David Adjaye
Ghanaian-British architect known for the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the 2021 Royal Gold Medal.
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Sir David Frank Adjaye is a Ghanaian-British architect born on 22 September 1966 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.[1][2] The 2021 Royal Gold Medal was awarded to Adjaye, who became its first African recipient.[3]
Life and work
He earned a BA in architecture from London South Bank University in 1990, winning the RIBA Bronze Medal, and a master's from the Royal College of Art in 1993.[2] Adjaye established his practice Adjaye Associates in 2000, which now has offices in Accra, London, and New York.[4] His early residential projects include houses for Chris Ofili in 1999 and Lorna Simpson in 2006.[5] He designed the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, which opened in 2005.[6]
Adjaye was selected lead architect for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. on 15 April 2009.[7] In March 2024, Adjaye Associates announced that Lucy Tilley, Pascale Sablan, and Kofi Bio would serve as CEOs for the firm's London, New York, and Accra studios, while Adjaye took the role of executive chair.[8][9]
What the cited sources add
A 2009 Independent article described Adjaye's practice as a "Robin Hood practice" where "for rich people we make things grittier, for poor people we make them glossier"[10] The 2009 accounts showed the company made a loss of £59,000 and owed over £1 million to creditors.[10] A World-Architects article noted that Adjaye's Sclera pavilion, made entirely of Tulipwood, was sold at a benefit auction for £145,250.[11] The Architects' Journal reported that Adjaye Associates made a pre-tax loss of £720,000 for the year ending 31 December 2023, with turnover dropping from £20.4 million to £17.1 million.[12]
The same source stated that the practice's payroll fell from 110 to 85 staff in 2023.[12]
References
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Who We Are", Adjaye Associates (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shaw, William (2 April 2006), "Man With a Plan", The New York Times Magazine.; Chu, "Feature: David Adjaye", Fast Company, 2009; "Black History Month: Honorary Graduates", London South Bank University; "David Adjaye: architect", Britannica.com; Young, "David Adjaye: why I had to chart a different path to success", RIBA Journal, 27 October 2020; "BAME award winners: Sir David Adjaye OBE", Architecture.com, 7 October 2019; "David Adjaye: architect", Britannica.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sir David Adjaye OBE receives 2021 Royal Gold Medal", Royal Institute of British Architects; "Royal Gold Medal - Sir David Adjaye OBE to receive 2021 Royal Gold Medal", www.architecture.com; His Majesty The King, "New Appointments to the Order of Merit", royal.uk, 2022-11-11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Adjaye Associates", Adjaye Associates; "Firm Profile", Adjaye Associates (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Iduma, "David Adjaye on How a Home Can Be a Refuge", Aperture, 2020-02-27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Spears, "david adjaye discusses his relationship with art and architecture", Designboom, 2017-11-13; Rose, "Nobel: the remix", The Guardian, 2006-01-02 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ayers, "Interview with David Adjaye about the National Museum of African American History and Culture"; Jordana, Sebastian (17 April 2009). "David Adjaye wins competition for the National Museum of African American History and Culture", ArchDaily. Retrieved 16 Jul; Trescott, "Designer Chosen for Black History Museum", Washington Post, 15 April 2009; Trescott, "Designer Chosen for Black History Museum", Washington Post, 15 April 2009; Taylor, Kate (22 January 2011), "The Thorny Path to a National Black Museum", The New York Times.; "The Nat en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Spocchia, "David Adjaye announces 'fundamental change' at Adjaye Associates", Architects' Journal, 20 March 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "David Adjaye" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Klein, "Adjaye Associates announces a shift in how the firm will be run", The Architect's Newspaper, 18 March 2024; Carlson, "Adjaye Associates appoints CEOs to lead studio in its "next chapter"", Dezeen, 18 March 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Milmo, Cahal (24 July 2009), "David Adjaye: Downfall of the showman", The Independent.. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
- Hill, "David Adjaye's Sclera Reborn", World-Architects.com, 6 February 2019. facts only, no text reused. world-architects.com
- Waite, "Adjaye Associates makes £700,000 pre-tax loss", Architects' Journal, 17 March 2025. facts only, no text reused. architectsjournal.co.uk
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article David Adjaye (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: David Adjaye (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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