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 of international renown, having designed many landmark buildings including the world’s two tallest structures: Burj Khalifa, completed in 2010 in Dubai, and 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. 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.

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.

Smith towering over the photographer.

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. He was the recipient of the CTBUH 2011 Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award. 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. 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: or as Design Partner at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

Completed

File:P6110099.jpg

AT&T Corporate Center in Chicago

Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai

Building	Year	City	Country	Firm
Waldorf Astoria Beijing	2014	Beijing	China	AS+GG
FKI Tower	2013	Seoul	Korea	AS+GG
Chicago Central Area Decarbonization Plan	2011	Chicago	USA	AS+GG
Pearl River Tower	2011	Guangzhou	China	SOM
Burj Khalifa	2010	Dubai	United Arab Emirates	SOM
Zifeng Tower	2010	Nanjing	China	SOM
Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)	2009	Chicago	USA	SOM
Broadgate Tower	2009	London	United Kingdom	SOM
Chemsunny Plaza	2008	Beijing	China	SOM
Jubilee Park Pavilion	2004	London	United Kingdom	SOM
Tower Palace III	2004	Seoul	Korea	SOM
Canary Wharf, International banking headquarters buildings: HQ1, DS1, DS3, DS4; FC2	1991–2004	London	United Kingdom	SOM
601 Congress Street, Manulife Financial	2003	Boston	USA	SOM
General Motors Renaissance Center	2003	Detroit	USA	SOM
Millennium Park and Millennium Park Master Plan	2002	Chicago	USA	SOM
BankBoston Headquarters	2000	Sao Paulo	Brazil	SOM
Washington University Arts and Sciences Building	2000	St. Louis	USA	SOM
Jin Mao Tower	1998	Shanghai	China	SOM
Washington University Psychology Building	1996	St. Louis	USA	SOM
Aramco Headquarters Office Building	1993	Dhahran	Saudi Arabia	SOM
10 Ludgate Place	1992	London	United Kingdom	SOM
USG Building (currently AT&T Corporate Center)	1991	Chicago	USA	SOM
NBC Tower	1989	Chicago	USA	SOM
Rowes Wharf	1988	Boston	USA	SOM
Olympia Centre	1986	Chicago	USA	SOM
United Gulf Bank Building	1986	Manama	Bahrain	SOM
Banco de Occidente	1980	Guatemala City	Guatemala	SOM

Currently under construction

Project	Type	City	Country	Status	Completion Date	Firm
Expo 2017	Cultural	Astana	Kazakhstan	Construction	2017	AS+GG
Wuhan Greenland Center	Megatall	Wuhan	China	Construction	2017	AS+GG
Chengdu Greenland Tower	Supertall	Chengdu	China	Construction	2018	AS+GG
Jeddah Tower	Megatall	Jeddah	Saudi Arabia	Construction	2020	AS+GG

Significant unbuilt projects

Building	City	Country	Firm
Masdar Headquarters	Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	AS+GG
1 Dubai	Dubai	United Arab Emirates	AS+GG
7 South Dearborn	Chicago	USA	SOM
King Abdullah City	King Abdullah City	Saudi Arabia	SOM
Mitsui Headquarters Competition	Tokyo	Japan	SOM
Samsung Togok	Seoul	Korea	SOM
Xiamen Posts and Telecommunications Building	Xiamen	China	SOM

See also

• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

External links

• 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