Associate Director
MArch, ARB, RIBA
London, UK
Gerhild Ayas
Photograph by Frederic Aranda ©
Since joining ZHA in 2007, Gerhild has worked across a diverse range of projects, from masterplans and office buildings to residential developments, exhibitions, installations, and products. Her notable contributions include installations for Venice Biennale (2008), the JS Bach Chamber Music Hall, and the Roca London Gallery (2011), along with numerous projects currently under construction. With effective communication and resourcing skills, she brings together groups of designers and specialists to deliver innovative solutions and ensure smooth transitions from concept to execution.
Prior to joining ZHA, Gerhild worked at FOA with Farshid Moussavi, whom she had known from completing part of her studies at the University of Fine Arts in Vienna.
Photograph by Luke Hayes
Manchester International Festival July 2009
Featured Projects
From apartments offering panoramic views of Qetaifan Bay and the Lusail skyline, to a unique chamber music hall specially designed to house solo performances of J S Bach works, discover highlights of Gerhild's notable projects at ZHA.
Photograph by Ruud van Gessel
Holland Festival June 2010
Gerhild earned her Diploma in Architecture from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, where she studied under architect Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher. She has been actively involved in academia as a visiting critic in design reviews and critiques at prestigious institutions in Austria and the UK, including the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, the Architectural Association (AA), the Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL), and the East London University in London.
Gerhild enjoys travelling to new places and experiencing different cultures with a particular fondness for New York City, which she aspires to visit every year. In her spare time, she practices yoga to recentre and maintain balance between work and a young family.
Projects
Explore a selection of projects Gerhild has contributed to since joining ZHA.
_Photo by John Kellerman courtesy Alamy, montage by MIR
Heritage + Regeneration
Residential
ZHA was appointed together with local practice Square Architecte to renovate and extend Le Schuylkill Tower. Construction works have begun with completion planned in May 2027. With 188 apartments from small studios to four-bedroom family units, the existing tower sits on a steep site with a 22m gradient between its north and south boundaries.
Render by Negativ
West elevation
Tall Buildings
Residential
The renovation and redevelopment of Mercury House integrates residential apartments and a boutique hotel within Malta’s most dynamic urban environment. Creating new public spaces and amenities for the island’s residents and visitors, the design responds to Paceville’s key urban challenges by investing in its civic realm and increasing its limited housing supply.
Render by Atchain
Residential
Comprised of 293 apartments offering panoramic views of Qetaifan Bay and the Lusail skyline, The Grove has been designed with its waterfront promenade as the heart of the community.
Courtesy of ZHA, render by Negativ
Masterplans
The masterplan re-establishes and reinforces the links with the Port of Tallinn and the Old Town, as well as the links between the city and the sea; providing connectivity from the ferry and cruise terminals to the city centre, and at the same time creating an integrated new neighbourhood for the people of Tallinn.
Render by Hayes Davidson
Mixed Use
Offices
Adjacent to the West Kowloon Cultural District, the 3.2 million sq. ft. development above Hong Kong’s High Speed Rail West Kowloon Terminus connects established and emerging neighbourhoods with a network of public gardens and landscaped plazas.
Photograph by Joel Chester Fildes
Manchester International Festival July 2009
Installations + Pavilions
A unique chamber music hall specially designed to house solo performances of J S Bach works – enhancing the multiplicity of his music by using a single, continuous ribbon of fabric which continuously changes, stretches, compresses and moves around itself to cocoon both performers and audience within an intimate fluid space.
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