Book excerpt: The most exciting and accomplished young architect to emerge on the international scene in many years, David Adjaye uses an artist's clarity of concept to create an engaging architecture that concentrates on materials and issues of place and identity. Born in Tanzania into a diplomatic family, Adjaye enjoyed a wide-ranging formal and cultural education, which has allowed him to respond deftly and instinctively to wildly differing projects, avoiding conventional solutions and seeking to open up new possibilities. The innovation in Adjaye's career is exemplified in his residential works, which show careful experimentation and exquisite nuances. Perhaps his best-known houses are those constructed in a range of settings for people such as artist Chris Ofili and actor Ewan McGregor. Four essential components make up this, Adjaye's first monograph: an introduction by Stuart Hall; a documentation of thirteen of Adjaye's most important projects, over half of which are published here in full for the first time, presented through descriptions, detailed plans and photographs; a series of visual essays that highlight the tactile, luminous and luxurious nature of Adjaye's work; and essays from cultural critics who have been touched by his buildings.