The year 2016 was quite a standout for British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye. For starters, his design for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture opened to the highest possible acclaim in Washington, D.C. Following this came a slew of important commissions like Latvia’s first-ever contemporary art museum and a short list mention for the U.K.’s National Holocaust Museum. But perhaps the icing on the proverbial cake of Adjaye’s 2016 came at the last possible moment, when the architect was named Knight Bachelor in Queen Elizabeth II’s annual New Year’s Honours.
In a statement released last week by the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood at St. James's Palace, the group that oversees the award, Adjaye was lauded as “one of the leading architects of his generation and a global cultural ambassador for the U.K.” The Chancery also noted the architect’s global reach, highlighting Adjaye’s groundbreaking works in London, Norway, the U.S., and beyond.
Adjaye's Aïshti Foundation in Beirut, Lebanon.
Adjaye issued a statement following the announcement expressing his enthusiasm: “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.”
Adjaye joins an exclusive group of architects to be granted Knighthood, a list that includes the likes of David Chipperfield, Norman Foster, and Peter Cook. The actual knighting ceremony is set to occur later this year.
