To the Editor:

We are a group of close friends, fellow and former students, and employees of Zaha Hadid.

We wish to express our utmost concern at the recent legal action by Patrik Schumacher against Zaha’s fellow executors. We strongly support Lord Peter Palumbo, Brian Clarke, and Rana Hadid’s efforts to fulfill Zaha’s wishes regarding the settlement of her estate, determining conclusively the future structure and governance of her office (ZHA), and the development of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, all as stipulated in her will.

Schumacher’s public behavior and proclamations since Zaha’s passing are well known and they speak for themselves. What is not publicly known is the extent to which he has been attempting to thwart Zaha’s last wishes.

Zaha’s unique legacy must be protected. It is of paramount importance that the Zaha Hadid Foundation is established and fully endowed to fulfill the promulgation of her educational vision. Hadid’s internationally acclaimed status is based on her oeuvre. The Foundation must be an autonomous body responsible for this unique archive comprising drawings, models, sketches and project-related material from her student days until her untimely death. The Foundation’s role is twofold: to safeguard the material and to make it the foundation of any future academic inquiry both of her contributions and equally, academic investigations inspired by it.

Signed by:

Mya Manakides
Nicholas Boyarsky
Lisette Khalastchi
Robert Cole
Sand Helsel
Michael Wolfson
David Gommersal
Brian Ma Siy
Alastair Standing
Graham Modlen
Kathleen Peacock
Ban Shubber
Rodney Place
Miska Lovegrove