British architect David Adjaye had, by all counts, a fantastic 2016, culminating in the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Now, it seems that the momentum is carrying through to the new year. Adjaye, who turned 50 in September, will receive a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II to become Sir David Adjaye.
Adjaye, who will be awarded the Knights Bachelor award as part of 2017 New Year's Honours list at an investiture later this year, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to British architecture in 2007. The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood called Adjaye as "one of the leading architects of his generation and a global cultural ambassador for the U.K."
Other architects have also received OBE distinction, including the late Zaha Hadid, who was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2012, and David Chipperfield, Michael Hopkins, Norman Foster, and Peter Cook, who all received knighthood.