"The term "hostile architecture" refers to design that's intended to discourage relaxation: divided benches, spiked ledges, inclined seats. David Adjaye has tweaked the concept to produce buildings that should be inviting but aren't, the architectural equivalent of a bouncer's deadpan "Can I help you?" As one of the last of the global superstars, Adjaye has spent 25 years attracting clients to his chilly virtuosity, which leaves me wondering whether they hire him for the austerity of his designs or detect a warmth that eludes me."
"But it's still his work. Clients hired Adjaye's outfit not only for its technical expertise and ingenuity but also for the leader's aesthetic and stature. His favored palette - graphite-hues concrete, inky aggregate, black steel, stained wood, and bronze - is as recognizable in its way as Frank Gehry's woozy curves or Zaha Hadid's swoops. That's why his sidelining was so disruptive."
David Adjaye has returned after a sexual-harassment scandal with two major projects: the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Princeton University Art Museum, both initiated before his withdrawal. Adjaye Associates employs over 100 architects across three continents and projects are collaborative, with partners Pascale Saban and Cooper Robertson leading when clients distanced themselves from the founder. Clients select the firm for technical ingenuity as well as Adjaye's aesthetic and stature. The work is characterized by a restrained palette—graphite-hued concrete, inky aggregate, black steel, stained wood, and bronze—and by an austere, tactile mood that can feel simultaneously alluring and chilly.
Read at Curbed
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