“Undoubtedly, the most significant project that’s really propelled and changed my career is the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the Mall. I was a young architect, but I was given the task to design and deliver this project. That was my role and my office’s role in the project. I didn’t do many things between that time, because it consumed so much but I learned so much. And when it opened with Barack Obama, before he left the White House, it kind of felt like something had been achieved. It was a kind of euphoric moment for me.”

This is the Life Story of Sir David Adjaye OBE RA.

Adjaye Associates was established in June 2000 by founder and principal architect, Sir David Adjaye OBE. Receiving ever-increasing worldwide attention, the practice has studios in London, New York and Accra and completed work in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Two of the practice’s largest commissions to date are the design of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington D.C. and the Moscow School of Management (SKOLKOVO). Further projects range in scale from private houses, exhibitions, and temporary pavilions to major arts centres, civic buildings, and masterplans. Renowned for an eclectic material and colour palette and a capacity to offer a rich civic experience, the buildings differ in form and style, yet are unified by their ability to generate new typologies and to reference a wide cultural discourse.

Over two months, The Hour Glass has premiered a series of short films on nine of the world’s leading contemporary artists and independent watchmakers. Featuring: Maximilian Büsser (MB&F), Sir David Adjaye OBE RA (Adjaye Associates), Rexhep Rexhepi (Akrivia), Daniel Arsham, Wieki Somers (Studio Wieki Somers), Roger W. Smith, Marc Newson, Oki Sato (nendo), Felix Baumgartner & Martin Frei (URWERK). Commissioned by The Hour Glass, these portraits profile the journey of these cultural wunderkinds and document their dedication to their craft.

• Production: Colonel Director: Greenwood
• Cinematographer: Fabrice Parent
• Camera Assistant: Jesper Rey
• Sound: Lucas Colle
• Edit: Frederik Vandewalle
• Sound edit: Gregory Caron
• Grading: Kene Illegems