The Biography of Joe MacDonald, Architect, Has Gained International Recognition.
In today’s world, becoming an architect is a demanding career with a lot of opportunities.
The architectural field allows you to use the imaginative side of the brain; it is an art that combines with technology to construct spaces and structures where people can live, connect, study, and enjoy. When designing a building, you have several possibilities to demonstrate your imagination and creativity.
Joe MacDonald is an American designer, scholar, and lecturer who was born in Canada. Joe MacDonald creates artistic and mathematically complex shapes and settings using CATIA-based computer’s generative modeling tools and digital manufacturing methods. Dozens of research grants and international awards have been bestowed upon him.
In 1987, Joe MacDonald received his B.A. in architecture from University of Washington. After briefly studying at the Architecture Association in London under Zaha Hadid, he received his M. Arch. at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1992.
An Amazing Career and Life Journey
In 2000, Joe MacDonald accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at Harvard University. He founded Urban A&O, a boutique design agency specializing in advanced computational design, in 2002. He began working on experimental product design, landscape and residential architecture, after receiving four consecutive Dean’s grants, at HGSD.
Blue Moon was a collaboration between Joe MacDonald and sound artists O+A. Three tuning pipes were put in Northern Cove Harbor as parts of the artwork, which generated tunes and harmonies in reaction to ambient sounds on the Hudson River. The sound was re-created using five cube-shaped loudspeakers, designed by MacDonald and his students at Harvard.
Joe MacDonald was appointed Assistant Professor of at Harvard GSD in 2004.
In 2006, Joe MacDonald created The Bone Wall, a major exhibition at the Storefront for Art & Architecture in NYC. The Bone Wall became one of Joe MacDonald first well-known works.
The Water Planet, a multi-media children’s aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, was designed by Joe MacDonald and Thinc in 2006.
Awards
· 2009 — IDEA International Design Excellence Silver Award for Environments for the Water Planet
· 2009 — China’s Most Successful Design Award for the Johnson & Johnson Olympic Pavilion in Beijing
· 2008 — Architecture Magazine’s Vanguard Award
· 2008 — New Practices New York from the New York Chapter of the AIA
· 2009 — Good Design Award
· 2009 — Archi-tech AV Award for the Water Planet
· 2009 — LEED Gold recognition award for Johnson & Johnson Olympic Pavilion in Beijing
· 2009 — LEED Platinum Recognition for Water Planet
· 2020 — TerraScale Wins Platinum 2020 Outstanding Property Award London In Property Design
· 2021 — OPAL Platinum Award, Property Development, Environmental, Sustainable for Project Energos, in Nevada
Even in 2021, he still amazes people with his devotion, determination, and passion for architecture. He gained an award this year too! The projects with Energos in Nevada receiving the OPAL Excellence Awards for Property Improvement, Ecological, and Sustainability in 2021.