William McDonough is an internationally respected designer and one of the primary proponents and shapers of what he calls "The Next Industrial Revolution." Time magazine recently recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet," stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that, in demonstrable and practical ways is changing the design of the world." In 1996, he received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the nation's highest environmental honor. He is founding principal of William McDonough+ Partners, a globally recognized design firm practicing ecologically, socially and economically intelligent architecture and community design in the U.S. and abroad.
He is a professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia and the former dean of Architecture. In addition, he is the founder and creative director, Institute for Sustainable Design and Commerce, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia.