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William F. Baker, born in 1953 in Fulton, MO is the Partner in Charge of Structural and Civil Engineering for renowned architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Bill Baker joined the Chicago office of SOM in 1981. He advanced quickly within the firm, directing several high-profile structural engineering projects. Baker’s early accomplishments include structural engineering for McCormick Place North’s long-span, cable-supported roof and engineering for London’s Broadgate Exchange House—a structure supported by four steel arches that span existing railroad tracks. Other notable accomplishments early in Baker's career include engineering for the AT&T Corporate Center in Chicago, and the unbuilt 7 South Dearborn, a 2000 ft tall proposal for Chicago.

Baker is best known as the engineer of Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest manmade structure. To support the tower’s record heights and slim footprint, he developed the “buttressed core” structural system, which consists of a hexagonal core reinforced by three wings or buttresses that form a Y shape. This innovative system makes it possible to construct skyscrapers of unprecedented height and slenderness. In addition to supporting itself both laterally and torsionally, Burj Dubai eliminates the need for column transfers, and moves loads in a smooth path from the tower’s spire into its foundations.

Baker is also known for collaborating with eminent architects and designers such as Frank O. Gehry, Toshiko Mori and Thomas Phifer, fellow SOM partners, and artists James Turrell and James F. Carpenter.

Background
•	Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Missouri, 1975 •	Master of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, 1980

Completed
•	One Financial Place, Chicago, Illinois (1985) •	Sears Tower Revitalization Project, Chicago, Illinois (1985) •	McCormick Place North Expansion, Chicago, Illinois (1987) •	AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago, Illinois (1990) •	Broadgate Exchange House, London, United Kingdom (1990) •	Korean Airlines Operations Center, Seoul, South Korea (1995) •	Korea World Trade Center Expansion, Seoul, South Korea (2000) •	World Trade Center 9/11 Damage and Structural Engineering Assessment, New York, New York (2001) •	Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois (2002) •	BankBoston Headquarters, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2002) •	GM Renaissance Center Renovation, Detroit, Michigan (2004) •	Changi International Airport – Terminal 3 (2007) •	Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia (2007) •	Suzhou International Exposition Center, Suzhou, China (2008) •	Zhongshan International Exhibition Center, Zhongshan, China (2008) •	Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago, Illinois (2008)

Under Construction
•	Burj Dubai, Dubai, UAE (2009) •	Nanjing Greenland Financial Center, Nanjing, China (2009) •	Pearl River Tower, Guangzhou, China (2010) •	Infinity Tower, Dubai, UAE (2010)

Planned
•	International Treaty Organization Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium (2010) •	Lotte Super Tower, Seoul, South Korea (2011) •	White Magnolia Plaza, Shanghai, China (2015)

Unbuilt
•	7 South Dearborn, Chicago, Illinois (2003) •	New York Times Headquarters Competition, New York, NY (2000)