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Baird established his practice, George Baird Architect and Associates, in Toronto in 1972. In its early years Baird operated the firm as an important "teaching office," employing many of his University of Toronto students, including Bruce Kuwabara, Martin Kohn, Donald MacKay, Detlef Mertins, Barry Sampson and John van Nostrand, all of whom have subsequently distinguished themselves as practitioners and/or educators. In 1982 the office evolved into the partnership of Baird/Sampson Architects, and in 1998 became Baird Sampson Neuert Architects Inc.

Baird's office has produced award-winning architecture and urban design, and has authored many influential studies, notably 1982's Greening Downtown: Design Guidelines for Georgia-Robson Corridor, Vancouver, British Columbia, which established the firm's reputation for intelligent urban analysis. Notable early projects include the office headquarters for the Ontario Trucking Association, Rexdale, Ont. (1980); an unsuccessful but influential entry to the Edmonton City Hall Competition, Edmonton, Alta. (1982); and the unbuilt Elliot Lake Auditorium for the Arts, Elliot Lake, Ont. (1984).

Baird/Sampson Architects and Baird Sampson Neuert Architects Inc. completed a number of award-winning projects, including Cloud Gardens Park in Toronto (1994); the Butterfly Conservatory for the Niagara Parks Commission, Niagara Falls, Ontario (1996); student residences for the University of Toronto in Mississauga (1999) and in Scarborough (2003); and mausolea at Prospect Cemetery (2001) and Pine Hills Cemetery in Toronto and Beechwood Cemetery in Vaughan, Ont. (2002).

George Baird has exhibited, lectured and published extensively both nationally and internationally. His most notable publications include Meaning in Architecture (1968), co-edited with Charles Jencks; Alvar Aalto (1969); and The Space of Appearance (1995). At the time of his appointment as dean of the University of Toronto's faculty of architecture, landscape and design, work in progress included A New Theory of Public Space and a series profiling notable figures in the field of architectural theory since 1968.

George Baird's honours and awards include the Toronto Arts Foundation Award for Architecture and Design, a Governor-General's Award for the Cloud Gardens Park, and the da Vinci Medal of the Ontario Association of Architects. He is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Author MARCO POLO

Links to Other Sites
George Baird
A profile on George Baird, former Dean of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto.

Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
The website for the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, & Design (FALD) at the University of Toronto. Features academic program information and an overview of the 112-year history of the Faculty.