Architect David Adjaye Steps Back from London Projects After Report on Sexual Misconduct Allegations

On Tuesday, the Financial Times published a report detailing allegations of sexual misconduct by three women against the architect David Adjaye, who has designed a multitude of acclaimed museum buildings in recent years. After the report was published, Adjaye announced that he had stepped back from certain roles he had taken in London.

The women, whose names were reportedly changed at their request, accused him of sexual assault and harassment, and alleged that his firm, Adjaye Associates, has what the Financial Times called a “toxic work culture.”

“They were all black women in their forties at the time the alleged abuse occurred, and are single mothers, well-connected professionally and from influential families,” the Financial Times reported. “All three women knew Adjaye before their employment and had friends and acquaintances in common with him.”

Adjaye’s lawyer strongly denied the allegations, telling the Financial Times that these women had “their own grievances.”

“I absolutely reject any claims of sexual misconduct, abuse or criminal wrongdoing,” Adjaye told the publication. “These allegations are untrue, distressing for me and my family and run counter to everything I stand for.”

The statement continued, “I am ashamed to say that I entered into relationships which though entirely consensual, blurred the boundaries between my professional and personal lives. I am deeply sorry. To restore trust and accountability, I will be immediately seeking professional help in order to learn from these mistakes to ensure that they never happen again.”

According to the New York Times, following the Financial Times report, Adjaye departed his post as architectural adviser to the mayor of London, and his work on a planned Holocaust Memorial in the British capital was suspended.

The Financial Times report came as Adjaye Associates plows forward on a number of projects, including a National Cathedral in Ghana, where it has provoked controversy due to its cost. Almost all of Adjaye’s other projects have been met with an overwhelmingly positive response, however.

He has worked on an array of arts institutions, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and the Aïshti Foundation in Lebanon. He also has a spread of forthcoming buildings for institutions such as the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Princeton University Art Museum in New Jersey, the Africa Institute in Sharjah, the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, Nigeria, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi.

In addition to all this, Adjaye also creates sculptural works. Large-scale pieces are currently on view at the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy and the Counterpublic triennial in St. Louis.

None of the museums with forthcoming buildings and neither art festival responded to request for comment from ARTnews.

Earlier this year, Adjaye was sued by one of his firm’s former directors for “unfair termination” in January. In February, the Architects’ Journal reported that the two had settled out of court.