Photo: Tête-à-Tête Productions, courtesy of Pace
It’s probably this approach that makes Adjaye both refreshingly and frustratingly hard to categorise. His many buildings around the world are without an obvious signature, as are his smaller-scale products and furniture. Some call him a radical, an abstractionist; some even compare his buildings and furniture design to conceptual art. “I’m not really interested in synthesising form through a language of architecture, so my buildings never look the same,” he says.
One common thread is his need to investigate history and ecology to inform our future—he regularly discusses his desire to preserve culture, protect the environment and uplift communities. This has inspired buildings such as the monumental Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington DC, which opened in 2016 and arguably remains the highest-profile project of his career. He has also designed game-changing libraries, such as the Idea Store in London and the Francis A Gregory Neighborhood Library in the US capital. Gallerists including Marian Goodman have entrusted him to create unique, thoughtful spaces, too. His recently opened Ruby City, the Linda Pace Foundation art centre in San Antonio, Texas, is a standout among all his arts projects—it has a distinctive pink exterior. He’s also working on a new space for the Studio Museum in the Harlem neighbourhood of New York City.