Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Reston, Va. — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced that William F. Baker, P.E.,S.E., F.ASCE, a Partner with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP, is the recipient the 2011 Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) award for lifetime achievement in design.
Baker has dedicated his career to structural innovation and is widely known for developing the buttressed core structural system. He is known around the world for his work on tall buildings and is credited with the design of three out of four of the tallest buildings to “top-out” in 2009: Burj Khalifa, Trump International Hotel and Tower and the Nanjing Greenland Financial Center.
Since joining the firm in 1981, Baker has worked with SOM on a wide variety of impressive structures, including the GM Entry Pavilion and Broadgate Exchange House. He is also recognized for his long span roof structures, such as the Korean Airlines Operations Center, and for his collaborations with artists like Jamie Carpenter (Raspberry Island-Schubert Club Band Shell). Baker has a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri. He is a licensed professional engineer in 40 states, and is currently a resident of Chicago.
Established in 1999, the OPAL awards recognize individuals for life-long contributions, accomplishments and achievements that have made significant differences in five areas of civil engineering: construction, design, education, government and management. The awards will presented at the annual OPAL gala on March 31, 2011. Recipients in the four other categories include:
- Construction—Kris R. Nielsen, Ph.D.
- Education—Col. Stephen J. Ressler, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE
- Government— Joseph A. “Bud” Ahearn, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE
- Management—Gregs Thomopulos, P.E., F.ASCE
More information about the OPALs is available at: http://www.asce.org/Content.aspx?id=2147488985. For press passes, please contact ljohnson@asce.org.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 144,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.
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