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Adrian D. Smith
Born	(1944-08-19) August 19, 1944 (age 80) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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 Central Park Tower
Projects	Jeddah Tower Azerbaijan Tower

Adrian Devaun Smith (born August 19, 1944) is an American architect. He designed the world's tallest structure, Burj Khalifa, as well as the building projected to surpass it, the Jeddah Tower. A long-time principal of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, he founded his own architectural partnership firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in Chicago in 2006. Among his other projects, he was the senior architect for Central Park Tower in New York City, Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, and Zifeng Tower in Nanjing.

Early life and education

Adrian Smith was born in Chicago in 1944. When he was four years old, his family moved to Southern California, where he grew up. His interest in drawing led his mother to suggest that he study architecture.

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 started working for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) in 1967. He finished his education at the University of Illinois, Chicago College of Architecture and Arts, graduating in 1969. In 2013, Smith was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters degree from Texas A&M University.

Career

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Smith spent many years at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Chicago, beginning in 1967 and was a Design Partner from 1980 to 2003 and a Consulting Design Partner from 2003 to 2006. In 2006, he 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 design.

Contributions to architecture

The petal shape of Burj Khalifa was a major architectural contribution by Smith. The shape of Burj Khalifa was inspired by the Spider Lily flower. The three petal shape re-configures as the building height increases. The change in pattern along the height does not allow flow pattern to organize. This confuses the wind and saves the building from the effect of vortex shedding. Smith was also credited to introduce the first large-scale commercial passive double-wall structure in the United States located at 601 Congress Street in Boston in 2006.

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.

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

Currently under construction

Significant unbuilt projects

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

References

1. Chiarella, Tom (June 7, 2016). "The Man with His Head in the Clouds". Chicago.
2. Texas A&M "Archone". Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
3. Texas A&M "Outstanding alum chosen to receive honorary Ph.D. - ArchONE". Archived from the original on 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
4. "How the Burj Khalifa was built". ICE.
5. C Feblowitz, Joshua (2010). "Confusing The Wind: The Burj Khalifa, Mother Nature, and the Modern Skyscraper". Inquiries Journal. 2 (1): 1–2.
6. "Burj Khalifa: Unveiling the Engineering Marvel".
7. "Adrian Smith - Design Partner at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture".
8. "Adrian Smith biography at smithgill.com".
9. "CTBUH 10th Annual Awards, 2011". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
10. Design Futures Council Senior Fellows
11. Smith, Adrian (2007). The Architecture of Adrian Smith, SOM: Toward a Sustainable Future. Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86470-169-2.
12. ctbuh. "Wuhan High-Rise, Designed to be China's Tallest, Receives Height Cuts". ctbuh. Archived from the original on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
13. "Chengdu Greenland Tower - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
14. "Jeddah Tower - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
15. "830 Brickell - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 2021-08-12.

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 Archived June 29, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
• 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 Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
• Chicago Tribune Article 'Sweet new start for architect Adrian Smith' Feb 24, 2008

• Modernist architects from the United States
• Postmodern architects
• 20th-century American architects
• 21st-century American architects
• 1944 births
• Living people
• Architects from Chicago
• Artists from Evanston, Illinois
• Texas A&M University alumni
• University of Illinois Chicago alumni
• Skyscraper architects
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill people