DONALD MACDONALD
Donald is Principal in Charge and Principal Designer on all Donald MacDonald Architects, LLP projects. 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.
MacDonald graduated from Columbia University, and during his career, has won just under 200 international, national, and regional awards for architectural design. 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.
Learn more about Don’s practice here.
ERIC BIRKHAUSER
With 18 years of Bridge design experience, Eric provides bridge aesthetics and design leadership, working in close collaboration with engineering partners. During his career, Eric has led the design of over 30 signature bridges, including the three-arch concept for the $1 billion Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and the $38 million Northgate Pedestrian Bridge. His design work on bridge design, industrial design, and transportation and high-rise architecture has brought international awards and acclaim.
PRACTICE
In 1966, Donald MacDonald Bridge Architects (DMD) established North America’s most widely recognized and award-winning bridge architecture design firm. Today, Donald MacDonald Bridge Architects, LLP continues this design excellence through a partnership with VIA – A Perkins Eastman Studio, with a team focused on bridge designs that are emblematic of the people and places they serve. Operating as one office, this next-generation partnership offers a depth of resources and skills in locations across the United States and Canada.
Our Practice Focuses on Bridge Architecture and Aesthetics
Our Practice Focuses on Connecting Communities
Bridges are civic art, community connectors, and cultural attractions as much as they are about functional urban infrastructure. We work with our teams to elevate people’s experience both using bridges and when viewing them from afar. What we do:
- Architectural renderings, visualizations, architectural models
- Community integration and public processes
- Design elements – railings, abutments, bicycle bridges and pedestrian paths
We have a long track record working with world-class cities, engineering partners, and public agencies to navigate complex regulatory, entitlement, and public engagement processes for major infrastructure works. Our solutions provide for vehicular and non-motorized access, universal design and accessibility, respond to local context; and comprise the latest technical solutions, sustainability and innovation.
PUBLISH
Tilikum Crossing: Bridge of the People: Portland’s Bridges and a New Icon
Portland, Oregon’s innovative and distinctive landmark, Tilikum Crossing, is the first major bridge in the U.S, carrying trains, buses, streetcars, bicycles, and pedestrians- but no private automobiles. When regional transportation agency TriMet began planning for the first bridge to be constructed across the Willamette River since 1973, the goal was to build something symbolic, which would represent the progressive nature of the Twenty-First Century. In this book, the award-winning architect of Tilikum Crossing, Donald MacDonald, and co-author Ira Nadel, tell the story of Portland through its bridges. Written in a friendly voice, readers will learn how Portland came to be known as “The City of Bridges” and the home to this new icon in the city’s landscape.
Bay Bridge: History and Design of a New Icon
An innovative landmark a quarter-century in the making, the new eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge represents the latest spectacular chapter in the history of this storied structure. The new bridge’s architect, Donald MacDonald, teams up with author Ira Nadel to create this illuminating book. With friendly text and charming illustrations, Bay Bridge reveals the design decisions that have shaped the evolution of the bridge over the last century—from the history of the original bridge, through the planning of the new span, to the construction of its signature 525-foot-high white tower. In the same elegant package as Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, this volume makes a lovely souvenir for San Francisco devotees, architecture buffs, and tourists.
Golden Gate Bridge: History and Design of an Icon
Nine million people visit the Golden Gate Bridge each year, yet how many know why it’s painted that stunning shade of “international orange”? Or that ancient Mayan and Art Deco buildings influenced the design? Current bridge architect Donald MacDonald answers these questions and others in a friendly, informative look at the bridge’s engineering and 70-year history. This accessible account is accompanied by 70 of MacDonald’s own charming color illustrations, making it easy to understand how the bridge was designed and constructed. A fascinating study for those interested in architecture, design, or anyone with a soft spot for San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge is a fitting tribute to this timeless icon.
UPDATES
Folsom Boulevard Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing Feasibility Study Aesthetic Concepts
Video courtesy AIM Consulting
CEREMONY MARKS BEGINNING OF GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE SUICIDE WORK
A big step was taken to save lives at the Golden Gate Bridge.
Local officials gathered at the span for a ceremony at the bridge Thursday to mark the beginning of work to line both sides of the bridge with a suicide barrier.
“Where nets have been erected they’ve been incredibly effective. Nets have been installed on many bridges throughout the world over the last two decades and there’s only been one fatality at one of those installations,” Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District General Manager Denis Mulligan said.
Story courtesy ABC7 San Francisco; Image courtesy Vincent Moschetti
THE BRIDGE THAT BANS CARS
You can walk, bike, or ride a bus across Tilikum Crossing in Portland—but you can’t drive.
If you stand in the middle of the new Tilikum Crossing bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, you may see many things whiz by bikers, joggers, light-rail trains, streetcars, buses, even ospreys and bald eagles from a nearby wildlife refuge. You will not, however, see any cars.
The Tilikum, which took four years to construct, is the first long-span bridge in the United States to accommodate so many ways of getting from one side to the other while banning automobiles. The span follows—and shares certain characteristics with—a spate of high-profile pedestrian-bridge projects, including the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, completed in 2008…
Story courtesy The Atlantic; Image courtesy TriMet
STATE ACCELERATES SIGNATURE BRIDGE
Miami’s notoriously crowded streets have become the road less traveled with the sweeping impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With most businesses, stores and shops shut down and social distancing being preached and practiced, the highways and byways are seeing meager traffic in comparison with the bumper-to-bumper of not so long ago.
The governor and state transportation department see this rare unfolding event as an opportunity to speed up road construction projects, including the new Signature Bridge rising in downtown Miami…
Story courtesy Miami Today; Image courtesy of Archer Western-De Moya
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA AMERICAN SCHOOL ARCHIVE RECEIVES SIGNIFICANT DONALD MACDONALD COLLECTION
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 the life’s work of prominent San Francisco-based architect Donald MacDonald, FAIA (b. 1935).
MacDonald (b.1935), who was born in Canada, chose to study architecture at the University of Oklahoma after seeing a photograph of Bruce Goff’s work. He studied with Herb Greene at Oklahoma and later earned a master’s degree from Columbia University. He has said that the level of freedom he was given in Herb Greene’s design studios at OU fundamentally shaped his vision of the creative process as central to an architect’s practice.
It was MacDonald who gave the name “The American School” to the pedagogy and practice that emerged at the University of Oklahoma in the mid-century under Goff and Greene. After finishing his master’s degree, MacDonald opened his own private practice in San Francisco…
Story courtesy University of Oklahoma College of Architecture; Image courtesy of Dllu
AWARDS
All Awards
2022
National Award, Special Purpose, American Institute of Steel Construction
Green Street Pedestrian Bridge, Winston-Salem, NC
Prize Bridge Award, Special Purpose Category, American Institute of Steel Construction
Green Street Pedestrian Bridge, Winston-Salem, NC
National Recognition Award, Engineering Excellence Awards
Green Street Pedestrian Bridge, Winston-Salem, NC
American Council of Engineering Companies, Grand Award (2022) Engineering Excellence Awards
Green Street Pedestrian Bridge, Winston-Salem, NC
2021
American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina, No. 2 Bridge (2021) Top 10 Bridges, Roads & Bridges Magazine
Green Street Pedestrian Bridge, Winston-Salem, NC
2020
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) International Transportation Structure Award
Samuel De Champlain Bridge, Montreal, QC
American Concrete Institute, Second Place Infrastructure
Samuel De Champlain Bridge, Montreal, QC
2018
Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards, Award of Excellence
Terwillegar Park Footbridge, Edmonton, AB
2017
Illumination Awards, Award of Merit
Terwillegar Park Footbridge, Edmonton, AB
American Concrete Institue, Award of Excellence
Terwillegar Park Footbridge, Edmonton, AB
2016
Alberta Construction Magazine (ACM), Top Projects Awards in the Civil categories for projects Under $50 Million and in Civil Design
Terwillegar Park Footbridge, Edmonton, AB
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Gold Award Structural Systems
Tilikum Crossing, Portland, OR
American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon (ACEC-OR), Project of the Year; People’s Choice Awards
Tilikum Crossing, Portland, OR
2015
American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI), Bridge Award of Excellence
Tilikum Crossing, Portland, OR
Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association (OCAPA), Excellence in Concrete Award
Tilikum Crossing, Portland, OR
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Grand Conceptor Award; National Grand Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
American Council of Engineering Companies of California (ACEC-CA), Golden State Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
American Public Works Association (APWA), Public Works Project of the Year
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), Outstanding Project Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), Outstanding Structure Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
International Bridge Conference (IBC), George S. Richardson Medal
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), Project of the Year
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
2014
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), America’s Transportation Award Grand Prize; Best Use of Innovation
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), Globe Award, Bridges (Projects > $100 Million)
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Excellence in Transportation Award, Major Structures
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
California Transportation Foundation (CTF), Special Recognition Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
International Road Federation (IRF), Global Road Achievement Award for Design
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), Excellence in Structural Engineering Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
Portland Cement Association (PCA), Award of Excellence
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC), Award of Excellence, Infrastructure
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
2013
American Infrastructure Magazine, Project of the Year
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Project of the Year
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE- Region 9), Project of the Year Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE- San Francisco Section), Outstanding Transportation Project Award
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
2012
American Institute of Steel Construction, Ideas2 Awards
Robert I. Schroder Overcrossing Pedestrian Bridge, Walnut Creek, CA
2011
California Transportation Foundation (CTF), Project of the Year
Robert I. Schroder Overcrossing Pedestrian Bridge, Walnut Creek, CA
California Greenways and Trails Foundation, Project Construction Award
Robert I. Schroder Overcrossing Pedestrian Bridge, Walnut Creek, CA
2009
Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, Engineering Excellence Award, Special Use Structures
La Loma-Foothill Pedestrian Bridge, Berkeley, CA
Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, National NCSEA Award
Robert I. Schroder Overcrossing Pedestrian Bridge, Walnut Creek, CA
Tekla, North America Model Competition Award
Robert I. Schroder Overcrossing Pedestrian Bridge, Walnut Creek, CA
2007
California Transportation Foundation (CTF), City of Napa, Award of Excellence; Project of the Year; Highway Conventional Project of the Year
Maxwell Replacement Bridge, Napa, CA
2006
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), President’s Transportation Award: Environment Category for Team Work to Reduce Impacts on Sea Turtles
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), AON Build America Award
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), East Coast Branch, Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Merit Award
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Associated General Contractors of America, Palmetto Award: Engineering Excellence in the Transportation Over $10 Million Category
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Community Pride of Charleston, Captain’s Pride Award for Walking/ Biking Trail
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
East Coast Greenway Alliance, Official Greenway Designation
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Federal Highway Administration, Excellence in Highway Design Award
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Roads & Bridges Magazine: International Bridge Conference, Gustav Lindenthal Medal
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Roads & Bridges Magazine, Top Ten All-Time Bridges: #7
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, Award for Engineering Excellence
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Sacramento Section, Structural Engineering, Award of Excellence; Project of the Year
Ninth Street Bridge, Modesto, CA
CELSOC, Award of Excellence; Engineering Excellence Merit Award
Ninth Street Bridge, Modesto, CA
2005
American Council of Engineering Companies of South Carolina, Award of Excellence
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), National Globe Award (Environmental); PRIDE Award for Community Relations
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
McGraw-Hill Southeast Construction Magazine, Award of Merit; Best of 2005 Award in the Transportation
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
National Council of Structural Engineers Association, Merit Award
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
National Steel Bridge Alliance, Prize Bridge Competition Award: Major Span Category
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC
Engineering News Record Magazine, Image of the Year
San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge East Span, San Francisco, CA
2004
Art Deco Society, Award of Merit
Golden Gate Bridge Safety Rail, San Francisco, CA
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Award of Merit
Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, Carquinez, CA
2003
Board of Napa County Landmarks, Award of Merit
Third Street Bridge, Napa, CA
Caltrans, Excellence in Transportation Award
Third Street Bridge, Napa, CA
Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California, Engineering Excellence Merit Award
Third Street Bridge, Napa, CA
National Steel Bridge Alliance, Award of Merit
I-80 Pedestrian Overcrossing Bridge, Berkeley, CA
2000
Pacific Coast Builder Association, Award of Merit: Gold Nugget Awards
City Mews Project, San Francisco, CA
1998
City of Redding, Urban Design Awards, 1991-1998
Diestelhorst Bridge, Redding, CA
Northern California and Western Nevada Chapter of the American Concrete Institute, Construction Award
Diestelhorst Bridge, Redding, CA
Portland Cement Association, Concrete Bridge Award
Diestelhorst Bridge, Redding, CA