David Adjaye selected to design the new Kiran Nadar Museum in Delhi

Sir David Adjaye of Adjaye Associates will design the new Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and Cultural Center in New Delhi. The announcement was made yesterday at the Venice Art Biennale, where the UK-Ghanian architect was presenting his design for Ghana's first national pavilion at the international art festival—and, where the museum's founder, Kiran Nadar, was curating this year's Indian pavilion.

Beating out vying practices Ennead, Selldorf, Snøhetta, Thomas Phifer, and 42 others, Adjaye Associates' was selected for their proposal that was praised by the seven-person jury for being both elegant and iconic. Their design was "a visually and emotionally engaging building that was alive, dancing and timeless," the jury exalted.

The new museum will give KNMACC's 6,000-strong collection a permanent home after spending the past nine years temporarily located in a New Delhi shopping mall. It will be a "cultural powerhouse open to all," says Nadar, whose eponymous cultural center will also house space for dance, music, and creative education in addition to a public museum of contemporary art. According to Nadar, it will be a first for India in combining these disciplines under one roof.

For Adjaye, this marks his first cultural commission in India, a milestone that he says is the culmination of a much longer journey. "I first came to India many years ago and immediately felt a profound connection with the life and energy," he tells. "In a city that is in perpetual motion, we hope this new addition will offer a much-needed place for thinking, observing, reflecting and learning, granting a renewed sense of togetherness and belonging,' he added.