In conversation with Daniel Adeshile

ADE Architects

ADE Architects are a team of award-winning architects, designers and consultants, dedicated to modern architecture and interior design. They create inspiring spaces for living, working and learning.

We sat down with Daniel Adeshile, Founder of ADE Architecture in The Toast Rack Bake House on Trinity Road to take a deeper dive into Daniel’s background, his personal and professional life and what inspired him to become an architect. We learn about Daniel’s past, present and future and what makes this incredibly talented and successful architect tick.

Q&A

What’s your earliest memory?

A room full of balloons and wrapped presents and my mum and dad telling me I was turning four.

What was teenage Daniel like?

Nerdy, shy and obsessed with drawing cars!

At what age did you decide “I’m going to be an architect”?

14. The route into car design seemed complicated and architecture, which also appealed, seemed more accessible.

Did you take the apprenticeship / part time practise route, or did you study for five years straight?

I studied for four years at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester School of Architecture) which included a year in practice. This was followed by two years at Kingston University.

When was Ade Architecture conceived?

I started to form the idea of setting up my own business in 2007. Push came to shove with the recession in 2008/9.

What is your typical project?

High end residential: whole house refurbishments, including additional floor levels and extensions.

Rusham Road, Balham SW12

Are you married?

Yes, my wife Jan has been incredibly supportive, and I couldn’t have got where I am without her!

Do you have children?

Yes. My son is 23. He has just completed a master’s in advertising and Marketing at the University of Leeds. My daughter is 21 and is studying Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University.

In your professional career, what’s been your biggest success?

Growing the practice and nurturing young talent.

What does your 5-year plan look like?

To continue to develop our residential portfolio and to diversify into multiple occupation projects.

Who do you perceive to be your biggest competitor and what do you admire most about their work?

Obviously, I am competing with other architects working in the same London Boroughs! There is a great deal of talent around and I admire those architects who push the boundaries, for example, using new materials.

How many people are in your team at Ade?

Five, including four fully qualified architects.

Baskerville Road, Wandsworth Common, SW18

Rusham Road, Balham, South West London, SW12

Where is home?

Wimbledon.

Favourite holiday?

France, especially the South.

How many projects do you typically work on and juggle at any one time?

Between 15-20.

Advice to The younger generation?

Network, network, network.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Treat everything you do with love and care and good presentation is key.

Favourite Architect?

So many to choose from! Richard Meier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Niall McLaughlin and Alison Brooks.

Describe your dream client?

Design savvy and a willing to work collaboratively.

Henderson House, Wandsworth Common SW18

We all have numerous obstacles to overcome in life, what’s been your biggest hurdle to date that you are proudest to have overcome?

I grew up in a single parent household in a flat over the Arndale Centre, Wandsworth (now Southside). As a black architect, I didn’t have any role models and inevitably, I have had to work twice as hard to prove myself.

Favourite part of London town?

The South Bank.

If you could relive the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s, which decade would you chose and why?

1980s. I grew up in this decade, witnessing the evolution of hip hop and dance music.

Favourite nightclub or venue from back in the day?

Hacienda, Manchester.

Last meal on death row?

My wife’s macaroni cheese and my Mum’s jollof rice!

Seymour Road, Wimbledon SW19

For more information on ade architecture visit:
https://www.ade-architecture.co.uk