These working areas are arranged around a central atrium that runs through all the floors and hosts a restaurant at its bottom, thus functioning as the building’s main core. The atrium also features what is perhaps the building’s most identifiable characteristic: a staggering black-and-white stairway design, which, when seen from below, creates a captivating visual effect. The studio’s principal, Dame Zaha Hadid, is soon to receive yet another prestigious accolade, namely the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture: the honour is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects and this year signifies the first time in its 160-year history that its recipient is a woman.