The big hole in the ground near 14th St will eventually become the National Museum of African-American History and Culture designed by the now-bonafide starchitect David Adjaye. He gave a video interview recently about this project and his design process in general. He describes his approach to any project by looking at the region and culture—eg desert, mountains, forest—and then uses the history of the place to figure out what materials make the most sense to use in that context. So that's how he beat out seventy other applicants to be the one tapped for the project!
· David Adjaye | Thoughts on Race & Heritage [YouTube]
· David Adjaye on the Significance of the New Smithsonian [HuffPo/CraneTV]
· All David Adjaye coverage [CDC]