Bill Baker is one of the world’s leading structural engineers. He has designed innovative structures that range in scale from single-family homes and small pedestrian bridges to the world’s tallest manmade structure, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. His cutting-edge designs include the unique Broadgate Exchange House in London—which is both a building and a bridge that spans over Liverpool Street Station—and the cable-supported entry pavilion for the General Motors Headquarters in Detroit. Additionally, Bill is widely recognized for his collaborations with renowned artists, such as James Carpenter, Janet Echelman, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, James Turrell, and Jaume Plensa.
Structural innovations move architecture forward. They create new design opportunities that can lead to new architecture. The designs of many of our most famous buildings are based on structural innovations.
Many of Bill’s structural innovations are a result of his extensive research in structural systems, which he shares through his teaching, lectures, and numerous publications. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Cambridge and has also taught at MIT, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Princeton University.
Bill has received honorary doctorates from the University of Stuttgart, Heriot-Watt University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of Missouri. He has been honored with the Gold Medal from the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE); the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) OPEL Lifetime Award for Design; the Gustav Magnel Gold Medal from the University of Ghent; the Fazlur Rahman Khan Medal from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat; and the Fritz Leonhardt Preis.
