World-renowned architect, designer, and winner of three U.S. presidential awards, William McDonough, FAIA will present a keynote address at the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council’s Ecobuild and AEC-ST Federal. The address, sponsored by Mechoshade, will take place Dec. 14, 2005 during the event which runs Dec. 13-16, in Washington, DC at the Washington Convention Center.
Recognized as a “Hero for the Planet” by Time Magazine, Mr. McDonough will share his insights on sustainable design and development in a keynote address entitled “Cradle to Cradle Design - From Chemicals to Countries," McDonough will make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value. Both private and public sector design and construction professionals working on Federal projects will benefit from learning more about hopeful, nature-inspired design principles that are making industry both prosperous and sustainable.
McDonough's three presidential awards are the residential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design award (2004); and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge award (2003). Time Magazine recognized him as a “Hero for the Planet” in 1999, stating that “his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that – in demonstrable and practical ways – is changing the design of the world.”
McDonough has been a leader in the sustainable development movement since its inception. He designed and built the first solar-heated house in Ireland in 1977 while still a student at Yale University and designed the first "green office" in the U.S. for the Environmental Defense Fund in 1985. Mr. McDonough was commissioned in 1991 by the City of Hannover to write The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability, the official design guidelines for the 2000 World's Fair. He and German chemist Dr. Michael Braungart co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (North Point Press, 2002), which has now been published in German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean translations.
McDonough is founder and principal of two design firms: William McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design, which has created numerous landmarks of the sustainability movement since 1981; and McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry which employs a comprehensive Cradle to Cradle design protocol to chemical benchmarking, supply-chain integration, energy and materials assessment, clean-production qualification, and sustainability issue management and optimization. McDonough and his firms have received numerous national and international architectural, environmental, industrial and design awards for their work.
SBIC’s Ecobuild Federal focuses on sustainable land development practices, design, products, and tools to improve the affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of America's built environment. This event addresses the special needs of those who design, build, and manage government facilities. AEC Science and Technology Federal “Lifecycle Strategies for the Built Environment” examines technology tools and methods to improve the use and sharing of information in multiple data formats both within and between each stage of the built environment lifecycle. Attendees include representatives from all segments of the public sector plus private sector professionals from the entire building and construction industry.
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC), Ecobuild and AEC-ST Federal’s marquee sponsor, advocates a balanced, holistic approach to designing new buildings. Working in close partnership with federal agencies, policy makers, and national laboratories for over 24 years, the Council has led the way in “Advancing a ‘whole building’ approach to design.” For more information, visit www.SBICouncil.org.