Back in the days, my second best option was to study architectural engineering, but, I never thought of steering away from being in the medical field – from the close fascination of the human body and biology to the rigid world of math, structures, and probably physics. the idea on its own was overkill to me.
I was wrong.
Over the years I discovered that I deeply love the art of design and that I really like math, and a little less physics.
Structures fascinate me. I now have the utmost respect for engineering. Engineering is actually intertwined with medicine and healthcare in so many ways, whether it is biomedical, architectural, or other types of engineering.
Many drugs are now bioengineered. Although some might argue that this is not typical engineering, it’s medical in essence, I agree, but for the sake of intertwining here, even if it’s merely linguistical. Let’s also look at how medical devices are the product of biomedical engineering. How important is the design of the healthcare facilities? Whether interiorly or exteriorly, and even when it comes to the executed basis.
The one who amplified this admiration was a world-class architect, Zaha Hadid.
Zaha Hadid was an Iraqi-British Architect, who was the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Her style was intensely futuristic architecture characterized by curving facades, sharp angles, and using materials such as concrete and steel. She took the strongest materials in the world and manipulated them to form objects that appear soft and sturdy at the same time. Her buildings are eye catching and have a unique shape, style and quality to them that makes the structure iconic.
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/top-architects/a295-30-projects-that-define-zaha-hadids-style/3/
From an interview with Zaha Hadid by the Guardian dated Nov 2012
She says:
It’s still very difficult for women to operate as professionals because there are still some worlds women have no access to. No matter what you do, because you’re a woman, you cannot enter. But I don’t believe that stereotype remains in architecture. In the last 15 years, there’s been tremendous change. Half of architecture students are women, and you see respected, established female architects all the time. In my case, I’m a woman and an Arab. Being an Arab woman and a modern architect certainly don’t exclude each other – when I was growing up in Iraq, there were many women architects. You cannot believe the enormous resistance I’ve faced just for being an Arab, and a woman on top of that. It is like a double-edged sword. The moment my woman-ness is accepted, the Arab-ness seems to become a problem.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/nov/14/zaha-hadid-woman-arab-double-edged-sword
Zaha. She died Thursday morning, suddenly, just 65, of a heart attack while being treated in a Miami hospital for bronchitis. She was scheduled to lecture at Yale this coming Thursday, where she was teaching a design studio on the high rise.
https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/zaha-hadid-friend_o
She died aged 65 after suffering suspected heart failure while on holiday in Miami following an earlier bout of bronchitis.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jan/16/zaha-hadid-leaves-67m-fortune-architects-will-reveals
Is this article a tribute to Zaha Hadid, something about me, or about high achiever personality types in healthcare and even in any other industry?
Probably a bit of each.
⭓ Pearls
As we grow up, we change a lot, we might have had some rigid ideas about certain issues, but time and experience come as the twist in the story.
Zaha Hadid is not only an example of grit, ambition, resistance, and success. Her story tells me that taking care of oneself comes first and foremost. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
There is tremendous pressure to achieve at times. We need to stop. We have to learn when to stop and relax. We in healthcare are pushed even further and harder than what the actual challenges of the field may actually require sometimes. There is no need to create unnecessary challenges, and if this is met with deaf ears, we need to take a stance and protect our wellbeing. We need to learn how and when to say no before it’s too late.
Take a positive stance for yourself.
Featured photo attribution: https://www.kadvacorp.com/design/rare-photos-zaha-hadid-best-moments-life/
