LONDON, June 20, 2026, 22:03 BST
- Zaha Hadid Architects is now going by ZHA, after dropping the founder’s full name. The firm also launched a new visual identity and website.
- The Court of Appeal has ruled the company can axe a trademark licence with a 6% net income fee.
- ZHA says the move will turn the firm into an employee-owned collective, now with almost 500 staff and over 100 projects active on six continents.
Zaha Hadid Architects is switching to ZHA, dropping the full name of its late founder from the brand. The firm put out a new name, logo, and website. The move comes 10 years after Hadid’s death.
This is more than new graphics. The shift breaks the company’s link to a 2013 trademark licence, which let it use the name for a fee. Under that deal, it paid the Zaha Hadid Foundation 6% of net income.
The contract set out the covered services in broad terms. The Court of Appeal found the payment applied to any services the firm provided, even if the work didn’t make direct use of the “Zaha Hadid” trademarks.
The court records put royalties paid by the practice at £21.4 million from 2018 to 2024. This turned the dispute into a material financial problem for the company, and the Foundation—set up to protect Hadid’s work—also saw it as a significant concern.
“Going forward, we will be known as ZHA,” the practice said. Final projects under Hadid are close to finishing. The firm said it has more than 100 projects and buildings in progress. LinkedIn
Principal Patrik Schumacher said the shift is “a very natural brand evolution to move to a more collective identity,” calling it “a new stage, a new chapter.” Gerhild Ayas, named as a trustee by other architects at the firm’s employee benefit trust, said the new setup brings “more voices to the table.” Archinect
ZHA is sticking to its initials. The three-letter name keeps it tied to Hadid and its body of work, skipping the full trademark that has been contested over royalties. It’s a move to keep continuity by shortening, not ditching its founder entirely.
The Foundation got Hadid’s trademarks after she died in 2016. In March 2024, the practice said it would end the licence in a year, but the High Court ruled against it. That was overturned by the Court of Appeal on February 27, which said an “indefinite” contract could still be ended with reasonable notice. Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
The legal situation isn’t final. The Foundation is asking the UK Supreme Court for permission to appeal, seeking clarity on whether the contract let the practice end the deal with reasonable notice. There’s no word yet on permission or a hearing date; if the decision flips, it could spark new disputes around royalties and contract liability.
ZHA’s updated site says its licence ended in 2025, the group no longer uses the Foundation’s trademark, and it “disclaims any connection” with the charity. The Foundation is still independent and keeps running Hadid’s archive, shows, and programs. ZHA Architects
Employee ownership is not new to architecture. ZHA was put into an employee benefit trust in 2021, setting up a structure to keep ownership for staff. White Arkitekter and Make Architects also use similar employee-owned setups. The rebrand brings the company name in line with that structure.
ZHA faces a commercial test now. The firm needs to keep the Hadid brand recognition, but also convince clients their projects come from an established institution, not just a studio carrying on a founder’s legacy. Using the initials helps ease this change. Whether it works depends on project wins, finished work, and how the court case ends.
