Header: © Adjaye Associates
In 2021, David Adjaye and his company, Adjaye Associates, were selected to design several structures for the upcoming 85,000-square-foot Barbados Heritage District. Four years later, the first phase of the project was unveiled, featuring a massive, captivating Barbados National Performing Arts Centre Pavilion.
The structure is built as a temporary venue for the Caribbean Carifesta XV (The Caribbean Festival of Arts), which celebrates music, dance, drama, sculpture, photography, and other arts in Barbados, the Caribbean, and South American countries. The newly opened building marks the first phase of construction for the long-awaited permanent Performing Arts Centre, slated for 2026. Assembled in just four months, the building’s impressive 80-foot-tall frame is made of timber alone, with no metal supports, and relies on the Japanese tradition of wood joinery to create a solid, firm structure.
Okkake-Daisen-Tsugi joints keep the structure together
The design uses Okkake-Daisen-Tsugi joints to carry up to 160,000 pounds of tension. Drawing on the ancient Japanese tradition of woodworking, Okkake-Daisen-Tsugi joints feature bevelled, oblique, or zigzag cuts on both wood beams that interlock when assembled, providing stability and strength. Two draw pins are driven through the joints to provide additional security, making them particularly resistant to tensile forces.
Lean cables connect the foundation and the columns, creating a hurricane-resistant structure. Wooden canopies that surround the main building, providing much-needed shade, will later serve as the roof of the permanent complex. The remaining facility will also be fully integrated into a new permanent venue without the need for rebuilding, within phase two of the project. The new Barbados National Performing Arts Centre will house a 1500-seat auditorium, rehearsal studio, public terraces, and other cultural spaces. The project was completed in collaboration with StructureCraft, a structural engineering and construction company based in Canada.
More to come
The Barbados Heritage District is dedicated to exploring slavery and its impact on Barbados, as a key transition spot from which millions of slaves were transported to the Americas. It will be composed of a memorial, a museum, and a research institute. Newton Enslaved Burial Ground Memorial will reside next to the 570 West African slaves’ burial ground in Newton Plantation outside of the capital, Bridgetown. 570 timber beams, each covered in brass plates, are designed to commemorate each enslaved individual.
The entry point will feature a sugarcane field, while the round mound will adorn the highest point of the sloped site. The visitors will receive information about the burial ground at the red entrance pavilion before moving on to explore the memorial further. The district will also feature the first slavery research institute in the Caribbean, which will rely on the Barbados Archives, a collection of tens of millions of documents that dig deep into the history of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Adjaye Associates has a history of using wood in their work
This isn’t the first time Adjaye Associates has employed wood to bring their designs to life. In fact, it’s not even the first time this year. In May 2025, the company presented the design for the International Children’s Cancer Research Centre (ICCRC) in Kyebi, Ghana. Crafted from timberwood, clay bricks, rammed earth, and composite earth slabs, the building is inspired by the Akan worldview, which views illness as a disruptor of individual, social, and environmental harmony. Ancestral Kente weaving patterns inspire low-carbon concrete screens. Commissioned by Wish4Life Foundation, the 225,000-square-meter complex features a hospital, research labs, training facilities, a chapel, and a support and housing centre for the families and employees. Focused solely on cancer treatment for children, the institution is the first of its kind in Ghana.
Project Info
Name: Barbados National Performing Arts Centre
Location: Bridgetown, Barbados
Design Architect: Adjaye Associates
Structural Engineer & Timber Contractor: Structurecraft
Completion: September 2025 (Phase One)
Project Manager: Benchmark Consultancy
Architect of Record: Formwork
Local Structural & Civil Engineer: Cep Barbados
Mep Engineering: Vanderweil & Edge Engineering
Acoustics, Security: Sm&w
Facade Consultant: Heintges
Lighting Consultant: Tillotson
Theatre Consultant: Schuler Shook
Wayfinding, Signage: 2×4
Concrete Consultant: Redhough Associates
Photos: Peter Maier
Drawings and Renders: Adjaye Associates
