David Adjaye Artist Book Layout

D V D A I A J Y D A E

Simon & Schuster New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Singapore

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction: Bundling the Past, Present and Future

Simon & Schuster Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10020 Copyright © 2014 by David Adjaye Associates, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Simon & Schuster and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Design: NINI LIN

03

Project Section

- Patterns - Lines

12 18

Bibliography

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Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Adjaye, David

David Adjaye/(insert additional title if appropriate)

p. cm.

1. Adjaye, David—Sources. 2. Adjaye, David—Notebooks, Sketches, etc. I. Title.

N6537.L54 A2 2014 709’.2—dc21 00-028026 ISBN 0-684-83417-0

1

Introduction

Introduction

Bundling the Past,

Present

and Future

By Regina Lee Roberts, Stanford University 1

3

Introduction

David Adjaye

Buildings are deeply emotive structures which form our psyche. People think they’re just things they manoeuvre through. But the makeup of a person is influenced by the FOOTNOTES

nature of spaces. –David Adjaye 1

1 Allison, Peter, David Adjaye and Okwui Enwezor.

David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings: Specificity, Customization, Imbrication. 1st

case he

pbk. ed. London: Thames &

considers

Hudson, 2006. p.6

the intricate connections between the past, the present and the possible futures for his designs. He is an architect who is conscious of the livelihoods of the people who use his buildings and he incorporates appropriate references and typologies into his When studying

designs because he approaches architecture through the lens

the built environment or

of civic, social and environmental responsibility. It is through

the archeological past we often

his thoughtful combination of functionality, responsibility, artistic

look for clues to the ways in which people

expression and creative imagining that his work really captivates

live their lives. We search for a better understanding

and leaves lasting impressions on our psyche.

of the livelihood and the overall meanings that make up the human condition. Sometimes the fragments and fibers of what

David Adjaye is a brilliant and driven architect with a long list of

remains are still woven into the fabric of who we are. In the

stellar achievements and prestigious awards. His work is varied

here and now, architects are acutely aware of how their struc-

in scale and scope, ranging from private homes and art instal-

tures and their designs reflect and impact society and current

lations to civic buildings such as libraries and museums. He

manifestations of the human condition. We rely on architects to

even works on larger urban planning designs. His work is deeply

have a futuristic vision while simultaneously fulfilling our imme-

moving and contemplative. Much of this work has an intangible

diate needs when we call upon them to design our built environ-

quality that is difficult to describe. Time and again he has created

ments. Sometimes we require a simple space, a home base, to

pavilions, homes, and buildings that seem to be sculpting light

rest and recharge before going out in the world. Sometimes we

into form. Yet his designs do not bind light: they allow it to flow

want a space that preserves and memorializes our histories, our

like water. It is always with a keen sense of illumination that his

commitments to change, and our artistic productions. Some-

architectural and urban planning designs pull, stretch and layer

times we want a space that allows us to learn and to grow.

light in ways that reflect some of Adjaye’s most important themes in his work. These themes include deep connections between

4

David Adjaye, is an architect who is experienced in providing all

use, form, materiality, elegance and reflection. In fact, many

of these types of spaces for people around the world. In each

of his designs include water-reflection pools, urban gardens 5

David Adjaye

Introduction David Adjaye’s

2 National Museum of African American History and

work has become

Culture. “NMAAHC Building Fly-Through”. http://nmaahc.

increasingly located in

si.edu/about/building.

what I would call the intermedi-

3 Keller, Hadlely. “Harvard

ary zone between public space and civil

University’s W. E. B. Du Bois

society…. For Adjaye public space is always

Medal for outstanding work in the field of African and

contingent, always in the process of realization…. As

African American Studies”.

an architect this pushes Adjaye towards elaborating within

Architectural Digest.

September 26, 2014.

4 Tomkins, Calvin. “A Sense of Place: How the architect of Washington’s forthcoming African-American museum evolved a new style.” The New Yorker, Annals of Architecture, September 23, 2013.

his buildings a “third space,” a kind of illusionary and concrete and semi-indoor

zone of maximum interaction and social discourse between

fountains that main-

publics, individuals, communities, experts and non-experts.5

tain the link that these built spaces have to their natural environments.

Here, Enwezor is referencing some of Adjaye’s earlier public

His commitment to artistic integrity, functional form

projects including the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway.6 This

and intense local research remains constant.

was completed in 2005, and consisted of a remodel of a shell of a disused railway station. For inspiration, Adjaye drew upon

Among his most recent and most significant projects is Adjaye’s

Dogon building techniques of Mali that envision multiple unique

firm’s collaborative design of the National Museum of African

spaces within one larger domain. In the Nobel Peace Centre,

5 Enwezor, Okwui. “Popular sovereignty and public space: David Adjaye’s Archiecture of immanence”, in Allison, Peter, David Adjaye and Okwui Enwezor. David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings: Specificity, Customization, Imbrication. 1st pbk. ed.

London: Thames & Hudson,

American History and Culture. This is essentially the crowning

Adjaye created immersive spaces and multiple thresholds that

jewel of the string of Smithsonian museums on the National

employ intense color and unique flexible lighting correlating to

Mall in Washington, D.C. A regal metaphor for this building is

the visitor’s exhibit experience. Likewise, each threshold has its

fitting because the design is infused with a crown motif from

own distinctive space within the larger complex. Enwezor calls

nobelpeacecenter.org/en/visit/

ancient Yoruba sculpture, seamlessly linking not only the past

attention to these thresholds or “third spaces” because they are

7 Adjaye Associates. About us.

with the present, but also Africa with the African diaspora. This

liminal spaces designed to evoke human emotion. The effect

referencing of the past, or of other elements significant to a

is an environment that juxtaposes the tensions between peace

particular community, is a design technique found in much of

and conflict and what it means to address civil society and strive

Adjaye’s work. For the depth of vision embodied in such a tech-

towards peace. Enwezor not only an art critic, but a curator of

nique, Adjaye has just been awarded Harvard University’s W.

contemporary art, has been appointed the artistic director of

E. B. Du Bois Medal for outstanding work in the field of African

the 56th Venice Art Biennale in 2015. For this exhibit, Enwezor

and African American Studies.3 This comes on the eve of the

has chosen Adjaye to assist him with the design, structure and

completion of the National Museum of African American History

appearance of this exhibition. The Venice Art Biennale is Eu-

and Culture. In an interview about this project, Adjaye explains,

rope’s oldest contemporary art exhibition and one of the largest

2

2006. p.9

6 Nobel Peace Centre, Oslo Norway. http://www.

http://www.adjaye.com/about/ team/david-adjaye/

8 Idea. Library Learning Information. http://www.ideastore. co.uk/home

exhibits in the world.7 Adjaye’s early work, building houses for I wanted to create this feeling of weight bearing down on you at

artists and art collectors, prepared him well for this commission.

the entrance, a powerful impression of timber, like a great forest. In the way that cathedrals used vaults and arches to make

Adjaye is also well known for his ability to work well with partners

people feel the immensity of the space, I’m trying for something

and stakeholders for designing civic buildings. For example, in

with a different effect—I want the architecture to make you feel

London, the Whitechapel Idea Store8 re-imagines libraries as a

the weight of an enormous body of history, which you will then

marketplace for ideas. This approach to community space and

go in and explore.4

the provision of libraries and information services shifts the focus from a space that simply allows public access to one that

Throughout Adjaye’s body of work, it is clear that he pays at-

is truly of the public. Since Whitechapel, Adjaye has worked

tention to how the built environment functions as a narrative of

on several other libraries in the United States and another Idea

social conditions and how, in turn, society influences the built

Store in London. Even though each building is contingent on its

environment. Okwui Enwezor, a renowned art critic, curator and

location and the surrounding references that make it unique,

director of Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany, writes:

critic Saskia Sassen is correct to point out a distinct character 7

David Adjaye

of Adjaye’s walls which invites a specific discourse of public spaces. She writes: If the wall does indeed function as such a borderland rather than a borderline, then the particular materials, the visual experience, the sensory experience, all 9 Sassen, Saskia. “Built complexity and public engagements”. In Allison, Peter, David Adjaye and Okwui Enwezor. David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings: Specificity, Customization, Imbrication.

1st pbk. ed. London: Thames

matter because they are constituting a sort of third space. In the case of Adjaye’s buildings, the walls are often stunningly beautiful in their mix of precision, complexity and sensory engagement. Each of these three features can work as sites for engaging the passerby or the user of the building. The wall be-

& Hudson, 2006. p.14

comes a space that constitutes or activates public space, not

10 De Peyer, Robin. “Public

what divides the inside from the outside.9

invited for sneak peak of new Watney Market Idea Store.” The Docklands and East London Advertiser. January 30, 2013.

This very powerful nuance, found in such walls that dissolve boundaries, is very much at the heart of Adjaye’s public buildings, pavilions and art installations. Even the buildings that appear to be like fortresses on the outside are transformed on the inside because of strategically placed walls, windows and unique natural lighting pathways that incorporate elements of the local natural environment. The transition from the street to the interior of his buildings is a crossing over of a “borderland,” seemingly to dis-

as Sassen suggests.

appear into the lush The Idea Store concept, which includes the multiple use and

background of the wooded

community center spaces, a café, and meeting rooms that

area of the neighborhood. In Ad-

co-exist within the building, serve a diverse and historically low-

jaye’s lecture at the Cape Town Design

er-income, working-class local community. It is a project that

Indaba Conference 2013,11 he talks about some

succeeds because Adjaye and his team worked closely with the

of the considerations that went into designing this li-

community to define their needs and their vision for the space.

brary and other public spaces for diverse communities. He

This project has proven to be a means of renewal and great

describes his approach and emphasizes his commitment to

value to the community for which it was built. The building was

researching the relationship of typologies and local narratives

completed in 2005, and in 2013 the library council estimated

that drive the architectural manifestation of his buildings. He

It has broken

emphasizes that with technology, architects have the ability

down the social barriers that had impeded access to informa-

to create bespoke industrial design, that is, the ability to cus-

tion services by making a library space more open, inclusive

tomize materials that would normally be limited to what can be

and supportive of life-long learning — a borderland instead of

mass-produced.12 This allows him to find ways to stay true to

11 Adjaye, David. Talk at the

a border line.

artistic decisions that make a space enjoyable and usable, while

(2013). Video available at:

that it attracts about 700,000 visitors per year.

10

still conforming to civic considerations.

Similarly, for the Francis Gregory Library in Washington, D.C., a

8

Design Indaba Conference http://www.designindaba. com/videos/conference-talks/ david-adjaye-evolving-typolo-

design using light, mirrors, reflective material and a geometric

This discussion of only a few of David Adjaye’s work barely

grid was employed for the exterior walls, allowing the building

scratches the surface of the array of what he as accomplished.

gies-architecture

12 Ibid.

9

David Adjaye

Introduction

13 Hirsch, Nikolaus. “Res Publica Or Just a Public Thing.” In Allison, Peter, David Adjaye and Okwui Enwezor.

David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings: Specificity, Customization, Imbrication. 1st pbk. ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 2006. p.16 14 Davies, Lizzy. “David Adjaye tops PowerList 2013.”

The Guardian, Thursday, 25 October 2013.

With offices in London, New York, Berlin, Accra, and

homeless

Shanghai, Adjaye Associates has

people.

a global perspective, with multiple proj-

Lo-

cated in Harlem, this

ects completed and many more in the pipeline.

project includes an early child-

These projects are, without exception, impressive and

hood education center and museum. For

unique; they certainly push the boundaries of architectural

this project, his fee barely covered his expenses.15

15 Tomkins, Calvine. “A sense

design. Adjaye Associates’ work continues to inspire and en-

In the Make it Right Project, also aimed at providing hous-

of Washington‘s forthcoming

courage conversation about what modernity means to different

ing for the dispossessed, Adjaye volunteered his time and his

people and in different places in the world today. Adjaye seems

plans: his work benefited victims of Hurricane Katrina, helping

keen to disentangle the multiple meanings of modernity in order

the people of the New Orleans 9th Ward to re-build after the

to remake it in ways that fill a contemporary need. As Hirsch

disaster.16 On a larger scale, Adjaye has shown interest in ur-

writes, “Instead of architecture that escapes into the margin,

ban planning, and is currently working with Ozwald Boating and

David Adjaye looks for strategies and practices that deal with

the Africa Foundation on a very large redevelopment project in

modernity at large.”

Kampala, Uganda. The Naguru-Nakawa Project will eventually

13

17

of place: How the architect African-American museum evolved a new style.” The New Yorker, Annals of Architecture, September 23,2013.

16 McCash, Doug. “New ‘Make It Right’ house design features an open-air, top-floor covered deck.” Times Picayune, May 22, 2010.

provide in excess of 3,500 residential units, a church, a school,

17 Carleson, Heather. “David

One remarkable project that really imbues notions of modernity

offices, hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and leisure facilities:

office campus in Nakawa,

is the Moscow School of Management, Skolkovo. Completed in

in short, a satellite town that will serve as a possible model to be

2010, this project is a functional interpretation of what it means

replicated across Africa18.

Kampala.” Designboom.

December 20, 2013.

18 Ibid.

to apply futuristic design to a premier institution on a grand scale. In this project, Adjaye designed a whole ecosystem of

Adjaye designs government

Central to all of David Adjaye’s work, including collaborations

19 Adjaye, David. Podcast:

buildings that function both as an educational/research insti-

with artists and designers such as Chris Ofili, Reni Folawiyo,

David Adjaye on architecture

tution and as a conference center. The structure is elevated in

Duro Olowu, and others, is a focus on the people who will actu-

by Nico Daswani. August 12,

such a way as to appear to be floating, as if a giant hand could

ally use the designs that he creates. He states: “I am ultimately

wp-content/uploads/arts-pod-

reach out of the sky and spin it like a dial.

interested in happiness in the built environment. I want people to be happy in the buildings and to have a sense of wonder.”19

and social inclusion. Hosted 2014. http://forumblog.org/ cast-4-david-adjaye.mp3 on the World Economic Forum Blog, “Inside the Creative Mind”.

Adjaye formed his firm, Adjaye Associates, in 2000. The Associates successfully weathered the storm of the global econom-

David Adjaye’s architecture is a response to humanity and civic

ic downturn of 2008 and 2009, and what had been Adjaye’s

projects are his preference. The rigor of his work is a process of

private practice has blossomed into a multifaceted internation-

unfolding the past while bundling it with the present with an eye

al firm. It is no wonder that he was ranked number 1 on the

to the future. Adjaye relies heavily on research and history to in-

PowerList 2013 of most influential black people in the UK. He

spire and inform his creative ideas. These elements of contrast

has also been awarded the honor of Officer of the Order of the

and translations of time and space are built into his designs. Ad-

British Empire for his outstanding work in the UK.

jaye is ever conscious of the subtle differences between spec-

14

tacle and elegant functional design. The strength of his work is Adjaye clearly cares deeply about habitation projects that provide

fundamentally enforced by his commitment to researching and

affordable housing and responsible design. Some of these proj-

understanding the human values and attachments to the pos-

ects include the Sugar Hill Housing Project for low-income and

sible uses and provocation of feelings that his spaces provide.

Stanford University Libraries ©2014.

11

David Adjaye

PATTERNS

13

David Adjaye

Patterns

AÏSHTI FOUNDATION

The complex – dubbed the first of its kind in the region – contains luxury fashion boutiques, a curated bookshop, restaurants, cafes, a spa and a rooftop bar

Rendering courtesy of

in the lebanese capital of beirut,

the aïshti foundation

the finishing touches are being

/adjaye associates

applied to the ‘aïshti foundation’, a mixed-use cultural center designed by renowned british architect david adjaye. the complex, which opens on october 25th, 2015, is dedicated to presenting contemporary artwork from the private collection of tony salamé, CEO of luxury brand aïshti. alongside world class galleries, the development also houses a range of retail outlets and leisure facilities.

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David Adjaye

Patterns

“Great design is not just for the elite, it’s also for everyone else because it completely empowers people.”

the distinctive red façade envelops the edifice in a scrim of multiple layers and patterns

Tthe design is reminiscent of the perforated woodwork typical of traditional arabic architecture

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David Adjaye

Lines

LINES

David Adjaye

Lines

HORIZON “If you look at Adjaye Associates, it’s not about making showy, spectacular things.

It’s about shaping the 21st century.”

Light filters in through the slates on the sides casting bands onto the textured wood floor to reveal a pair of canted walls leading to a smaller opening. As visitors approach the opening, a pixelated image on the wall of the Sea of Galilee becomes visible.

David Adjaye’s Horizon creates an immersive space both confined and expansive.

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Lines

“The extraordinary thing about architecture is that we have to work with not only the citizenship that is there but also an imagined citizenship in the future, and speak to a past... that has already come. We are in a sort of future-past-present construction.”

Detail shot of Horizon

“Any design that’s a new way of looking at something—projects that look at social equity and making money in a different way— that is what I want to do.”

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David Adjaye

Lines

GWANGJU RIVER READING ROOM

Detail shot of the reading room

The reading room serves as a space for public gatherings and events

for the the gwangju biennale foundation, architect david adjaye and writer taiye selasi have developed a ‘folly’ – the gwangju river reading room. as its name suggests, the pavilion is positioned on the embankment of the gwangju river, connecting the street level above with the grassy flood planes used as a seasonal park. adjaye was drawn to the project by the opportunity to collaborate with a like-minded novelist. selasi, who is a a rome-based author, shares adjaye’s ghanaian descent, london upbringing, and ivy league education. the structure draws reference from traditional korean pavilions and houses a human rights library of books, from chimamanda ngozi adichie’s ‘half of a yellow sun’ to emile zola’s ‘germinal’.

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David Adjaye

Lines

It is positioned on the embankment of the Gwangju River, connecting the street level above with the grassy flood planes used as a seasonal park. The structure draws inspiration from traditional Korean

“My work is really about trying to find the roots of the place where a building is being constructed.”

“Buildings are deeply emotive structures which form our psyche.

People think they’re just things they maneuver through. But the make-up of a person is influenced by the nature of spaces.”

Detail shot of the reading room

1

David Adjaye

Bibliography

Bibliography

David Adjaye.”

Transition 110 (1): 30–53.

Iovine, Julie V. 2002. “A Beacon on a Path to Fame.” The New York Times, December 26, sec. Dining & Wine. http://www. nytimes.com/2002/12/26/dining/a-beacon-on-a-pathto-fame.html.

Books Adjaye, David, and Peter Allison.

2005. David Adjaye : Houses : Recycling, Reconfiguring, Rebuilding. New York, N.Y. Thames & Hudson.

Make It Right Organization. 2014. “Architects.” Make It Right: In Depth. June 27. http://makeitright.org/what-we-know/library/article/architects/.

Adjaye, David, Peter Allison, Okwui Enwezor, and Whitechapel Art Gallery.

2006. David Adjaye : Making Public Buildings : Specificity, Customization, Imbrication. 1 pbk. London: Thames & Hudson.

Ouroussoff, Nicolai. 2007. “Pursuing Public Space in a Time of Private Interest.” The New York Times, July 31, sec. Arts / Art & Design. http://www.nytimes. com/2007/07/31/arts/design/31adja.html.

Adjaye, David, Peter Allison, Adam Lindemann, Robert Polidori, and Lyndon Douglas. 2011. David Adjaye : A House for an Art Collector. New York: Rizzoli; New York.

Russell, James S. 2002. “David Adjaye’s Designs Serve as Brides Between Art and Architecture.” Architectural Record 190 (12): 126–[129].

Adjaye, David, Emiliano Battista, and Palais des beaux-arts. 2010. David Adjaye’s Geo-Graphics : A Map of Art Practices in Africa, Past and Present. Cinisello Balsamo, Milano: Silvana ;Brussels Belgium.

Barreneche, Raul A. 2005. Modern House Three. London: Phaidon Press.

Broadhurst, Ron. 2009. Next Houses : Architecture for the Twenty-First Century.

New York: Abrams.

Bullivant, Lucy. 2005. Anglo Files : UK Architecture’s Rising Generation. London: Thames & Hudson.

Humanity, Architecture for. 2006. Design like You Give a Damn : Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises. New York, NY: Metropolis Books.

Lewis, Sarah Elizabeth, Daniel Belasco, and Site Santa Fe. 2010. The Dissolve : Eighth International Biennial Exhibition 2010. Santa Fe, N.M.: SITE Santa Fe ; New York.

Shaw, William. 2006. “Man With a Plan.” The New York Times, April 2, sec. Style / T: Style Magazine. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/style/tmagazine/t_d_ p140_143_well_adjaye_.html.

Suqi, Rima. 2014. “Mirror, Mirror | David Adjaye.” June 12. http://tmagazine. blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/mirror-mirror-david-adjaye/.

Thomas, Laura. 2014. “David Adjaye’s African Architecture Inspiration.” BBC News Entertainment Arts - Dream Builders. August 8. http://www.bbc.com/news/ entertainment-arts-28692859.

Tomkins, Calvin. 2013. “A Sense of Place.” The New Yorker. September 16. http:// www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/23/a-sense-of-place.

Welton, J. Michael. 2014. “Chairs and Tables from David Adjaye | Architects and Artisans.” Architects + Artisans. May 5. http://architectsandartisans.com/index. php/2014/05/david-adjayes-new-line-of-furnishings/ Podcasts

Pinther, Kerstin, Larissa Förster, Christian Hanussek, Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, IWALEWA-Haus, and Goethe-Institut. 2012. Afropolis : City Media Art. Auckland Park: Jacana.

Daswani, Nico. 2014. Podcast: David Adjaye on Architecture and Social Inclusion.

Mp3. World Economic Forum, Inside the Creative Mind. Accessed September 29, 2014. http://forumblog.org/podcasts/david-adjaye-architecture-podcast-interview/

Articles

David Adjaye, Dream Builders - Interview with Razia Iqbal - BBC World Service .

2014. Adobe Flash. Dream Builders. Accessed September 28, 2014. http://www. bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0242m2z.

Adjaye, David Frank, and Helen Castle. 2003. “The Democratiser: A Conversation with David Adjaye.” Architectural Design 73 (6): 90–95.

Allison, Peter. 2002. “The Concept of Furniture: Four Projects by David Adjaye.”

Architectural Design 72 (4): 46–53.

Blackler, Zoë. 2002. “Adjaye in the AJ [David Adjaye].” Architects’ Journal 216 (4): 18–19.

Blum, Andrew. 2008. “Letter from New Orleans: Saint Brad.” Metropolis 27 (8): 94–104].

Campkin, Ben. 2007. “Ornament from Grime: David Adjaye’s Dirty House, the Architectural ‘Aesthetic of Recycling’ and the Gritty Brits.” Journal of Architecture 12 (4): 367–92.

Fairs, Marcus. 2014. “David Adjaye Discusses the Opportunities for Architects in Africa.” Dezeen Magazine. September 29. http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/29/ david-adjaye-book-of-interviews/.

Hamilton, Dell M. 2013. “Precise Medicine: Reflections on Architecture with

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Koenig, Alix Brownem Photographs By Nikolas. 2006. “Double Vision.” The New York Times, September 3, sec. Magazine. http://www.nytimes. com/2006/09/03/magazine/03style.html.

Videos “Africa Is an Extraordinary Opportunity at the Moment” - David Adjaye. 2013.

Design Indaba 2013. Cape Town, South Africa. http://vimeo.com/62431061.

AFRITECTURE: David Adjaye Im Gespräch Mit Okwui Enwezor. 2014. München, Germany. http://vimeo.com/83791593.

Cool Hunting Video: David Adjaye for Knoll. 2013. http://vimeo.com/73780500.

David Adjaye On How Architecture Can Bind People and Places Together. 2013.

Design Indaba 2013. http://vimeo.com/63385981.

Simon, Andrea. 2010. David Adjaye: Unfolding. Arcadia Pictures. http://vimeo. com/8767068.

WSJ. Magazine 2013 Innovator Awards: Architecture. 2013. http://www.wsj.com/ video/wsj-magazine-2013-innovator-awards-architecture/C18AB65E-532E-4E1F95E1-D6D60D63A84B.html.

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