David Adjaye Biography, Buildings and Best Books

David Adjaye (born 1966) is a Ghanaian-British architect and the founder of Adjaye Associates. His work explores material, light and cultural memory, from early houses and artists’ studios in London to public buildings such as the Idea Store libraries, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, wrapped in a bronze-coloured lattice inspired by Yoruba craft.

Dar es Salaam and London

Adjaye was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1966 to Ghanaian parents, the son of a diplomat, and grew up in several countries in Africa and the Middle East before his family settled in London. He studied at London South Bank University and at the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1993, and worked for David Chipperfield and Eduardo Souto de Moura.

Houses for artists

After a first partnership he founded Adjaye Associates in 2000. Early works in London, such as the Dirty House (2002) for the artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster, and houses for Chris Ofili and others, made his name with dark, closed exteriors and luminous interiors. The Idea Store libraries in Tower Hamlets brought his architecture to public buildings.

Museums and public buildings

His office went on to design the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo (2005), the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (2007) and the Sugar Hill housing in Harlem. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, completed in 2016 with Freelon Bond and SmithGroup, is his best-known building. Later projects include Ruby City in San Antonio (2019) and the tower at 130 William Street in New York.

Recognition and controversy

Adjaye was knighted in 2017 and received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2021. In 2023 he faced allegations of misconduct from former employees, which he denied, and he stepped back from several roles and projects.