David Adjaye — Works 1995–2007: Houses, Pavilions, Installations, Buildings

edited by Peter Allison (Thames & Hudson)

Bringing together for the first time the early works of Sir David Adjaye, this monograph delineates an oeuvre that begins with private homes and moves to the public sphere and artistic collaborations for which the architect has become known. Many of the 35 projects are previously undocumented, and some chapters feature newly uncovered archival material.

Adjaye’s foreword reflects on his early years experimenting with typologies and London’s built fabric, something curator Pippo Ciorra describes in his opening essay as ‘reusing fragments of the city to find space for his architecture and his clients’ needs’. Working overseas for the first time, Adjaye recalls an insight that would prove an apt description for his approach to critical regionalism: ‘We realized that there are latent memories in buildings, and that by working with them we could construct new images and spaces that would resonate with the future.’ This is what the book presents, with imagery including exterior shots that contextualise interior projects, as well as Adjaye’s drawings. Adjaye’s work is realised as modern, geometric and sharp, but with a warmth, bringing to mind the work of Tadao Ando.