David Adjaye’s Stephen Lawrence building targeted by vandals
- Published: 09 October 2007 09:35
- Author: Richard Waite
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- Last Updated: 09 October 2007 09:35
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David Adjaye's Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford has been vandalised
David Adjaye's Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford has been vandalised only a week after it was opened, Marco Goldschmied revealed at the Stirling Prize ceremony on Saturday.
The former RIBA president went on to claim the attacks on the centre – dedicated to black teenager Lawrence (pictured) who was stabbed to death in 1993 – could have been racially motivated.
Goldschmied was handing over the Stephen Lawrence Prize to David Sheppard Architects for its Woods arts space scheme in Cornwall when he spoke out about the damage to the Adjaye building, which smashed the glass.
He said: 'The politicians talk about a multi-racial society, but we still have a long way to go.'
Speaking to the AJ, Goldschmied later added: 'There is a lot of glass in Deptford for kids to smash. Why target this one?'
In an unusual outburst, Goldschmied labelled the group that killed Lawrence 14 years ago as 'five white bastards'.
The new centre aims to help young people from poor backgrounds to pursue a career in engineering and architecture, in honour of Lawrence who wanted to be an architect.
Doreen Lawrence OBE, Stephen's mother and director of the centre, told the AJ: 'The Stephen Lawrence Centre has had a few incidents and we are waiting for the police to come to back to us. We have no idea who is vandalising the building.'
