Born in 1966 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1993.
Lives and works in London, UK.
David Adjaye is considered to be one of the leading architects of his generation. By 1994, he had already opened his own architectural bureau and quickly built a reputation as a professional architect with an artistic perspective. His work is highly respected by the architectural community, as well as the general public, who admire his skillful use of materials and his ability to showcase light. In June 2000, David reorganised his architectural bureau and named it Adjaye/Associates.
David is a role model for young architects. He regularly delivers workshops and lectures at world famous universities and art centres, including Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Architectural Association, Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon, Cornell University, Yale University, Art Centre College of Design in Los Angeles, Royal College of Art, Cambridge and Norsk Forum in OsloIn 1993, after a course of lectures he received an MA in Architecture at the Royal College of Art. The same year he was awarded the Bronze Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
David’s Idea Store, a combination of a library and an educational centre, was chosen by Deyan Sudjic, the renowned architecture critic, for participation in the Eighth Architecture Biennale in 2002, as part of a presentation of “one hundred projects that changed the world”. In September 2003, the Idea Store was included in the programme of the São Paulo Biennale in Brazil and then, in 2004, of the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy. In 2005, the Idea Store Chrisp Street won the RIBA London award.
The Adjaye Associates studio has recently completed work on the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway, which opened for visitors in June 2005, and the second Idea Store opened in October 2005 in Whitechapel. Currently, the architect is busy with projects for the London firms Iniva/Autograph, Bernie Grant Performing Arts Centre, Stephen Lawrence Educational Centre, and the new building for the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art.
David frequently works with the BBC — he coauthored two seasons of the Dreamspaces television series and hosts a BBC radio programme. In June 2005, he presented the documentary, Building Africa: Architecture of a Continent.
David gained particular fame by designing homes for celebrities, including Ewan McGregor and Alexander McQueen. In May 2005, David’s first book was published by Thames & Hudson, called David Adjaye Houses: Recycling, Reconfiguring, Rebuilding. His first exhibition was held at Whitechapel Art Gallery from January to March 2006 titled, David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings. Whitechapel, in conjunction with Thames & Hudson, also published a catalogue of the same name.
The Adjaye Associates studio was one of several world famous architectural firms that offered to design the buildings on the Campus of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO. The SKOLKOVO Campus, as conceived by the School’s founders, was intended to exemplify high-tech, versatile design that meets the most rigorous requirements. The founding partners of the Moscow School of Management were impressed by the designer’s unconventional vision and original concept, and chose David to design the final project. By embodying his ideas, the SKOLKOVO Campus became an entirely new phenomenon in contemporary architecture.
