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Grinnell College officials said the college has terminated its business relationship with Adjaye Associates, the firm that designed the college. Edith Renfrow Smith `37 Civic Engagement Quad (CEQ). The company’s founder, Sir David Adjaye, has faced multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment since July 2023. The college said it had ended its business relationship prior to the allegations.
July 3, 2023 Financial Times Three female former employees have accused Sir David Adjaye of sexual assault and harassment, accusing Adjaye Associates of maintaining a toxic work culture at its London and Accra offices.
These claims were immediately refuted by Adjaye himself, but over the following months, multiple agencies distanced themselves from his firm, with some hiring new design partners to replace Adjaye Associates.These institutions include Rice University“reset” plans for Adjaye’s student center project in August, and African Studies Institutecanceled upcoming campus construction projects in July.
As other institutions publicly reconsider relationships with Adjaye Society, Grinnell College releases a statement July 10, 2023, read: “The College acknowledges that these allegations are serious and disturbing. We are committed to listening to all voices and reevaluating our relationship with Adjaye Associates as more information becomes available.”
The college’s statement made clear that the CEQ was designed by a team in the New York office of Adjaye Associates. The allegations published by the Financial Times specifically target the work culture at Adjaye Associates’ London and Accra offices.
Seven months later, on February 13, 2024, Grinnell College President Anne Harris wrote in an email to S&B that Grinnell College “is no longer working with Adjaye Associates.”
More specifically, “there is no longer a business relationship between the college and Adjaye,” Ellen de Graffenreid, vice president of communications and marketing, wrote in an email to S&B. De Graffenreid writes that “Sir David Adjaye was involved in the initial conceptualization of the CEQ along with a team of New York architects”.
“We are deeply sorry to everyone affected by Sir David Adjaye’s actions. Reports of sexual assault, harassment and toxic workplaces are deeply disturbing,” Harris wrote.
Harris wrote that although Adjaye himself was involved in the initial design phase, “by the time the sexual assault and harassment allegations were released, in July 2023, the design work had been completed.”
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We are deeply sorry to everyone affected by Sir David Adjaye’s actions. Reports of sexual assault, harassment and toxic workplaces are deeply disturbing.
—Anne Harris, president of Grinnell College
Architects from the New York office of Adjaye Associates began working with the college on the CEQ project in fall 2019. In fall 2019 and spring 2020, two company members, including David Adjaye, visited Grinnell for “listening sessions” to inform CEQ’s final design.
After three years of planning, the design of the CEQ was completed in 2022. The Grinnell College Board of Trustees approved the CEQ plan on October 1, 2022. Two months later, in December 2022, construction began. At this time, oversight of the project transferred to OPN Architects, a Midwest-based firm, as the architect of record. As the architect of record, OPN is managing construction management with Weitz Co., the contractor firm responsible for CEQ construction.
Although the college’s work with Adjaye Associates predates the allegations against Adjaye, some students believe there is still a need for more institutional awareness of the situation.
“I think it would be difficult to sever ties at the stage they are in with the project,” said Neva Zamil, 27. “That being said, I think sexual assault is a very prevalent issue on this campus.”
Zamir said her perspective is based on years of working around sexual assault and Title IX issues.
“I would like to see the university take a stronger stance on sexual assault and Title IX. I think this is a particularly important moment for the Grinnell administration to let people know they do not support this approach ,”she says.
“I would like to see the school send a message that the ultimate goal is to respect women who deserve respect,” Zamir added. “Unfortunately, over the course of this business relationship, a number of allegations emerged that changed our view of this Respect from architects.”
The project is expected to be completed and put into use in the fall of 2024, when CEQ will become a fully operational student residence.
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