Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-born architect who struggled for years to get her audacious and unconventional designs built, won the prestigious 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize on Sunday in West Hollywood, Calif., the first woman to receive the profession's highest honor.

Pritzker jurors singled out her designs for an Austrian ski jump, a German fire station and an Ohio art museum.

View Comments

Hadid "is probably one of the youngest laureates and has one of the clearest architectural trajectories we've seen in many years. Each project unfolds with new excitement and innovation," said California architect and juror Frank Gehry, a 1989 Pritzker winner.

Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.