Transport of delight for architect behind new riverside museum

THE architect behind Glasgow's new riverside museum of transport has received a £1.5 million dividend after profits at her firm more than doubled.

Zaha Hadid right - who also designed the Maggie's cancer care centre in Kirkcaldy - saw pre-tax profits at her eponymous practice surge to 4.1m in the year to 30 April compared with 1.6m in the previous 12 months.

Contractor BAM has finished building the 74m museum in Glasgow, which is due to open in the spring. Construction began in 2007.

The jump in profits came on the back of a 53 per cent increase in turnover to 44.6m, thanks to new client wins and "consistent growth in the Asia-Pacific region".

The growth in the practice also lead to an increase in the headcount, with the number of staff rising from 290 to 307.

Accounts filed at Companies House showed that the company lent Hadid more than 764,000 over the course of the year, including 558,000 for "personal expenditure".

Although no further details on the expenditure were given, the amount was repaid shortly after the year end.