The Center for Architecture and Design will honor Sir David Adjaye, a British architect and Founding Principal of Adjaye Associates, with the 33rd Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award, accompanied by a talk and exhibition about Adjaye's work.
The annual Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award + Talk, founded in 1983, is Philadelphia's signature event honoring an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of architecture. The event celebrates these achievements in memory of the storied career of Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn - widely considered the most important American modernist architect - and designer of such famous structures as the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California; the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and the Richards Medical Research Laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
This year's honoree, Sir David Adjaye, is recognized as a leading architect of his generation. Born in Tanzania to Ghanaian parents, his broadly ranging influences, ingenious use of materials and sculptural ability have established him as an architect with an artist's sensibility and vision. In 2000, he founded Adjaye Associates, which now has offices in London, New York, and Accra with projects in the US, UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. His largest project to date, the $540 million Smithsonian Institute National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened on the National Mall in Washington DC in the fall of 2016 and was named Cultural Event of the Year by The New York Times.
"As a young student of architecture, I was in admiration of Louis Khan's mastery over light and his seemingly intrinsic understanding of materiality. To now receive an award in his namesake is an incredible honor and a true milestone in my career," Adjaye said.
The award and talk will be accompanied by an exhibition focused on Adjaye Associates' work, opening May 3rd at the Center for Architecture and Design. Sharing the stories behind some of Adjaye's most accomplished projects, it will explore his designs through sketches, video, renderings, material samples, documentary photography, and other media.