumacher sued<\/a> to become the sole executor of Hadid\u2019s estate. In 2020, a justice ruled<\/a> that most of Hadid\u2019s estate would go to the ZHF, not Schumacher. <\/p>\n

The saga continued in 2024 when high court judge Adam Johnson sided with the ZHF when he mandated ZHA to continue paying 6 percent of its revenue to the foundation. <\/p>\n

Earlier this year, high court judge Colin Birss reversed Johnson\u2019s decision, and ruled that the contract between ZHA and ZHF signed in 2014 was not meant to last in perpetuity. <\/p>\n

The 2026 ruling by Birss gave Schumacher the rights to both change the office\u2019s name and end its contractual relationship with the ZHF, culminating in this latest rebrand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re operating across six continents with 100 projects in development and construction,\u201d Schumacher said. \u201cZHA means a new stage, a new chapter.<\/p>\n