William F. Baker, partner and structural engineer for the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, will be lecturing Thursday, March 4^th at 6pm in Higgins Hall Auditorium

Bill Baker is the partner in charge of Structural and Civil Engineering for the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. Mr. Baker pursues a collaborative process which resonates with SOM’s multidisciplinary practice. His approach to structural engineering seeks to integrate form, function, and aesthetics. Since joining the firm in 1981, Mr. Baker has worked on a broad range of engineering projects including designing structural systems for supertall buildings, to smaller, specialized structures and engineering collaborations with artists.

Mr. Baker leads the Structural Engineering studio to ensure that quality, innovation, material economy, and cost efficiency are customized to fit each project’s scope and needs. Mr. Baker has developed the structural system for the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest structure. Other recently-completed projects include the long span structure of the Virginia Beach Convention Center, the glass cable-net entrancepavilion of the General Motors Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago’s Trump International Hotel and Tower.

In addition to working at SOM, Bill’s expertise is frequently solicited by institutions of higher learning, as well as numerous professional organizations. Bill is the 2008 recipient of the Fazlur Rahman Khan medal from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and the 2009 recipient and first American to receive the Fritz Leonhardt Prize. He is a Fellow of both the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE). Bill is on the Specifications Committee of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and also frequently lectures on a variety of structural engineering topics within the U.S. and abroad.

Professional Associations:

Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Fellow, Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)

American Concrete Institute (ACI)

Committee on Specifications, American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)

International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS)

International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE)

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)

University of Illinois President’s Council

Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI)

Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC)

Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAONY)

Certified in the Practice of Structural Engineering by the Structural Engineering Certification Board (SECB)

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