Zaha Hadid Foundation’s former London studio opens to the public

Zaha Hadid Foundation is preparing to open the architect’s former London headquarters in Clerkenwell as a public cultural venue on 3 November 2026. The building at 10 Bowling Green Lane served as Hadid’s studio for more than three decades. According to an 8 October report by Designboom, a preview will be held on 29 October, ahead of the opening. The renovation was led by Studio KA.

What has changed in the historic building?

The former school building, constructed in the early 1870s and listed Grade II, has been transformed into a venue focused on architecture, design and art. Rather than erase the building’s past, the project team took an approach that brings together traces from different periods. Circulation on the ground floor has been reconfigured, and original fireplaces and door openings have been made visible again.

Colours drawn from Hadid’s paintings have been introduced on new surfaces, while some details added during the architect’s time in the studio have also been retained. These include Z-shaped door handles and fragmented-looking floor inserts. Furniture and objects produced by Zaha Hadid Design will also feature in the renovated interiors. Alongside galleries, the building will include an auditorium, learning spaces and areas for presenting the collection.

Stage designs take centre stage in the opening programme

The first exhibition, drawn from the Foundation’s collection, is titled Zaha Hadid: Architecture of Performance. Curated by Catherine Howe and guest curator Libby Sellers, it focuses on the stage and performance spaces Hadid developed for dance, opera and pop music. The exhibition includes work created with choreographer Rosemary Butcher in 1989, the Music Video Pavilion in Groningen, stage designs for the Pet Shop Boys’ Nightlife World Tour, and work for Così fan tutte at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The second gallery will present The Rebar Beneath, an 11-minute, two-channel video installation by London-based artist LionHeart. Bringing together poetry and performance, the work draws on research into Hadid’s archive. Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrator Mona Chalabi will also explore the architect’s life and work in a visual timeline. An animation in the foyer will be projected onto a textile surface inspired by one of Hadid’s Issey Miyake coats. The programme will also include talks, tours, workshops and a pop-up AA Bookshop.

Why it matters for architecture and visualisation teams

The building’s adaptive reuse offers architecture and interior design teams a tangible example of how circulation can be rethought within conservation constraints. The relationship between new uses and the historic setting—particularly the reopening of original fireplaces and door openings—makes the project worth studying. Details that remain from Hadid’s studio, including Z-shaped door handles and floor elements, also prompt consideration of how material, colour and detailing decisions in interior visualisations can connect with an existing identity.

The Foundation will also host a two-day symposium, 89° of Zaha Hadid, at its London premises on 30 and 31 October, in partnership with the Architectural Association and Serpentine. The new visual identity was created by Experimental Jetset, and the redesigned website by Made by ON is scheduled to go live in the week of 12 October. The report does not provide visiting hours, admission conditions or ticket prices. Those planning a visit will therefore need to follow the Foundation’s announcements as the opening approaches.