Buildings Have Feelings Too

Architecture’s moral compass declares: McMansions are out. Design with a conscience is in.

- Spencer Bailey

Sir David Adjaye believes in dignity. While his peers put a premium on trendy flourishes, swoops, and jagged angles, the common thread running through the acclaimed architect’s work is minimalism that packs a punch. The project of the 21st century, he told T&C during a pit stop in Miami to curate an exhibit with the artist Theaster Gates, is design with a conscience, the kind that delivers quality of life for the privileged and underprivileged alike. After the Ruby City Art Center in San Antonio (opening this fall) and a skyscraper in lower Manhattan, his next two projects promise the emotional wallop of his National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, DC: the U.K. Holocaust Memorial (a collaboration with designer Ron Arad) and the National Cathedral of Ghana.

How do you define minimalism?

David Adjaye: Minimalism has gotten confused with this idea of white walls and blank spaces. In fact, a white wall is the most maximalist thing you can do. It’s the hiding of everything [laughs]. I think it’s really confusing and funny that a white wall means simplicity. It’s a kind of Baroque obsession.

With that in mind, what’s your approach to creating minimalist architecture?