William McDonough is a globally recognized leader in sustainable development and is the founding principle of the firm.
After establishing William McDonough Architects in New York in 1981, he later moved the practice, which became William McDonough + Partners, to Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1994, when he became Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia.
In 1996, McDonough received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, and in 2003 he earned the first U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for his work with Shaw Industries.
In 2004, he received the National Design Award for exemplary achievement in the field of environmental design.
He is currently serving on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Environment and Natural Resource Security.