Today, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named David Adjaye, Hon. FAIA, as the winner of its 2021 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture. Selected for his global influence on the profession and "for an exceptional body of work over 25 years of practice," according to a RIBA press release, the Ghanaian-British architect will receive the award in the spring.
"At every scale, from private homes to major arts centres, one senses David Adjaye’s careful consideration of the creative and enriching power of architecture. His work is local and specific and at the same time global and inclusive," said RIBA president Alan Jones in the same release. "Blending history, art and science he creates highly crafted and engaging environments that balance contrasting themes and inspire us all. I believe his both practicing and teaching in schools of architecture has significantly enriched his work. His artistic and social vision has created public projects that perfectly demonstrate the civic potential of architecture—fostering empathy, identity and pride."
Born on Sept. 22, 1966, Adjaye earned his B.Arch. from London South Bank University in 1990 and his M.Arch. from the Royal College of Art in London in 1993. Adjaye founded his eponymous firm Adjaye Associates in 2000, which he has grown into a global presence with studios in Accra, London, and New York. In addition to his practice, Adjaye has taught at several architecture schools around the world, including Harvard University's Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Mass., and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Ann Arbor, Mich. Adjaye and his firm have received worldwide recognition—including the 2018 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture—for projects including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (2016), on which he was lead designer; Ruby City in San Antonio (2019); Sugar Hill Housing in New York (2015); the Eugene Gasana Jr. Foundation Paediatric Cancer Centre in Kigali, Rwanda (2015); and many others.
Citing influences ranging from "'contemporary art, music and science to African art forms and the civic life of cities'," Adjaye illuminated his design approach in RIBA's release. "Architecture, for me, has always been about the creation of beauty to edify all peoples around the world equally and to contribute to the evolution of the craft," Adjaye said. "The social impact of this discipline has been and will continue to be the guiding force in the experimentation that informs my practice."
Adjaye discussed the personal nature of his work in a 2018 Q+A with ARCHITECT, in which he also addressed diversity and education in the architecture profession."Since my work is deeply personal, it’s almost autobiographical," Adjaye said in the Q+A. "I would say to my studio, 'Why are we doing this?' I mean, it’s not interesting because it’s architecture. It’s only interesting if it does something."
Adjaye has several ongoing projects including the Studio Museum in New York and the Princeton University Art Museum in Princeton, N.J., both in collaboration with Cooper Robertson; the International Finance Corporation in Dakar, Senegal; and the George Street Sydney Plaza in Sydney.
