An extraordinary architect and leader, William (Bill) Hellmuth (1953-2023) designed dozens of award-winning buildings across the globe over his 44-year career as an architect. As president and later chairman and CEO of HOK, he raised HOK’s profile within the design community and beyond.
Bill joined HOK in 1991 as a designer in HOK's St. Louis studio. In 1992, he was named design principal in HOK's Washington, D.C., office. He was elected firmwide president in 2005. When tapped to become CEO in 2016, Bill accepted the role on the condition that he could remain the design principal in D.C. and firm-wide design leader. A year later, he also was named chairman.
While proud of HOK’s accomplishments, Bill kept his focus on the future and was happiest while brainstorming ideas with clients and HOK project teams. He was exceptionally optimistic about the ability of design to improve people’s lives. A strong advocate of sustainable design, he believed architects had a moral obligation to design projects with minimal impact to the environment.
Bill's work, which won 29 awards from the American Institute of Architects, spanned nearly every building type and 20 countries.
HOK President Carl Galioto first met Bill in the late 1970s. “With the perspective of more than four decades, I can safely state that I have never met an architect who was Bill’s equal in combining design thinking, empathetic leadership, client relations, business development and business acumen,” said Carl. “He truly was one of a kind.”
Outside of architecture, Bill enjoyed painting, “puttering around in the garden” and spending time with his family at a vacation cottage he designed in Rhode Island. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, his daughter Grayson and her husband, Cleve Rueckert, his son William and his two grandchildren.
More: www.hok.com/news/2023-04/bill...
9 апр 2023
