Words Marwan Naaman
TELLING AN UNTOLD STORY Sir David Adjaye talks about his vision for the National Museum of African American History and Culture In a city celebrated for its museums and cultural attractions, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) stands out. Completed in 2016 and set on Washington, DC’s National Mall, the NMAAHC saw four major design firms – The Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates, Davis Brody Bond and the SmithGroupJJR – come together to create the American capital’s newest landmark.
Alan Karchmer/NMAAHC
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Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye oversaw the formal development of the building design and was the creative force behind the building’s outer layer. His idea was to imagine a new kind of space that would function as more than a museum, while paying tribute to people who had often been left out of America’s historical narrative. “This project was really about prioritizing cultural narrative and identity,” Adjaye says. “I have always understood this project to be about people of one culture understanding the experience of people from a different culture. As such, it operates simultaneously
