Following the news that Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) principal Patrik Schumacher is suing for sole executorship of the late architect’s $90 million estate, 14 of her former colleagues and friends have penned a letter expressing their “utmost concern” over Schumacher’s “efforts to fulfill Zaha’s wishes regarding the settlement of her estate.”
“Schumacher’s public behavior and proclamations since Zaha’s passing are well known and they speak for themselves,” the group writes in Architect’s Newspaper, “What is not publicly known is the extent to which he has been attempting to thwart Zaha’s last wishes.”
To this, Schumacher responded directly in the comments section of the article: “My dear friends, I wish you had given me a chance to explain to you what is going on before you throw your stones … Have you seen Zaha’s letter of wishes? Let’s talk soon.”
Among the signatories are London-based Boyarsky Murphy Architect founder and former ZHA architect Nicholas Boyarsky; Washington, D.C.–based Cole Prevost co-founder Robert Cole; London-based Lisette Khalastchi Architects founder Lisette Khalastchi; and London-based Miska Miller-Lovegrove Studio founder Miska Miller-Lovegrove.
As Schumacher also noted in his comment, “None of the undersigned are current employees of ZHA.”
Read the full letter here.
