David Adjaye Designs Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library In South Africa, Will Become Centre For Excellence

• Celebrated Ghanaian architect, Sir David Adjaye, designed the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johanessburg, South Africa, as a centre of excellence
• The architect boasts of impressive architectural designs in Ghana, the US, Russia and other parts of the world
• The Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library will have a variety of uses, such as a museum, a place for temporary exhibitions, and a research centre

Sir David Adjaye is arguably the most celebrated African architect on the continent, with enviable architectural designs in his portfolio. He has designed the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg, South Africa, to add to his numerous architectural designs of buildings on the continent.

The group of structures, situated in Johannesburg, are designed to act as a foundation for the distribution and preservation of African knowledge and history. David Adjaye explains:

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The Thabo Mbeki Centre offers a chance to fulfil former President Thabo Mbeki's vision of advancing and empowering an African Renaissance by creating a new historical centre for African awareness where knowledge, education, and nourishment are fostered in the representation and intelligence of the continent.

In keeping with its purpose as a place of study, the library complex will also contain a research centre, seminar rooms, auditorium, and reading room in addition to a museum, temporary exhibition space, and digital experience. A store and a café will be among the more sociable areas.

A centre for women's empowerment will also be located there, along with areas for archives and special collections where important records and artefacts from notable historical African individuals would be kept.

The structure conceptually displays both ancient and modern African history. The structure of the building complex, which uses a granary as a design cue, represents storage, sustenance, planting, and harvesting as a metaphor for knowledge-based feeding.

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Meet David Adjaye, the Ghanaian Architect Who Designed Museums in America and Others in Norway and Russia

In an earlier story, YEN.com.gh wrote about some impressive designs of David Adjaye. British architect Sir David Adjaye, of Ghanaian heritage, is known for creating iconic structures like the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He received an award from the British government for his excellent deeds. He becomes the first African to get the Royal Gold Medal and the first black architect to receive the honour in its 173-year existence.

Source: YEN.com.gh