Bill Baker in Conversation with Sigrid Adriaenssens and Thorsten Helbig

The event will examine how a consistent pursuit of blue-sky research by designers can advance technologies that result in new, substantive architecture.

The program begins with a presentation by structural engineer Bill Baker. Mr. Baker’s presentation will be followed by a conversation with Sigrid Adriaenssens and Thorsten Helbig, exploring the role of research in advancing architectural and structural innovation, and examining how engineering inquiry shapes the creation of new spatial and material possibilities.

The conversation will be moderated by Elizabeth O’Donnell.

Bill Baker is a structural engineering Consulting Partner at the architectural and engineering firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), where he led the structural engineering practice for over 20 years. He joined the firm in 1981, became a Partner in 1996 and transitioned to the role of a Consulting Partner in 2019. In addition to his professional practice, he teaches at MIT and the University of Cambridge.

Bill has designed buildings of all scales from single-family homes to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest manmade structure. While widely regarded for his work on supertall buildings, Bill’s expertise also extends to long-span roof structures and specialty structures such as the Broadgate Exchange House in London, the Entrance Pavilion for General Motors’ Headquarters in Detroit, and the Manulife Calgary Pedestrian Bridge. Baker has also collaborated with numerous artists including James Carpenter, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, James Turrell, Janet Echelman, and Jaume Plensa.

Throughout his career, he has been involved in research with the aim of creating new ideas and technology that will lead to both efficient structures and meaningful architecture. He shares his discoveries through publications, lectures, and teaching.

He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering in the US and an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK. He has honorary doctorates from the University of Stuttgart, Heriot-Watt University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of Missouri.

Sigrid Adriaenssens, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University and Director of the Form Finding Lab, investigates the mechanics of large-span structural surfaces through analytical, computational, and machine-learning approaches. Her work bridges the arts and engineering to generate resilient, adaptive forms and has earned recognition from the IASS, ASCE, and institutions worldwide.

Thorsten Helbig, founding partner of knippershelbig, leads an award-winning structural and façade engineering firm with offices in Stuttgart, New York, and Berlin. His practice integrates conceptual design with advanced fabrication technologies, exploring innovative uses of materials from carbon fiber composites to mass timber in collaboration with architects such as Renzo Piano, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Bjarke Ingels Group, and Steven Holl Architects.

Elizabeth O’Donnell is an architect and Distinguished Professor Adjunct at the Irwin S. Chanin School of where she served as Associate Dean from 2001 until 2019, and Acting Dean from 2013-2015. In practice, she has completed numerous residential and commercial projects in New York City, with an emphasis on the adaptive reuse of existing buildings and sites. Her work has been recognized with awards for Design Excellence from the AIA New York Chapter and for Design Distinction from International Design magazine.

This event is supported by The YC Foundation, Inc., New York.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is Required.

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Host or Publisher Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art