The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Architect David Adjaye OBE talks about his “dream commission” of working on an important new museum in Washington, DC
The new Washington, DC, landmark will be a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives, and how it helped to shape the United States.
Ahead of the National Museum of African American History and Culture‘s (NMAAHC) opening on September 24, we talk to architect David Adjaye OBE about his work on this and other projects.
How did the project come about?
It is an incredibly exciting project, and it has been a real honor to be involved in the creation of this monumental building on Washington, DC’s historic National Mall. It has been driven by a number of things – from the extraordinary Pierre Charles L’Enfant 1791 master plan within which it sits to a modernist aesthetic, and the architectural context of the buildings on the Mall. Obviously, its other key narrative is the emotional and intellectual idea of having an African root, as well as the universal idea of one culture understanding the experience of people of a different culture. It is my most significant commission to date, won through an international competition in 2009.
What attracted you to it?
Everything! This is a dream commission. It is finally putting on the Mall, and recognizing, the contribution of the African American community to the definition of America. So, the building very much takes its cues from that incredible history. But it’s also a space for discovery. It is a building that allows the American people to discover their history in a very direct way. Seeing American history through the lens of the African American community is really going to surprise people. I can only hope that it has the broadest relevance, and it becomes something that contributes specifically to the discourse of American architecture, museum design, and a cultural exchange between human beings.
What was the appeal of the Smithsonian brand?
Working with the Smithsonian Institution has been a rite of passage. It is a cultural superpower, and an extraordinary client. Significantly, the site of the museum is incredibly special, and could only have been acquired by the Smithsonian. I could identify with the architecture of the National Mall because it is clear in outline and rich in detail. This was an important consideration for our site, which completes a very powerful composition, and is related in detail to a diversity of national monuments and symbolic spaces. The four-square appearance of our building is a response to its position, ending the sequence of buildings on the north side of the Mall and turning the corner towards the White House. Other aspects of the design, such as the South Porch and the latticework corona, engage with the immediate context.
It’s been a long process – is this a normal timescale for you?
I think, given the complexities of the site and the multilayered nature of the client and stakeholder groups, eight years is probably appropriate [Adjaye’s architectural practice started working on designs before winning the commission in 2009]. Every aspect of the design required a rationale that had to be accepted by a significant number of key people. Much time was taken with extensive presentations to the “great and the good.” We had to be completely transparent about the intent, which was scrutinized and challenged at every opportunity. Given the symbolism of this building – culturally, politically, and socially – it is absolutely understandable.
The project was obviously close to your heart…
Yes – I am super-excited about it. The form of the building suggests a very upward mobility. It is a ziggurat [a stepped tower] that moves upward into the sky, rather than downward into the ground. And it hovers above the ground. When you see this building, the opaque parts look like they are being levitated above this light space, so you get the sense of an upward mobility in the building. And when you look at the way the circulation works, everything lifts you up into the light. This is not a story about past trauma. For me, the story is one that’s extremely uplifting, as a kind of world story. It’s not a story of a people that were taken down, but actually a people that overcame and transformed an entire superpower into what it is today. The sacrifice of the African American people has made America better, and I hope that this building will communicate that.
How does designing a public institution compare to a private commission?
A relationship with a client – public or private – is like all relationships: ultimately it comes down to whether you get on personally, whether you have shared aspirations, and whether you have a mutual understanding and respect. Public clients can tend to be more complex as there are sometimes many interested parties, stakeholder groups, and affiliated organizations that form part of the client body. Whether public or private, however, all of my buildings engage with the urban fabric, and the urban condition in the widest sense. There is always a broader responsibility, no matter how personal a project becomes.
You’re also designing a museum in Riga, Latvia. Tell us about that…
The idea for the building has been to offer an experience of contemporary art that synthesizes art practice and art perception. It will contain a group of flexible spaces – smaller, chapel-like spaces for intimate works through to more expansive environments to facilitate larger installations. The form resonates with traditional domestic Baltic architecture, like a simple wooden house, elevated to an institutional architecture. This suggests the idea of the museum as a home for the collection, inviting a wide audience to participate in the cultural and civic exchange it will offer. The roof structure refers to a distinctive architectural trope of the region. Each tilt is a highly specific geometry designed to sculpt the pure northern light, in order to define the interior organization and flexibility of the museum.
