Tools of Intention – Tools With Value | Technology and Society Forum

William McDonough
William McDonough + Partners, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry

Oct 26, 2005, 3:00 – 4:30 pm
NJIT Campus Center Atrium

Renowned architect and design William McDonough will discuss the premise that the intention, or proposed use of a technology, is integral to its value and must be integral to its creation and application. Developed with chemist Michael Braugart, this concept is explored in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. Their eco-effective strategy characterizes innovations as either biological or technical nutrients within cohesive "biological and technical metabolisms." This visionary approach to technology will be illustrated with examples ranging from molecules to buildings, cities, and even countries.

William McDonough is the winner of three U.S. Presidential awards: the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design Award (2004), and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003). Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet" in 1999, stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that -- in demonstrable and practical ways -- is changing the design of the world." McDonough has been a leader in the sustainable development movement since its inception. He is the founded and principal of two design firms. McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design, has created numerous landmarks of the sustainability movement -- homes, offices, corporate campuses, academic buildings, communities, and cities. McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry employs the comprehensive Cradle to Cradle design protocol for chemical benchmarking, supply-chain integration, energy and materials assessment, clean-production qualification, and sustainability issue management and optimization.