George Baird (architect)

Baird’s publications titled, The Space of Appearance, Writings on Architecture and the City, and Public Space: Cultural/Political Theory; Street Photography, each present a parallel discourse that discusses the two core questions: “Can space be described as public or not?” and “What is architecture’s place in the world?”. In a 2005 lecture at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, Baird claims that the true concept of the “public” has shifted and the postmodern architecture movement is a consequential factor for its disappearance. Influenced by political theories that stem from more recent generations of philosophers, Baird builds his main argument for publicness from the foundational thinking of Hannah Arendt’s Theory of Action, and Jürgen Habermas' perspectives on the Public Sphere. His criticisms argue that public space has eroded from the heart of contemporary industry discussions and has therefore evolved architectural expressions that are much more politically engaged. Since his return to Toronto from England in 1967, Baird’s involvement in practice allowed him to witness first-hand the extent of private properties in the city and the increase of control over urban land. He discusses that if public space is not controlled by “the municipality, then at least by collective entities of various kinds; cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, etc.” For Baird, the new era of architecture and urban design, that centres on political engagement rather than the public sphere, is “the problem of city building”. Through architectural theory and conversation, his interest predominantly focuses on reigniting the importance of shared public space as a central design strategy for the agendas of today’s architects and urbanists.

In 1993 Baird joined the faculty of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he taught design studio and architectural theory and served as director of master's degree programs. In 2004, he returned to the University of Toronto to become dean of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, a position he held until 2009.

Baird founded his architectural and urban design practice, George Baird Architect and Associates, in 1972. In 1982 the office became Baird/Sampson Architects, and since 1998 has been Baird Sampson Neuert Architects Inc. Projects include Cloud Gardens Park in Toronto, Thomas L. Wells Public School in Toronto (the first LEED certified public school in Canada), the Old Post Office Plaza in St. Louis, and the Mission 2050 Research Centre at the University of Guelph in Ontario. Baird Sampson Neuert received the RAIC Architectural Firm Award in 2007.

Baird returned to Canada by 1967 and joined the faculty of the School of Architecture at the University of Toronto, remaining until 1993. He also emerged as a leading spokesman for improved urban design in Toronto.

Baird was born in Toronto, and received his Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree from the University of Toronto School of Architecture in 1962. He carried out postgraduate research at University College, London. While he was at University College, Baird co-edited the book Meaning in Architecture with Charles Jencks.

George Baird CM (born August 25, 1939) is a Canadian architect, scholar, and architectural educator. He is widely recognized for his roles as: professor at the Royal College of Art and the Architectural Association School of Architecture, professor and director at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, as well as professor, chair and dean at the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. Baird's contributions to the disciplines of architecture and urban design extend from his professional practice, Baird Sampson Neuert Architects, to his theoretical publications on the subject of urban public space. His influential work and passion for architectural academia earned him the 2012 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education.