How Globally-Celebrated Ghanaian Architect David Adjaye Lost it All and Bounced Back

David Adjaye is an exceptional Ghanaian-British architect who has designed and built some of the world’s most renowned structures.

As a result of his nomadic childhood, he was exposed to diverse cultures in some countries in Africa and the Middle East. As such, he developed some of his architectural skills.

This experience gave him a greater sense of cultural awareness and exposed him to a wide range of architectural styles, all of which have informed his design approach.

“Unlike people who may have had an education or a stable upbringing in one or two places, I was forced to negotiate a wide variety of ethnicities, religions, and cultural constructions from a very early age,” he said.

“By the time I was 13, I thought that was normal and how the world was. It gave me a kind of edge in an international global world, which we find increasingly in the 21st century.”

Early days

David Adjaye, the son of a Ghanaian diplomat, was born in 1966 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As a result of his father’s work, he grew up in some African and Middle Eastern nations during his youth.

When he was nine years old, his family relocated to the United Kingdom. David’s parents settled in London when he was 13 due to a family tragedy, which halted his global travels.

His one-year-old brother, Emmanuel, became cognitively and physically crippled after contracting an illness. The family decided to make London their permanent residence so that he could receive the finest possible care.

When he visited his brother at the care centre, he was taken aback. That was the pivotal moment. Even though he wasn’t academically inclined, David began to consider becoming an architect to remedy the problems he had seen.

He earned a B.A in Architecture from London South Bank University in 1990. After graduating, he was nominated for the RIBA President’s Medals, and he earned the RIBA Bronze Medal for the most outstanding design project created at the Bachelor’s level globally. 

He furthered his educational achievement and received his Master’s in Architecture from the Royal College of Art in 1993.

The birth of Adjaye Associates

While still at the University, Adjaye worked for a few architectural firms before forming Adjaye and Russell with William Russell in 1994.

He rose to prominence with the “Elektra House” design in 1999: a large-scale lightbox without traditional windows.

Thelma Golden, director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, said his works are “deeply rooted in both the present moment and the complex context of history. He has envisioned new ways for culture to be represented and reflected in the built environment.”

In 2000, he founded Adjaye Associates in Hoxton, east London. He focused on creative public buildings, beginning with London’s Whitechapel Idea Store, an award-winning public library and community centre.

Adjaye’s early works range from retail outlets, restaurants, studios, and private residences. Later, he expanded his focus to include large-scale public buildings, such as the Idea Stores, and library-community-centre hybrids that he designed in two London neighbourhoods.

His works also include the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo in 2005, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver in 2007, and the Moscow School of Management in 2010.

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The Verge of Bankruptcy

Adjaye Associates was on a roll until 2008, when the Great Recession struck, budgets reduced, and business dried up.

David said he was “employing about 30 people with six solid projects, which were a lot for a young architect. But I was winging it. I wasn’t a business person. I lost my savings, going through the insolvency system and paying off everyone personally.”

The company was on the verge of going bankrupt after some projects were canceled. It was a difficult moment for him, especially as an architect whose early works were known for their rugged and rebellious designs.

But Adjaye bounced back a year later, in 2009. In a startling turn of events, he won the design competition for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

“Just when people thought I was done with, the Smithsonian revived me and introduced me to America. It felt supernatural,” he recalled.

The museum was dubbed “the cultural event of the year” by The New York Times when it first opened in 2016.

Other projects and achievements

David Adjaye doesn’t have a scarcity of projects; he just doesn’t have enough time. He has shifted his focus to Africa, establishing his home and office in Accra, Ghana, where his roots inspire him. Adjaye Associates has offices in both London and New York.

In 2017, Queen Elizabeth knighted him and named him one of TIME’s top 100 Most Influential People.

Sir David Adjaye was applauded by four presidents when the Royal Institute of British Architects awarded him the 2021 RIBA Gold Medal for a lifetime of dedication to architecture.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama described Adjaye’s design for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture as “pure genius.”

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana expressed his pride in knowing Adjaye as an architect and artist who worked on the country’s national church.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki and Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke highly of him. Also, Paul David Hewson, known as Bono on stage, praised David for helping to generate millions for the AIDS charity RED.

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