David Adjaye is stepping back from various roles due to allegations of sexual misconduct

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Sir David Adjaye backed out of several roles and projects after a Financial Times investigation revealed that three former female employees accused the famous architect of serious misconduct, including sexual assault.

The architect has achieved worldwide fame in recent years. His firm has been commissioned to design the United Kingdom’s Holocaust Memorial as well as Ghana’s National Cathedral in Accra and a Museum of West African Art in Benin City, Nigeria.

The British government department that oversees the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center in London said it was “aware” of the allegations and that Adjaye’s architectural practice, Adjaye Associates, has confirmed that “Sir David will not be involved” in the design of the memorial “until the issues have been addressed”.

It’s unclear how Adjaye Associates plans to handle the accusations or how as president of Adjaye he will distance himself from the Holocaust memorial project his firm is still designing.

Adjaye also stepped down as one of the trustees of the prestigious Serpentine galleries of contemporary art in London. “We accepted his resignation immediately,” the organization said.

In addition, the architect relinquished his role as an advisor to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. “Sir David Adjaye has relinquished his role as an advocate for design,” said the mayor’s spokesperson, adding that the mayor’s design advocates have been chosen to “shape a better city by promoting quality and inclusion in the built environment.”

In a statement via his spokesperson, Adjaye said he would step down so the allegations would not become a “distraction”.

He added, “While I continue to strongly reject the extremely serious allegations against me, it is important that they do not become a distraction for those organizations in which I have a personal role. In order to focus on restoring trust and accountability, I have agreed to step away from those personal roles with immediate effect.”

The three women who previously worked in the practice have accused Adjaye and his practice of various forms of exploitation — from alleged sexual abuse and harassment by him to a toxic work culture — that has gone unchecked for years.

Separately, the East County Library project in the US state of Oregon, which Adjaye Associates was working on, said on Tuesday that the company was “no longer associated” with it and “this action was completed prior to publication” of the FT story.

Adjaye has enjoyed international success from designing the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, which was one of the biggest achievements of his career, to the Abrahamic Family House, which includes a mosque, church and synagogue in Abu Dhabi.