Architects in Conversation: Hans Baldauf and Donald MacDonald
Join renowned architects Hans Baldauf and Donald MacDonald for a lively conversation exploring the lasting influence of the American School of Architecture in the Bay Area. Reflecting on their personal journeys, creative philosophies, and bold departures from convention, this event highlights how a rebellious spirit of design shaped California’s architectural landscape—and why it still matters today.
Center for Architecture + Design Exhibition
Do Not Try to Remember: The American School of Architecture in the Bay Area
On view: February 20, 2025 – August 14th, 2025
In the mid-20th century, a group of renegade architects broke all the rules, shaping a uniquely American vision of design. Now, their work comes to life in Do Not Try to Remember: The American School of Architecture in the Bay Area, an archival exhibition.
Presenters
Hans Baldauf, FAIA LEED AP
Founding Principal of BCV Architecture + Interiors
A San Francisco native and a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, Hans is an architect with a long-standing interest in the public realm. This interest has led him to pursue a wide variety of project types which at their core enliven the public realm, including mixed use urban projects, grand market halls and projects as small as flower stands and bus shelters. Each design problem is considered both on its own terms as well as how it fits into the larger context.
A LEED accredited professional, Hans is also a strong advocate of a wider vision of sustainability which incorporates inspiration from the tenets of the Slow Food Movement. The combination of the celebratory aspects of Slow Food which constitutes “good” and its insistence with “clean” and “fair” rounds out the more technical aspects of the LEED rating system. Hans has taught architecture at Yale University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Notre Dame, where he served as visiting faculty at their Rome Studies program.
In addition to his teaching, Hans has also been active in the Bay Area arts and architecture community, serving on various boards including the Friends of the Bancroft Library, the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) and as chairman of the Maybeck Foundation.
Donald MacDonald, FAIA
Principal in Charge and Principal Designer of Donald MacDonald Architects
With over 40 years of architecture experience, Donald brings expertise in all facets of bridge design, including conceptual planning, architectural enhancements, transportation operations, public participation, landscaping, and environmental studies. He has a record of successful collaboration with bridge engineers and other technical professionals on complex, award-winning signature bridges, such as the design-build of the $750 million Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, SC; the 524-meter Tilikum Crossing Bridge in Portland, OR, and the $6.2 billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project. His latest project is an I-395 bridge in Miami, FL currently under construction. Donald studied under Mendel Glickman who was Frank Lloyd Wrights engineer. He also studied under Mario Salvadori, a structural engineer at Columbia University and founding partner of Weidlinger Associates in New York. MacDonald graduated from Columbia University, and during his career, has earned over 200 international, national, and regional awards for architectural design. Over the years, he has completed more than 500 building projects including urban and suburban villages. His portfolio also features ski projects in Colorado, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Idaho. He also has worked on projects in Canada, England, Sweden, Germany, Russia, and Ukraiane. He lectures on architectural design worldwide and holds an AIA Fellowship in design. The American School Archive, part of the University of Oklahoma (OU) Libraries’ Western History Collection, recently acquired the Donald MacDonald Collection, including thousands of items representing his life’s work. After leaving New York, MacDonald relocated to San Francisco and worked at The University of California at Berkeley as a architectural design assistant professor. He is also the author of five books on bridges, architecture, and building.
6:00 - Doors Open
6:15 - Conversation Starts
8:00 - Conversation Ends
This conversation is being presented in tandem with the current show at the Center for Architecture + Design: Do not Try to Remember: The American School for Architecture in the Bay Area.
