Firm Profile
If you understand that architecture is a social art form, it requires the input of the citizen to allow great architecture to happen. It comes out of being engaged culturally and listening. I always say, listen to the energy of the community, because that tells you where the project
should go. - David Adjaye
Founded in 2000 by David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates is a global architecture and urban design practice recognised for culturally grounded, research-led work across the public, civic, and institutional sectors. The practice operates at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, and social impact, advancing a design approach that responds to place, history, and contemporary global conditions.
With studios in Accra, London, and New York, Adjaye Associates has positioned itself to have an international perspective to architecture. The multicultural team enables the practice to work across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia, while remaining deeply engaged with local contexts. Each project is shaped by extensive research into cultural narratives, climate, material traditions, and social rituals, resulting in architecture that is both globally relevant and locally specific. Community and social impact is at the heart of our ethos and approach to every project.
David Adjaye is internationally recognised as a leading architectural visionary of his generation. His work is distinguished by its ability to translate complex cultural and civic ideas into powerful architectural form. Major projects such as the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi have established the practice as a global leader in museum architecture, cultural institutions, and public buildings that address questions of identity, memory, and coexistence.
Urban design and masterplanning are central to the studio’s work. Adjaye Associates develops large-scale frameworks that integrate architecture, landscape, infrastructure, and community life.
Healthcare architecture represents another significant area of expertise. The practice has delivered and continues to develop hospital projects across multiple regions in West Africa setting new benchmarks for equitable, climate-responsive healthcare infrastructure on the continent through international work.
Sustainability at Adjaye Associates is rooted in long-term research and is integral to our design process. The practice investigates lost and overlooked knowledge systems, including indigenous building traditions and pre-industrial climatic intelligence, to inform contemporary sustainable architecture. This research-driven approach allows the studio to develop environmentally responsive designs that are resilient, materially efficient, and culturally embedded.
