What Makes David Adjaye a Unique Architect
- markampire
- Oct 14, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 6, 2023
David Adjaye is a Ghanaian-British architect who was born on the 22nd of September, 1966 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He lived in Yemen, Egypt, Tanzania and even Lebanon. The family eventually settled in London. An interest in art led him to earn a B.Arch. from London South Bank University (1990) and an M.Arch. from the Royal College of Art (1993) according to McKenna (2021). His travels as a child heightened his cultural sensitivity as his designs differ widely in his scope of appearance.
In addition to being one of the most prominent architects from Africa, he has received major awards. According to his personal website, Adjaye was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 and was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people of the year by TIME Magazine. Most recently, Adjaye was announced the winner of the 2021 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. Approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen, the Royal Gold Medal is considered one of the highest honours in British architecture.
One of the most notable pieces of architecture he has played a role in is the Smithsonian
National Museum of African American Heritage located in Washington D.C, United States of America. Just like two of the most well-known examples of the private residences he designed (the Dark House in London and Elektra House) — the national museum had dark exteriors which were stark and modernistic.
Castro (2016) says David Adjaye’s approach has been to establish both a meaningful relationship to this unique site as well as a strong conceptual resonance with America’s deep and longstanding African heritage
In conclusion, Arch. Sir David Adjaye has come a long way from incoporating his African heritage into designs that have seen him receive deserved respect. They tend to differ widely in scope and appearance because they are inspired by the specific parameters of the physical space to be occupied and the intended function of the building.
REFERENCES:
MCKENNA, Amy. (2021). https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Adjaye [online]. Last updated Sep 18, 2021.
CASTRO, Fernanda. (2016). https://www.archdaily.com/794203/smithsonian-national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture-adjaye-associates [online].
https://www.adjaye.com/who-we-are/ [online].
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