London Design Medal: David Adjaye scoops top prize at this year's London Design Festival

Every year, the British Land Celebration of Design awards recognises four individuals for their contributions to design - and this year, British architect David Adjaye takes the top prize - the coveted London Design Medal... 
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Architect David Adjaye has been announced as this year's winner of the London Design Medal.

The accolade has previously been won by some of the most celebrated designers and architects in their fields, including Zaha Hadid, Sir Paul Smith, Thomas Heatherwick and Edward Barber & Jay Osergby.

This year's winner, Tanzanian-born British architect David Adjaye of Adjaye Associates, started his career in London and champions the capital as one of the most creative cities in the world.

"I think London is where my passion for creativity sparked from. Creative people need inspiration, and we need real experiences. I think London has that unique ability to create that diversity that we've all drawn from," he says.

Adjaye is perhaps best known for winning a competition to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington D.C, due to open to the public on September 24 and spanning an impressive 400,000sq ft on the Washington Mall.

It's a project that has been eight years in the making and is a fitting example of Adjaye's consistency in his design aesthetic.

Part of the British Land Celebration of Design awards, sitting on the judging panel are a host of established designers, industry experts and former medallists.

Industrial and product designer Sir Kenneth Grange, British designer Bethan Laura Wood and Dutch innovator Daan Roosegaarde were also recognised for their contributions to international design.

Sir Kenneth Grange, the founder of international design practice Pentagram, the first UK parking meter and loudspeakers for Bang & Olsen, has won the 2016 Johnson Tiles Lifetime Achievement Medal, while the 2016 Swarovski Emerging Talent award went to Bethan Laura Wood, a British designer who has recently been commissioned to create installations and window displays for fashion brand Hermés.

Dutch innovator Daan Roosegaarde was awarded The 2016 Airbnb Design Innovation medal.

Speaking at the press conference in Exchange Square, Broadgate, on September 20, Roosegaarde says, "For me, design is not only about the lamps, the chairs and the tables, but it's more about design to improve life."

Studio Roosegaarde's recent Smog Free Project has been a particular success, with a towering seven-metre air purifier due to be exhibited in Bejiing from September 29.

London Design Festival runs until September 25, with hundreds of free and paid-for events in seven designated "design districts" across the capital. For tickets and more information, visit www.londondesignfestival.com.