David Adjaye: Bringing African Design Home

by Michelle Linden For generations, architecture in the UK, and indeed the world, has been dominated by older white men, with little room for women, minorities, and representatives of other cultures. Slowly but surely, this community is being infiltrated by architects that better represent the British public and its imperialist past. Among these architects is rising star David Adjaye. Born in Tanzania to Ghanaian diplomat parents, David spent his early formative years traveling throughout Africa before settling in the UK to complete his education and begin his architectural career. As Mr. Adjayes fame rises, becoming known not only in the UK, but throughout the world, it becomes easy to typecast him as an African architect. Indeed, many of his ideas are borne of African architectural, planning, and design ideals, but these concepts have become design informants rather than dictators of
left: adjaye associates, museum of contemporary art/denver. photo by ed reeve. courtesy of adjaye associates.

particular typologies. While impossible to distill the entire African continents design aesthetic into an all encompassing ideal, there are a few artistic themes that are consistent throughout. Highly abstracted and rhythmic designs are more prominent than representative art. The organization of these abstracted forms and patterns lends itself to be understood as much through the imagination as through immediate visual impact. This cerebral view of art is furthered through the abundance of sculpture. Across the continent, three dimensional experiential artwork has historically taken precedence over 2d works. Sculpture, architecture, and even two dimensional artwork such as textile designs are generally intended to be experienced in the round, where the space created, contained, or interrupted by the artwork is just as important as the art itself. This concept of positive-negative space has directly affected the design and use of African public space. In cities, public life takes place in the
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markets and streets, with citizens occupying the 3d network created by the absence of buildings. The relationship between experiencing the three dimensionality of the city and the experience of sculpture and its surrounding white space is clear. Influenced by his early life traveling throughout Africa, as well as his more recent documentation of African cities, David Adjaye has begun to include some of these African design principles into his western architectural projects. Three such projects successfully incorporating these concepts are the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, The Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, and Rivington Place in Shoreditch. The Museum of Contemporary Art is an interesting investigation into public and private space whose influence of African planning and design on its form may not be immediately apparent. The building, 42
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standing solemnly amid the large plaza, functions as a collection of spaces organized as a mini city. The co-mingling space created in-between the various rooms is crucial to the experience. The energy of these informal networks is reminiscent of the energy found in the daily markets of African cities. The 3d and urban qualities of African design are also evident in the design of the Nobel Peace Center, a collaboration with Chris Ofili (an African born UK artist). Because Adjaye was not permitted to make significant changes to the existing structure, he opted to create a pavilion space that is equal parts three dimensional sculpture and building. The tube-like pavilion interrupts the path of travel for dignitaries and
above: adjaye associates, nobel peace centre. photos by tim soar. courtesy of adjaye associates.

the public visiting the Peace Center, engaging them in ideas of urban space. Once inside the building, visitors pass through a series of similarly designed spaces, reflecting the exterior architectural insertion. The sculptural qualities of the building and public space are at once African, and yet completely modern in their application. Rivington Place has a particularly evident African graphic historicity. Designed to house the Institute of International Visual Arts and the photographic agency Autograph ABP, the rhythm of the interior informs the materiality and volume of the exterior. That volume is enclosed in a skin whose perforations and lattice pattern were directly inspired by a Sowei mask from Sierra Leone. This element of public exterior sculpture and pattern making becomes a focus for the building without sacrificing any functional-

ity, enhancing the African concept of 3d space in art. Adjayes work uniquely incorporates many of these African concepts of space and form into a modern western application, rather than providing simplified reiterations of African designs. The resulting works are truly modern structures with a subconscious memory of Britain and Africas joint past. Whether inspired by the graphic nature of a piece of African art or craft, or inspired by the energetic use of public spaces, Adjaye succeeds in developing this unique ethnic and architectural blend, helping to invigorate an architectural and cultural attitude that has long ignored its imperialist history.

Michelle Linden is an architect based in Seattle (USA) and author of the blog Atelier A+D.

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David Adjaye: Acercando el diseo africano a casa

por Michelle Linden Durante generaciones, la arquitectura en el Reino Unido y por extensin en el resto del mundo, ha estado dominada por viejos hombres blancos, dejando poco espacio para las mujeres, las minoras y los representantes de otras culturas. Lentamente pero sin pausa, esta comunidad ha sido infiltrada por arquitectos que representan mejor el pblico britnico y su pasado imperialista. Entre estos arquitectos hay una estrella en alza, David Adjaye. Nacido en Tanzania de padres diplomticos originarios de Ghana, David ha dedicado sus primeros aos de formacin a viajar a travs de frica antes de asentarse en el Reino Unido para completar su educacin y comenzar su carrera en el campo de la arquitectura. Segn va creciendo la fama de Adjaye, por lo cual comienza a ser conocido no slo en el Reino Unido sino tambin en el resto del mundo, ste resulta ms fcil de considerar como un arquitecto africano. De hecho, muchas de sus ideas nacen de las premisas del diseo, la planificacin y la arquitectura africana, pero estos conceptos tienden a ser guas de diseo, pero no imposiciones de determinadas lneas particulares. Aunque es imposible encontrar una nica esttica para los todos estilos existentes en el conjunto del 44
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continente africano, hay algunos pocos temas que estn constantemente presentes en diversos lugares. Diseos altamente abstractos y rtmicos son ms habituales que las formas representativas. La organizacin de estas formas y patrones se presta ms a la imaginacin que al impacto visual inmediato. Esta visin cerebral del arte va un poco ms lejos con la omnipresencia de la escultura. A lo largo de todo el continente, el arte en tres dimensiones ha predominado histricamente sobre el propio de las dos dimensiones. Escultura, arquitectura e incluso formas en dos dimensiones como el diseo textil estn generalmente orientadas para ser experimentadas a su alrededor, donde el espacio creado, contenido o invadido por la obra de arte es tan importante como la obra de arte en s. Este concepto del espacio positivo y negativo ha afectado directamente al diseo y al uso del espacio pblico en frica. En las ciudades, la vida pblica tiene lugar en los mercados y en las calles, donde los ciudadanos ocupan redes tridimensionales creadas por la ausencia de edificios. Es evidente la relacin entre la experiencia de lo tridimenderecha: david adjaye. photo by steven heller. courtesy of adjaye associates.

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h edge, 2006, rumlig geometic installation. photo: cecil balmond. design: cecil balmond / agu arup

sional en la ciudad y la experiencia de la escultura junto al vacio de su espacio prximo. Influenciado por lo primeros aos de su vida en los que viaj por toda frica, as como por un trabajo de documentacin ms reciente sobre las ciudades de este continente, David Adjaye ha comenzado a incluir algunos de los principios del diseo africano en sus proyectos de arquitectura occidental. Tres de estos proyectos han incorporado exitosamente dichos conceptos: el Museo de Arte Contemporneo de Denver, el Centro Premio Nobel de Oslo y el Rivington Place en Shoredith (Londres). El Museo de Arte Contemporneo es una investigacin interesante sobre los espacios pblicos y privados, en cuya planificacin y diseo no es inmediatamente aparente la influencia africana. El edificio se erige solemnemente en medio de una 46
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gran plaza, acta como una coleccin de espacios organizados como pequeas ciudades. El espacio mixto creado en medio de varias habitaciones es fundamental para esta experiencia. La energa de estas redes informales es una reminiscencia de la energa encontrada en los mercados de las ciudades africanas. Lo tridimensional y las cualidades urbanas del diseo africano son tambin evidentes en el diseo del Centro Premio Nobel, una colaboracin con Chris Ofili (un artista africano nacido en el Reino Unido). Debido a que Adjaye no tuvo permiso para hacer cambios significativos en la estructura existente, opt por crear un pabelln que es a partes iguales una escultura y un edificio. La estructura tubular del pabelln interrumpe
arriba: adjaye associates, rivington place. photos by ed reeve. courtesy of adjaye associates.

el camino de los dignatarios y el pblico que visita el Centro de la Paz, infundiendo en el visitante ideas sobre el espacio urbano. Una vez en el interior del edificio, se atraviesan una serie de espacios idnticos, reflejando la incursin arquitectnica exterior. Las cualidades escultricas del edificio y del espacio pblico son ambas africanas, y completamente modernas en su aplicacin. Rivington Place tiene una historicidad grfica tpicamente africana. Diseado para albergar el Instituto Internacional de Artes Visuales y la agencia fotogrfica Autograph ABP, el ritmo del interior aporta materialidad y volumen al exterior. Este volumen est introducido bajo una piel con perforaciones y un entramado inspirado en las mscaras Sowei de Sierra Leona. Este elemento escultrico exterior y el patrn de las mscaras se convierte en clave para el edificio, sin sacrificar ninguna fun-

cionalidad y abundando en el concepto africano de tridimensionalidad en el arte. Los trabajos de Adjaye incorporan con carcter en modernas elaboraciones occidentales, muchos de estos conceptos africanos de espacio y forma, en lugar de realizar simplificaciones reiterativas del diseo africano. Las obras resultantes son modernas estructuras, que implcitamente recuerdan el pasado conjunto entre el Imperio Britnico y frica. Ya sea bajo la inspiracin grfica de una pieza de arte africano, o en el uso intenso del espacio pblico, Adjaye desarrolla con xito esta combinacin nica entre arquitectura y etnicidad, ayudando a impulsar una actitud cultural y arquitectnica que ha sido largamente ignorada por la historia imperialista.
Michelle Linden es arquitecta, vive en Seattle (EE.UU.) y es autora del blog Atelier A+D.

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Adjaye Associates Rivington Place Projects

text by Fabio Cutroni Localit Location Progettisti Architects Committente Client Finanziamenti Supporters Rivington Street, London, United Kingdom Adjaye Associates Sense of place Autograph ABP and (Iniva) Institute of International Visual Arts Arts Council England, Barclays Bank plc, London Development Agency, City Fringe Partnership, European Regional Development Fund, Hackney Council, Bridge House Trust, Clifford Chance Bucknall Austin, Geoff Mayling, John Burgess Michael Popper Associates

Project Manager Project manager Ingegneria impiantistica Service engineer Controllo computi Planning and quantity supervisor Ingegneria strutture Structural engineer Consulente accessibilit Access consultant Consulente facciate Faade consultant Consulente acustica Acoustic consultant Impresa edile Contractor Progetto Project time Superficie complessiva Total floor area

Bucknall Austin

Techniker

Earnscliffe Davies Associates

Conell Mott MacDonald

Hann Tucker

Blenheim House Construction 2003 2007 1445m2

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Progetti Rivington Place

La mia architettura si basa su una concreta comprensione del contesto londinese. I miei progetti sono molto diretti ed esprimono estrema chiarezza, sono uninterpretazione di Londra. David Adjaye, giovane progettista emergente di origine africana, ma inglese dadozione sembra aver assimilato la lezione appresa negli studi di Chipperfield e Souto de Moura. Una lezione di rigore, semplicit, misura. Tuttavia, la sua spiccata sensibilit artistica, coltivata attraverso gli studi al Royal College of Art e, in seguito, attraverso le amicizie e le collaborazioni con artisti quali Henna Nadeem, Olafur Eliasson e Chris Ofili, lo induce a considerare larchitettura come opera darte concettuale, capace di esprimere unidea e, nello stesso tempo, di suscitare unemozione, di stimolare una reazione in chi la osserva, di influenzare il comportamento di chi la vive. Cos, anche nel caso di Rivington Place uno dei suoi primi incarichi pubblici limpatto emotivo dellimmagine prevale sulla possibilit di una lettura immediata. Un lotto rettangolare dalle proporzioni allungate; incastrato, quasi soffocato tra le fitte maglie del tessuto urbano di Shoreditch quartiere periferico a nord-est di Londra viene saturato da

un blocco compatto che impone la sua presenza attraverso lenigmatica trama a scacchiera esibita dalle coriacee facciate principali. Ledificio, inaugurato nellottobre del 2007, ospita le sedi amministrative dellInstitute of International Visual Art e dellAutograph ABP (Association of Black Photographers), due organizzazioni che da circa ventanni si interessano al lavoro di artisti provenienti da ambiti culturali differenti, promuovendo lo sviluppo e la diffusione di sperimentazioni nel campo delle arti visive. Il massiccio volume prismatico marca langolo tra Rivington Street, su cui si allinea il fronte sud largo poco pi di 11 metri e Rivington Place, unangusta strada chiusa lungo la quale si dispiega limponente fronte est lungo 35 metri su cui si apre latrio dingresso, appena segnalato da un pannello metallico ruotante a bandiera. Le due facciate principali essendo quella ad ovest cieca e quella a nord, verso un piccolo parcheggio di servizio, semplicemente intonacata sono caratterizzate dallambigua tessitura geometrica di un reticolo a maglie rettangolari che ne traccia il pattern superficiale; questo reticolo, oltretutto, si deforma attraverso il progressivo dilatarsi dei campi verticali, man

1 Latrio a tripla altezza illuminato attraverso bucature vetrate e pannelli luminosi 2 Pianta del piano terra: 1. caffetteria; 2. atrio; 3. galleria espositiva 3 Pianta del primo piano: 4. spazio didattico; 5. uffici; 6. servizi 4 Pianta del secondo piano: 7. auditorium; 8. biblioteca 5 Ledificio visto da Rivington Street. In primo piano la vetrata a doppia altezza della galleria espositiva principale

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1 The triple-height hall is lit by glazed openings and illuminated panels 2 Plan of the ground floor: 1. cafe; 2. hall; 3. exhibition gallery 3 Plan of the first floor: 4. didactic area; 5. offices; 6. bathrooms 4 Plan of the second floor: 7. auditorium; 8. library 5 The building seen from Rivington Street. The double-height glazing of the main exhibition gallery is visible in the foreground

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6 Vista dellangolo nord-ovest dal piccolo parcheggio di servizio, in corrispondenza delle scale di sicurezza 7 Sezione longitudinale. In evidenza la galleria espositiva a doppia altezza, latrio a tripla altezza e la copertura a denti di sega degli uffici allultimo piano: 1. caffetteria; 2. atrio; 3. galleria espositiva; 4. spazio didattico; 5. uffici; 6. servizi; 7. auditorium; 8. biblioteca; 9. studio

mano che ci si addentra in Rivington Place, in modo da contrastare leffetto prospettico della visuale angolata da Rivington Street, facendo cos apparire ledificio pi corto di quanto non sia in realt. Al contrario, laltezza delle fasce orizzontali si riduce procedendo dal basso verso lalto, producendo unaccelerazione prospettica che genera limpressione di uno sviluppo verticale maggiore di quello effettivo. Tale macroorditura delle facciate, quindi, definisce le proporzioni e le dimensioni dei pannelli prefabbricati in calcestruzzo color antracite spessi 10cm che realizzano la scacchiera dei pieni; su questa sinnesta limprevedibile alternarsi dei pannelli in alluminio nero lucido montati a filo esterno e degli infissi vetrati, montati a filo esterno su Rivington Street e a filo interno su Rivington Place con un arretramento di

circa 50cm che conferisce plasticit scultorea allintero fronte. Gli otto ricorsi orizzontali delle bucature non coincidono con i cinque livelli funzionali, in quanto ad ogni piano ad eccezione dei primi due corrispondono due file di finestre; se vero che tale contrazione scalare nel trattamento delle facciate rende illeggibile la reale distribuzione degli spazi interni e la stratificazione dei piani, daltra parte la diversa altezza di quei ricorsi sembra ancora alludere alla sovrapposizione degli elementi canonici degli spartiti classici e rinascimentali. In effetti, il profilo a denti di sega della copertura chiara citazione delle architetture industriali della zona, seppure anchesso impostato sul ritmo variabile delle scansioni verticali del prospetto realizza un vero e proprio coronamento che punta la sua sagoma tagliente verso il cielo.

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6 View of the north-western corner with the small service parking area, near the emergency stairs 7 Longitudinal cutaway, showing the double-height exhibition gallery, the triple-height hall and the saw-tooth roof of the offices on the top floor: 1. cafe; 2. hall; 3. exhibition gallery; 4. didactic area; 5. offices; 6. bathrooms; 7. auditorium; 8. library; 9. study

My architecture is based on a concrete understanding of London. My projects are very direct and express great clarity, they are an interpretation of London. David Adjaye, a young emergent architect of African origin but British by choice appears to have assimilated the lessons learnt in the firms of Chipperfield and Souto de Moura. A lesson of rigor, simplicity and measure. But his marked artistic sensibility, cultivated through his studies at the Royal College of Art and later his friendship and collaborations with artists as Henna Nadeem, Olafur Eliasson and Chris Ofili, have made him consider architecture as a work of conceptual art, capable of expressing an idea and, at the same time, to elicit an emotion, to trigger a reaction in the observer, influence the behavior of those who live in it. Thus, also in the case of Rivington Place one of his first public assignments the emotional impact of the image prevails on any possible immediate reading. An elongated rectangular plot, wedged into

and almost suffocated by the dense urban tissue of Shoreditch a neighborhood on the northeastern outskirts of London is saturated by a compact block that makes its presence felt through the enigmatic chessboard pattern flaunted by the harsh main facades. The building, which was opened in October 2007, hosts the administrative headquarters of the Institute of International Visual Art and the Autograph ABP (Association of Black Photographers), two organizations that have, for about twenty years, dedicated themselves to the work of artists from different cultural contexts, promoting the development and diffusion of experimentation in the field of visual arts. The massive prismatic volume dominates the corner between Rivington Street, on which the southern faade not much more than 11 meters wide is aligned, and Rivington Place, a narrow closed street along which the imposing 35 meters long eastern faade develops; the entrance hall, discreetly indicated by a pivoting sign, is accessible from this side of the

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Progetti Rivington Place

8 La scala dellatrio a tripla altezza. Il corrimano e ricavato in un ritaglio illuminato del muro 9 Pianta del terzo piano: 5. uffici; 6. servizi 10 Pianta del quarto piano: 5. uffici 11 Gli uffici al terzo piano, in corrispondenza dellangolo tra Rivington Street e Rivington Place. In evidenza la disposizione a scacchiera delle bucature, ora a filo del pavimento, ora a filo del soffitto

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building. The two main facades the western one is blind and the northern, which faces a small parking area for service use, is simply plastered are characterized by the ambiguous geometric plot of a grid formed by rectangular modules; the grid is moreover defined by a progressive expansion of the vertical fields, towards the interior of Rivington Place, that contrasts with the perspective effect of the angular view from Rivington street, something which makes the building appear shorter than it really is. On the other hand, the horizontal bands become narrower towards the top; the result is a perspective acceleration that gives an impression of greater height. The faade grid therefore determines the proportions and dimensions of the 10cm thick prefabricated panels in anthracite gray concrete which form the enormous chessboard: this arrangement features an unpredictable alternation of panels in glossy black aluminium flush with the concrete plates and the windows, flush with

the faade on Rivington street and recessed by about 50cm on Rivington Place; the overall impression is one of sculptural plasticity. The eight horizontal rows of openings and panels do not correspond to the five floors, since each of them except the first two has two rows of openings; while this gradual reduction in scale makes it impossible to perceive the actual distribution of the interiors and the position of the floors, on the other hand the different heights of these rows also seem to suggest the superimposition of the canonical elements that determine the proportions of classical and Renaissance buildings. Indeed, the sawtooth profile of the roof a clear reference to the industrial architectures in the neighborhood, even if also this is based on the variable vertical rhythm determined by the facades forms a true crown, pointing its cutting outline towards the sky. The cryptic and gloomy sullenness of the exterior is belied by the surprising luminosity and welcoming atmosphere

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8 The stairs in the tripleheight hall. The handrail is housed by a lit cut in the wall 9 Plan of the third floor: 5. offices; 6. bathrooms 10 Plan of the fourth floor: 5. offices 11 The offices on the third floor, by the corner between Rivington Street and Rivington Place. Notice the chessboard arrangement of the openings, some on floor level and some flush with the ceiling

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Allermetica e cupa scontrosit dellesterno si contrappone la sorprendente luminosit ed accoglienza degli interni. I quasi 1500mq della pianta sono distribuiti da un atrio a tripla altezza attorno al quale gravitano gli spazi aperti al pubblico e si attestano i collegamenti verticali. Al piano terra, mentre la galleria espositiva principale si proietta su Rivington Street attraverso unampia vetrata a doppia altezza, il caff si affaccia in fondo a Rivington Place con unapertura orizzontale che taglia il prospetto fino alla hall dingresso. Al primo piano sono ricavati un laboratorio didattico ed una sala per riunioni. Al secondo piano trovano posto unaltra galleria espositiva, che grazie ad un sistema di pedane telescopiche pu essere trasformata in piccolo auditorio, ed una biblioteca. In que-

sta, di sicuro tra gli ambienti pi suggestivi del complesso, leffetto di smaterializzazione delle pareti esterne ricercato mediante il gioco delle bucature disposte casualmente, ora a filo del calpestio, ora a filo del soffitto moltiplicato dalle scaffalature in compensato di betulla che ne foderano interamente il lato interno. La serie degli ambiti funzionali si conclude con gli uffici amministrativi agli ultimi due livelli, serviti unicamente dagli ascensori e dalle scale di sicurezza. Al quarto piano, in particolare, la compressione verticale dello spazio bilanciata dagli scatti acuminati della copertura a shed, con le pareti verticali inaspettatamente chiuse e, viceversa, magicamente illuminate da sporadici lucernari rettangolari scavati nelle estese superfici inclinate verso nord.

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12 Gli uffici allultimo piano. La copertura a shed presenta le pareti verticali cieche e quelle inclinate scavate da sporadici lucernari 13 Sezione trasversale sullatrio a tripla altezza e sulla scala di sicurezza: 2. uffici; 5. atrio 14 La biblioteca al secondo piano, in corrispondenza dellangolo tra Rivington Street e Rivington Place. Le pareti sono interamente foderate da una boiserie in compensato di betulla

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15 Dettaglio della parete esterna, in corrispondenza degli infissi vetrati arretrati di 50cm: 1. pannello prefabbricato in calcestruzzo; 2. pannello isolante H42/482; 3. infisso; 4. impermeabilizzazione; 5. lamiera dalluminio; 6. barriera al vapore; 7. pannello in cartongesso; 8. pavimento 16 Gli uffici allultimo livello. In primo piano uno dei lucernari scavati nelle superfici inclinate della copertura a shed 17 Scorcio dellatrio a tripla altezza dalla scala principale

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12 The offices on the top floor. The shed roof has blind vertical walls, while the inclined ones are excavated by a scattering of skylights 13 Transversal cutaway of the triple-height hall and the emergency stairs: 2. offices; 5. hall 14 The library on the second floor, by the corner between Rivington Street and Rivington Place. The walls are lined by a wainscot in beech plywood 15 Detail of the external wall, by the windows recessed by 50cm: 1. prefabricated concrete panel; 2. insulating panel type H42/482; 3. casing; 4. waterproofing; 5. sheet aluminium; 6. insulating panel type H42/482; 7. plasterboard; 8. floor 16 The offices on the top floor. One of the skylights excavated in the inclined surfaces of the shed roof are visible in the foreground 17 View of the triple-height hall from the main stairs

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of the interior. The almost 1500m2 of the plan are distributed by a triple-height atrium on which the public areas center, and which provides access to stairs and elevators. While the main exhibition gallery faces Rivington Street through an ample double-height glazed front, the caf overlooks the end of Rivington Place from a horizontal window that cuts the perspective all the way to the entrance hall. The second floor features another exhibition gallery a system of telescopic platforms makes it possible to transform it into a small auditorium and a library. In the latter, definitely one of the most fascinating rooms in the building, the walls appear dematerialized thanks to the

casual arrangement of the windows, some of which are on floor level while others reach the ceiling, an effect which is accentuated by the shelves in birch plywood which cover the entire inner wall. The sequence of functional rooms is concluded with the administrative offices on the last two floors, only accessible by the elevators and the emergency stairs. On the fourth floor, in particular, the vertical compression of the space is offset by the sequence of higher points formed by the shed roof and the unexpectedly closed vertical walls, while the skylights opened here and there in the large sloping surfaces facing north create a magical illumination.

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Informazioni Information Illuminazione Lighting Cemento Concrete Ceramica Glazing ALC Architectural Lighting & Controls Ltd HIBEX

Firezone (Specialist Glazing Ltd)

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