As CEO of the Adjaye Associates Accra Studio, Kofi Bio has proven instrumental to the team during his role over the past decade. Having not only worked closely with Sir David Adjaye to launch the Accra Studio, Kofi has also been an essential part of projects like the National Cathedral of Ghana and the Ghana Trade Fair redevelopment. Already familiar with our local landscape – Kofi is working with the Mbeki Foundation on the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Centre – we welcome his expertise as he joins the jury for the SCAPE Awards of Excellence and chats to us about the brilliance of the big build, materials and techniques, and industry responsibility.
Adjaye Associates’ body of work exemplifies the magnificence and brilliance of large-scale commercial and mixed-use architecture. How has your work in this sector evolved, and what do you believe is Adjaye Associates’ greatest contribution to the sector?
Our work has pushed the industry forward through continuous evolution and by adapting to the emerging questions and demands of our society. However, it’s not just about answering the present; it is about addressing the future. We mediate the realms of the macro (encompassing the urban, infrastructural, and global) and the micro (attending to the pavilion, details, and materiality) in tandem. In doing so, our approach builds momentum into our large-scale designs. For example, hybridising the art and retail elements in Aïshti Foundation led to the reimagining of how the National Cathedral of Ghana functions within the civic heart of Accra. Through testing across the globe, we can empower our clients to embrace what may seem like risks, both architectural and typological, but are, in truth, opportunities to set innovative precedents.
Which materials and techniques are you most excited about at the moment?
For the past 4 to 5 years, our studio has been leading efforts in exploring and expanding the potential of rammed earth. Currently, Adjaye Associates has several projects that incorporate soil from their respective sites, embracing sustainability while honouring the buildings’ contexts and ecology. Among these endeavours is dot.ateliers — a community-oriented space near Accra’s waterfront dedicated to artistic production — commissioned for artist Amoako Boafo. The distinctive structure emerges from its site as a monolithic three-story earthen structure, characterised by stacked volumes. Other completed projects include a private office, an earthen residential villa, and a beach resort, each thoughtfully integrated into their natural setting through form and materiality.
What are you hoping to see more of from the global industry in a time where ‘impossible’ is a word that seems less threatening than before?
I don’t believe ‘impossible’ will ever become less threatening. As global citizens, our responsibility is to continuously improve the world we inhabit — a role which may feel daunting. Nonetheless, reimagining our world and pushing the boundaries of what is possible is precisely the task of the architect. As there are a plethora of concerns to address, we practise actively listening and working with our clients and community stakeholders to find specificity. Through this, we strive to set precedents for experiments in materiality, such as multi-storey rammed earth structures, or offer training for the next generations of African architects — a post-independence dream on the continent that Adjaye Associates, and other firms, made possible. Through perpetually refining and redefining our projects, our office and the global industry are constantly pushing the realm of possibility together. It is this care in innovation that I hope to see more of.
This article is an extract from the May Issue. Read the full issue here.
