YOSHIDA, NOBUYUKI
-Feature:
David Adjaye Imbricated Inspiration
David
Adjaye is one of the leading young architects active in London. Since launching his career in the architectural media with several houses that may appear stoic, he has become well known through his collaboration with prominent artists such as Olafur Eliasson and Chris Ofili. He is currently expanding his practice to large-scale public buildings while he has ongoing projects in the UK and also in the USA and Russia.
One of the most unique aspects of Adjaye might be that he is a Ghanaian, Tanzania-born, London-based architect. Even in London where people tend to celebrate its multicultural vibrancy, there are few cases where the vibrancy was embodied in architecture. Embracing this transnational background, Adjaye has turned his attention to the community of the site of two Idea Stores libraries in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, area for both businesses and the mixed economic backgrounds and continued the atmosphere of the market stall into the building like a stroll. At the same time, he cites artifacts such as textiles from Ghana, a neck rest in South Africa, and a straw thread mat in Rwanda as references for the inspiration of his architectural design. This issue features Adjayes recent works and ongoing projects as well as his exhibitions. Peter Allison explores in his essay the continuity of Adjayes architecture from early houses to several public buildings through a detailed analysis of the Idea Stores as a microcosm of Adjayes imbricated designs.
