William McDonough

William McDonough is one of the world’s most famous green architecture architects and an internationally acclaimed speaker on sustainable development, circular economy, green architecture and design.

He is one of the pioneers of the concepts of Cradle to Cradle Design™, the Circular Economy and the Circular Carbon Economy, where products, and even buildings, are designed to be dismantled and reused when they’ve fulfilled their original purpose.

McDonough and German chemist Michael Braungart made a detailed case for the circular economy in a book they co-authored called “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking The Way We Make Things”, published in 2002. The book has since spawned the California-based Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute that certifies products across five attributes – material health, circularity, renewable energy, water stewardship and social fairness.

McDonough is trained as an architect, but his interests and influence extend from the global to the molecular. He conceived and directed major sustainable design projects, including the Ford Rouge Truck Plant in Michigan, where he installed the largest green roof in the world, resulting in significant savings in energy costs. He is also the main planner of seven new all-green cities in China and has designed NASA’s Sustainable Base, one of the most innovative structures in the United States. In his practical and nature-inspired projects, he employs sustainable principles that are based on both aesthetic and economic impact; principles that have developed around the world.

McDonough was the inaugural chair of the World Economic Forum’s MetaCouncil on the Circular Economy (2014-2016) and is currently a member of the Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of the Environment and Natural Resource Security. He is also chairman and advisory board member of the China-United States Center for Sustainable Development.

What it offers
McDonough’s leadership in sustainable development is international and he has written and lectured numerously on his design philosophy and practice.

How he presents
In his charming speeches, delivered with eloquence and a very dry sense of humor, McDonough draws on his extraordinary body of work to provide you with strategies towards absolute sustainability across all industries. It also explains its influential cradle-to-cradle design process, where products can be used, recycled and reused without losing material quality.