Famed Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid dies aged 65

Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, whose designs include a stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has died aged 65.

This year, Hadid became the first woman to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal in recognition of her work.

She died of a heart attack on Thursday in a Miami hospital, where she was being treated for bronchitis.

Her designs received recognition for their futuristic and daring styles.

Dame Zaha's creations include the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London, the Riverside Museum at Glasgow's Museum of Transport, and Guangzhou Opera House in China.

Collecting her Gold Medal in February, Dame Zaha said she was proud to have been the first woman to win in her own right.

"We now see more established female architects all the time," she said.

"That doesn't mean it's easy. Sometimes the challenges are immense. There has been tremendous change over recent years and we will continue this progress."

	Hadid designed the Galaxy Soho building in Beijing [Getty]

Born in 1950 in Baghdad, she studied maths at Beirut University before embarking on her career at the Architectural Association in London.

In 1979, she set up her own company - Zaha Hadid Architects.

Her first major commission to be constructed was the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein in Germany.

Hadid became a revolutionary force in British architecture even though for many years she struggled to win commissions in the UK.