Breaking news: British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye has been awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects‘ Royal Gold Medal 2021, one of architecture’s highest accolades.
Awarded by RIBA and personally approved by the Queen, the Royal Gold Medal recognises those who have dedicated their lives to the “advancement of architecture”.
“It’s incredibly humbling and a great honour to have my peers recognise the work I have developed with my team and its contribution to the field over the past 25 years,” said Adjaye, who founded Adjaye Associates in 2000.
“Architecture, for me, has always been about the creation of beauty to edify all peoples around the world equally and to contribute to the evolution of the craft,” he added.
“The social impact of this discipline has been and will continue to be the guiding force in the experimentation that informs my practice.”
Adjaye, who was knighted in 2017 for his services to architecture, is the architect of projects including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Ideas Store Whitechapel in London.
Adjaye Associates is currently working on the National Cathedral of Ghana in Accra, where the practice has offices.
“David’s contribution to architecture and design globally is already astounding, and I am excited that we have so much more of it to look forward to,” said RIBA president Alan Jones.
“At every scale, from private homes to major arts centres, one senses David Adjaye’s careful consideration of the creative and enriching power of architecture,” added Jones.
“I believe his both practising and teaching in schools of architecture has significantly enriched his work. His artistic and social vision has created public projects that perfectly demonstrate the civic potential of architecture – fostering empathy, identity and pride.”
Previous recipients of the RIBA Gold Medal include Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster, Neave Brown, Nicholas Grimshaw, Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey, and Peter Zumthor.
Last year the prize went to Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders of Grafton Architects, as the first all-woman pair to win in the awards’ history.
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