Adrian Smith (architect)

Adrian D. Smith
Born	(1944-08-19) August 19, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Illinois, Chicago, Texas A&M University, College Station
Occupation	Architect
Practice	Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Buildings	Burj Khalifa Jin Mao Tower Pearl River Tower Trump International Hotel & Tower
Projects	Jeddah Tower Azerbaijan Tower

Adrian D. Smith (born August 19, 1944) is an American architect who has designed many buildings, including the world’s tallest structure, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, as well as the building projected to surpass it, Jeddah Tower, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He was the lead architect of some of the world's most recognizable buildings including Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, Illinois; Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, China and Zifeng Tower in Nanjing, China.

Education

Smith attended Texas A&M University, pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture while being involved with the Corps of Cadets. However, he did not graduate and instead left A&M to work at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) in 1967.^[1] He finished his education at the University of Illinois, Chicago and graduated in 1969. In 2013 Adrian was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters Degree from Texas A&M University.^[2]

Career

In 2006, Adrian founded Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), which is dedicated to the design of high-performance, energy-efficient and sustainable architecture on an international scale. In 2008, he co-founded the MEP firm of PositivEnergy Practice (PEP), which specializes in the environmental engineering of high-performance, energy-efficient architecture. Prior to starting AS+GG, Adrian was a Design Partner at the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) from 1980 to 2003 and a Consulting Design Partner from 2003 to 2006.

Recognition

Projects Smith designed have won over 125 awards including 5 international awards, 9 National American Institute of Architects Awards, 35 State and Chicago AIA Awards, and 3 Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence.^[3] He was the recipient of the CTBUH 2011 Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award.^[4] Smith's work at SOM has been featured in museums in the United States, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He is a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council.^[5] in May 2013, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters Degree from Texas A&M University.

Selected projects

The following is an abridged list of work Smith was primarily responsible for as a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill:^[6] or as Design Partner at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

Completed

Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai

Currently under construction

Significant unbuilt projects

See also

• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adrian Smith.

• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture - official website
• Bloomberg Businessweek 'Shedding the Vortex' March 24, 2014
• Popular Science 'The Rise of the Supertall' February 15, 2013
• Modern Luxury 'On Top of the World' March 15, 2012
• The Wall Street Journal 'The State of Super-Tall Towers' July 8, 2011
• The Architect's Newspaper 'Smart Grid City' January 17, 2011
• Chicago Tribune Article 'Sweet new start for architect Adrian Smith' Feb 24, 2008

Monographs

• Smith, Adrian, The Architecture of Adrian Smith, SOM: Toward a Sustainable Future, Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd, ISBN 1-86470-169-2
• Smith, Adrian, Pro Architect 24: Adrian D Smith, Archiworld Company Ltd, ISBN 89-87223-24-8

References