George Baird (architect)  George Baird (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. 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. 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 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. 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. Recognized for his academic and professional contributions to the discipline of architecture, George Baird’s theoretical works and critical studies reveal a multi-faceted collection of publications and discourses on the topic of urban public space. In relationship to architectural design, urban design, and design history and theory, his trajectory of research specifically focuses on the status and relevance of public space in modern cities and how political and cultural agents utilize, identify, and represent such urban areas.