The bucolic burg of Charlottesville, Va., isn’t the first place you’d look for an internationally known architecture practice like William McDonough + Partners. But then, the eco-minded firm has never been one to play by the rules. The unconventional philosophies of its founding partner, Bill McDonough, FAIA, have redefined both green building design and the greater environmental movement. The firm has turned commissions from mainstream corporations like Ford Motor Company and Gap Inc. into leading-edge green buildings, garnering glowing press for both itself and its clients. “By creating structures that make oxygen, store carbon, harness energy as fuel, and provide habitat for hundreds of species, William McDonough + Partners is slowly but surely transforming the once lifeless and inefficient buildings that house corporate America,” reads a typically fervent accolade, this one from Outside magazine in 2001.
