British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye has publicly criticized the media reporting of sexual misconduct allegations against him, calling the coverage "deeply unfair" in some of his first on-the-record comments since the accusations surfaced. Speaking on Tim Abrahams' Superurbanism podcast, Adjaye addressed the extensive Financial Times investigation from 2023 that saw three former employees accuse him of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault. The renowned architect continues to deny all allegations.
"The article that the FT wrote really destabilized a lot of people's confidence in me," Adjaye told Abrahams during the podcast interview, which primarily focused on his hospital-building program in Ghana. "And for me, it was deeply unfair, but I get how news cycles work and I get how stories work. And there wasn't an interest in hearing my side of the story. There was just an interest in just destroying me, and I got caught in a sort of version of the MeToo slam."
Adjaye did not provide specific details about why he considered the reporting unfair. When the original allegations emerged, numerous publications, including Dezeen, reached out to Adjaye for comment but received no response beyond a statement he issued to the Financial Times. The podcast interview represents one of the first times he has publicly addressed the serious accusations against him.
Regarding his strategy for handling the crisis, Adjaye described removing himself from the public spotlight and waiting for the controversy to pass. "What can I do?" he said. "You can't fight those kinds of social waves, all you can do is go underwater. Wait, let the wave go over and hope there's something when you come up." He added, "I didn't want to wage a war against women. I support women in my practice."
The Financial Times investigation detailed sexual assault allegations from two women who worked in Adjaye's Accra office, as well as sexual harassment allegations from a third woman. One of the accusers reported an alleged assault that occurred in South Africa in mid-2019 to Ghanaian police but was told they lacked jurisdiction to pursue a criminal investigation in another country. She later filed a criminal complaint with South African police in 2021, though authorities provided no additional information beyond confirming receipt of the complaint.
The Financial Times stated it had corroborated the allegations through extensive reporting, "interviewing colleagues, family members and friends who were confided in by the women, as well as reviewing contemporaneous emails, documents and text messages." Adjaye's characterization of the reporting as "deeply unfair" echoes criticism made by Adjaye Associates London CEO Lucy Tilley last year, who called the investigation "really unfair" and argued "there are two sides to a story." In response to Tilley's remarks, the Financial Times said it stood by its carefully prepared investigation.
While denying the sexual misconduct allegations, Adjaye has admitted to having relationships with each of the three women involved in the Financial Times investigation while he was married. "My personal transgression with my wife, which I've had to deal with, is not something I wanted to have in a crazy, public arena," he said in the podcast. "But I got what the social moment was, and I was a character."
Adjaye also suggested that some individuals had attempted to extort money from him based on the allegations. "I got hit and there were a couple people that were very upset with me because of what they wanted from me," he stated. "They wanted to blackmail me, but they didn't get what they wanted. And so you take the hit, people are like, 'Why don't you just pay 'em off?' It's because I don't want to be always looking behind my back. I'd rather take this heat now and see what I can do later, but I'm free from it."
The allegations have had significant professional consequences for the prominent architect. Following the Financial Times investigation, Adjaye lost several major clients, with the Africa Institute in Sharjah canceling plans for a monolithic campus and the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool dropping his studio from its redevelopment project. He also stepped back from prominent roles, including his position as design advocate for the mayor of London and his trusteeship at London's Serpentine Galleries.
Despite the setbacks, Adjaye described how some collaborators remained loyal while others distanced themselves. "It caused a reflection moment," he said. "What it did was to clarify many issues, but we move on. And, businesses fluctuate. There are ups and downs. It was a kind of sensational moment. The media very much enjoyed it. It scared some clients, but also clients that really believe in us have been incredibly loyal."
In recent developments, the first two major projects designed by Adjaye Associates since the allegations have opened to the public: the Princeton University Art Museum in New Jersey and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Earlier this month, Adjaye also spoke to Architectural Record, where he questioned public reactions to the allegations. "In light of the cold facts of what this thing was, it feels as though people are making it out to be that something more has happened than allegations," he told editor-in-chief Josephine Minutillo. "And we live in a world where this is now a thing."
