Zaha Hadid Foundation launches new architecture programme for emerging architects

This autumn, the Zaha Hadid Foundation—a London-based cultural charity founded by the legendary architect Dame Zaha Hadid—announced the launch of a transformative architecture programme aimed at nurturing the next generation of emerging architects.

Set to begin in September 2025, the newly established Zaha Hadid Scholars Program is a collaborative initiative with the American University of Beirut (AUB). It will fully fund and provide additional support to two architecture students each academic year, for the full five years of their undergraduate studies at AUB’s Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture.

The Zaha Hadid Foundation: supporting the emerging architects of tomorrow

With this programme, the Zaha Hadid Foundation pays tribute to Hadid’s enduring legacy—not only as an architectural innovator, but also as an advocate for educational access and creative opportunity. The students selected for the Zaha Hadid Scholars Program will be chosen based on both merit and financial need, reflecting Hadid’s own passion for empowering talent from diverse backgrounds.

The initiative is especially meaningful given Hadid’s personal history with AUB. She studied mathematics at the university in 1968–69 and received an honorary doctorate in 2006. AUB also became the site of one of her iconic architectural projects: the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, completed in 2014.

Architecture programme rooted in vision and legacy

In a statement, AUB President Fadlo Khuri remarked that Zaha Hadid’s “visionary work continues to inspire new generations of students,” expressing pride in this partnership that will benefit “bright and deserving architecture students.” The Zaha Hadid Foundation’s Board of Trustees echoed this sentiment, describing the initiative as the continuation of Hadid’s deep commitment to architectural education and to AUB, a university “so close to Zaha’s heart.”

This programme is part of a broader effort by the foundation to foster architectural research and education. Alongside its new Scholars Program, the Zaha Hadid Foundation is actively developing partnerships with institutions such as Serpentine Galleries and the Architectural Association, with further announcements expected soon.