Design Assignment 

How do we love all the children of all species for all time?

Colorful swirling pattern on circular object with rainbow-like hues on a purple background.

There has never been a more important time.

I have pursued a curious career of thinking, writing, designing and doing. At this important moment in our world and my life, I am excited to share what I've learned with future generations. 


McDonough Institute activates 50 years of collaborative work to encourage the ingenious innovators and professionals to pursue the opportunities we have in front of us today. We share time-tested principles and lessons learned as we also celebrate emerging industry breakthroughs that benefit the planet. The goal of the Institute is to support safe then circular design that benefits our planet for generations to come.

I invite you to collaborate with us so that we can design a sustainable future.

Bill

Penida Island Bali, Indonesia 8.775677, 115.501126

MISSION

Intergenerational Design

VISION

Be a compass for intergenerational design.

McDonough's utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that–in demonstrable and practical ways–is changing the design 
of the world.

Time Magazine ⎯ Hero for the Planet

50 YEARS OF THOUGHTS, WORDS, DEEDS

Seeing Beyond The Horizon

  • solar house

    1976

    McDonough builds the first solar heated house in Ireland

  • environmental defense

    1984

    McDonough designs the first “green office” in New York, for the Environmental Defense Fund

  • Warsaw tower Wall Street Journal

    1989

    The Wall Street Journal features McDonough’s Warsaw Tower design on the front page. McDonough’s radical idea at the time was to plant 10-square-miles of trees to compensate for the building’s carbon footprint.

  • Hannover principles

    1992

    The Hannover Principles were commissioned of WM+P by the City of Hannover, Germany to guide the design of the 2000 World’s Fair.

  • Earth Summit 1992

    1992

    McDonough represents the architecture community at the Earth Summit in Brazil

  • U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

    1993

    William McDonough is a charter member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

  • Presidential federal sustainability awards

    1996

    McDonough becomes the first and only individual to receive the U.S. Presidential Award for Sustainable Development

  • Heroes for the planet

    1999

    McDonough is named a “Hero for the Planet” by Time magazine and “Designer of the Year” by Interiors magazine

  • factory overhead view

    2000

    Ford Rouge revitalization and landscape master plan is completed – World's largest green roof

  • Cradle to Cradle

    2002

    McDonough co-authors Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, widely considered a seminal text in the sustainability and Circular Economy movements

  • made for tomorrow

    2010

    McDonough co-founded the non-profit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

  • Book cover of "The Upcycle" by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, featuring zigzag design and foreword by Bill Clinton.

    2013

    William McDonough co-authors The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability—Designing For Abundance

  • World economic forum

    2014

    McDonough is named Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Circular Economy

  • carbon is not the enemy

    2016

    Nature magazine publishes McDonough's essay titled "Carbon is not the Enemy" and announces a New Language of Carbon.

  • the five goods

    2017

    McDonough launches 
The Five Goods inspired by Cradle to Cradle Design

  • Fashion For Good

    2017

    Fashion for Good launches in Partnership with McDonough Innovation

  • Fortune World's 50 Greatest Leaders

    2019

    Fortune magazine names William McDonough one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders for his contributions to sustainable architecture and Circular Economy design.

  • Circular Carbon Economy

    2020

    McDonough articulated the Circular Carbon Economy at the 2020 G20 workshops

  • William McDonough

    2023

    William McDonough Named to the Inaugural TIME100 Climate List of the 100 Most Influential Leaders Driving Business Climate Action

Ingenious In Your Inbox

Discover how the five goods shape creative breakthroughs in energy, architecture, design, and fashion, with updates delivered periodically to your inbox.

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