David Adjaye to be knighted in the New Year’s Honours 2017
British Architect, David Adjaye, was chosen to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Honours 2017, for being “one of the leading architects of his generation and a global cultural ambassador for the UK.” Adjaye, who has been named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007, expressed his gratitude by saying: “I am truly honoured and humbled to receive a knighthood by Her Majesty the Queen for my contribution to architecture. I see this not as a personal celebration, but as a celebration of the vast potential—and responsibility—for architecture to effect positive social change.”
The 50-year-old architect was born in Tanzania, to Ghanaian parents. Because of his father’s work as a diplomat, he kept moving between African and middle-eastern countries before finally settling in the UK by the age of 9. Adjaye got his Bachelor of Architecture from South Bank University and his Master of Architecture from the Royal College of Art. He co-founded Adjaye and Russel, with William Russel in 1994, before starting his own Adjaye Associates in 2000.
Adjaye’s travels, as a child, influenced his architectural style which celebrates diversity, backed by a high cultural sense. His notable projects include the Stephen Lawrence Center in London, which is an educational facility built in honor of the murdered Black British architectural student, Stephen Lawrence.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture – Courtesy of Adjaye Associates – Photography: Darren Bradley
There is, also, Adjaye’s recent accomplishment and one of the highlights of his career, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in the monument grounds of Washington. He is currently working on Latvia’s first Contemporary Art Museum, while hoping to win the competition for the New Holocaust Memorial in London, having been one of the 10 shortlisted teams.