George Baird
1939 - October 17, 2023

Architect, theorist, and educator George Baird died at his Toronto home on October 17, 2023, at the age of 84.

 It is the rare architect whose voice and contributions straddle the worlds of practice and theory so significantly, but Baird’s very much did.

Baird won the OAA's Lifetime Design Achievement award in 2016 and was awarded the Order of da Vinci in 2001. A member of the Order of Canada (OC), he was the former Dean (2004-2009) of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and a partner in the Toronto-based architecture and urban design firm Baird Sampson Neuert Architects. Prior to becoming Dean at the University of Toronto, Baird was the G. Ware Travelstead Professor of Architecture at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. He has published and lectured widely throughout most parts of the world.

George Baird was a preeminent figure in the history and evolution of both the Daniels Faculty and the architectural profession. As an architect, scholar, educator and mentor, his contribution to the discourse around and practice of architecture was profound, progressive and international in its reach. 

“George’s influential contributions to architectural discourse, scholarship, and practice extended globally for over five decades. We celebrate and honour George’s life as an architect, educator, mentor, and friend,” writes colleagues from his firm, Baird Sampson Neuert. “We would like to offer our condolences to his wife Elizabeth and to his many colleagues, friends and admirers. He will be greatly missed.”

A comprehensive appreciation will be forthcoming on the Daniels Faculty Website.