About David Adjaye, African-Born World Architect

With an exterior siding of bronzed aluminum panels and an entry hall with more wood than the hold of a slave ship, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. may become David Adjayes most recognizable work. The Tanzania-born British architect creates transformative designs, from this national museum for the U.S. to an old rail station that is now the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway. Background Born:  September 22, 1966, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa Education and Professional Training: 1988-1990: Chassay Last, London, United Kingdome1990: Bachelor of Architecture with honors, London South Bank University1990-1991: David Chipperfield (UK) and Eduardo Souto de Moura (Portugal)1993: Masters in Architecture, Royal College of Art1994-2000: Partnership with William Russell as Adjaye Russell1999-2010: Visited every country in Africa to document African architecture2000-present: Adjaye Associates, Principal Significant Works 2002: Dirty House, London, UK2005: Idea Store, Whitechapel, London, UK2005: Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, Norway2007: Rivington Place, London, UK2007: Bernie Grant Arts Centre, London, UK2007: Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, CO2008: Stephen Lawrence Centre, London, UK2010: Skolkovo Moscow School of Management, Moscow, Russia2012: Francis Gregory Library, Washington, D.C.2014: Sugar Hill (affordable housing), 898 St. Nicholas Avenue, Harlem, NYC2015: Aà ¯shti Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon2016: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), Washington, D.C. Furniture and Product Designs David Adjaye has a collection of side chairs, coffee tables, and textile patterns offered by Knoll Home Designs.  He also has a line of circular chairs on stainless steel tubular frames called Double Zero for Moroso. About David Adjaye, Architect Because Davids father was a government diplomat, the Adjaye family moved from Africa to the Middle East and finally settled in England when David was a young teenager. As a graduate student in London, the young Adjaye traveled from traditional Western architectural havens, like Italy and Greece, to Japan while learning about modern Eastern architecture. His world experience, including returning to Africa as an adult, informs his designs, which are not known for a particular style, but for a thoughtful representation embedded into individual projects. Another experience that has affected the work of David Adjaye is the disabling illness of his brother, Emmanuel. At a young age, the future architect was exposed to the dysfunctional designs of public institutions used by his family as they cared for a newly-paralyzed child. He has said many times that functional design is even more important than beauty. In December 2015, Adjaye Associates was asked to submit a proposal for the Obama Presidential Center, to be built in Chicago. Related People of Influence Eduardo Souto de MouraChris OfiliRichard Rogers Significant Awards 1993: Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Bronze Medal2007: Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to architecture2014: W.E.B. Du Bois Medal Quotations The New Yorker, 2013 Things often come at the time they’re meant to come, even if they seem late. Approach Sustainability is not just material use or energy use...it is lifestyle.† Related Books: David Adjaye: Form, Heft, Material, Art Institute of Chicago, 2015David Adjaye: Authoring: Re-placing Art and Architecture, Lars Muller, 2012David Adjaye: A House for an Art Collector, Rizzoli, 2011African Metropolitan Architecture, Rizzoli, 2011Adjaye, Africa, Architecture, Thames Hudson, 2011David Adjaye Houses: Recycling, Reconfiguring, Rebuilding, Thames and Hudson, 2006David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings, Thames and Hudson, 2006 Sources Approach. Adjaye Associates, 2019. Barack Obama Foundation Issues RFP to Seven Potential Architects for the Future Presidential Center. Obama Foundation, December 21, 2015. Bunch, Lonnie G. African American life, history, and culture explored in Washington D.C. National Museum of African American History Culture, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. David Adjaye. Knoll Designer Bios, Knoll, Inc., 2019. David Adjaye. Moroso, 2019. Home. Adjaye Associates, 2019. McKenna, Amy. David Adjaye. Encyclopaedia Britannica, October 23, 2019. Murphy, Ray. David Adjaye: Africa offers an extraordinary opportunity. Dezeen, September 29, 2014. Sugar Hill Project. Broadway Housing Communities, New York, NY. Tomkins, Calvin. A Sense of Place. The New Yorker, September 23, 2013.