What Is William McDonough + Partners?

Updated

William McDonough + Partners (WM+P) was an architecture, community design, and consulting firm grounded in the Cradle to Cradle philosophy. The firm closed in 2025 after more than 40 years of practice, and mcdonoughpartners.com now serves as an archive of its work rather than an active studio site. William McDonough continues related work through McDonough Innovation.

What the firm did

WM+P described its practice as values-driven design aimed at solving environmental challenges through architecture. Its work spanned:

  • Architecture
  • Community design
  • Consulting

The firm is associated with the Cradle to Cradle Design™ Framework, which it framed as a positive vision of abundance — designing buildings, spaces, and experiences that create "more good" for the world rather than just "less bad."

Current status of the website

The site is an archive. According to the site itself, WM+P closed in 2025 after more than 40 successful years at the forefront of the "green" architecture and Circular Economy movements. The archive preserves a record of the firm's projects and awards.

If you are looking for ongoing services or new project inquiries, this site is not the right entry point. The site points to McDonough Innovation, where William McDonough and his team continue to provide thought leadership, targeted ideas, product concepts, and solutions for sustainable growth issues faced by leaders, organizations, and businesses.

Notable projects listed in the archive

Project Location Description
Universidad EAN Bogotá, Colombia New academic building for exploring the possibilities of the Circular Economy
NASA Sustainability Base Mountain View, California Energy and water positive — NASA's first space station on Earth
YouTube Headquarters San Bruno, California "A building like a meadow" — designed for flexibility over time
Innovation and Research Center The Netherlands Solar Orchard concept for an energy- and food-positive facility
Hero Motocorp Garden Factory Neemrana, India "Factory like a garden" for the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer
B/S/H (Bosch Siemens) Headquarters at Park 20|20 The Netherlands Located within what is described as the world's first circular economy development
Ford Truck Plant Dearborn, Michigan 10-acre green roof, described as the largest of its kind and the centerpiece of the Rouge's revitalization
Apex Plaza Charlottesville, Virginia Completed May 2022; largest mass timber building on the East Coast; received an AIA DC Chapter Design Award 2023 in the Energy and Resources category

How to use the site

Because the site is an archive, it is most useful for:

  • Researching precedents in sustainable and Cradle to Cradle–inspired architecture
  • Reviewing project descriptions and awards for case-study or reference purposes
  • Understanding the firm's design approach and history

It is not a source for current pricing, availability, or new commissions — the site does not present itself as an active practice.