DONALD MACDONALD
Donald serves as Principal in Charge and Principal Designer for all projects at Donald MacDonald Architects, LLC. With more than 40 years of architectural experience, he brings deep expertise across every facet of bridge design, from conceptual planning and architectural enhancements to transportation operations, public engagement, landscape integration, and environmental considerations. His career is defined by successful collaboration with bridge engineers and multidisciplinary teams on some of the nation’s most complex and celebrated signature bridges, including the $750 million Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, the 1,720‑foot Tilikum Crossing in Portland, and the $6.2 billion San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.
A graduate of Columbia University, MacDonald has earned nearly 200 international, national, and regional awards for architectural design. He lectures widely on bridge architecture and design innovation and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, recognized for his enduring contributions to the field.
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 leads bridge aesthetics and architectural visioning in close collaboration with engineering partners across North America. His work centers on shaping clear, expressive design concepts that elevate structural logic and strengthen community identity. Over his career, Eric has guided the design of more than 40 signature bridges, including the three‑arch concept for the $1‑billion Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and the $38‑million John Lewis Memorial Bridge. His multidisciplinary background, spanning bridge architecture, industrial design, and transportation and high‑rise projects, has earned international recognition and numerous design awards. Eric’s approach blends technical rigor with a strong sense of narrative, ensuring that each structure contributes meaningfully to its place and the people it serves.
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 LLC continues this design excellence 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
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
THE BRIDGE THAT BANS CARS
Portland’s Tilikum Crossing stands in a category of its own; a vibrant, multimodal bridge where light‑rail trains, streetcars, buses, cyclists, and pedestrians glide across the Willamette River while cars are intentionally left behind. As the first long‑span bridge in the United States designed to prioritize transit, biking, and walking over automobiles, it has quickly become a symbol of Portland’s forward‑thinking approach to mobility and public space. Completed after four years of construction, Tilikum Crossing joins a new generation of celebrated pedestrian‑focused bridges nationwide, offering a dynamic, people‑centered gateway into the city.
Story courtesy The Atlantic; Image courtesy TriMet
‘THE PAINSTAKING BATTLE TO BUILD MIAMI’S NEW SIGNATURE BRIDGE ARCHES’
Miami’s skyline is rising into a new era as the tallest of the six arches of the Miami Signature Bridge, the visionary composition known as The Fountain, nears completion. Featured in ENR, this $866‑million design‑build landmark is pushing the limits of global bridge engineering, with 345 uniquely shaped precast segments and construction challenges that demand extraordinary precision from the Archer Western–de Moya team and Rizzani de Eccher. With three arches now standing, the project is transforming the heart of the city and setting the stage for a dramatic new civic icon that will reconnect neighborhoods, redefine the I‑395/SR 836/I‑95 corridors, and illuminate Miami with a one‑of‑a‑kind architectural statement.
Story courtesy Engineering News Record, Scott Judy reporting
‘SUICIDES WERE FREQUENT AT THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. NOT ANYMORE.’
The New York Times recently spotlighted the remarkable public‑safety transformation brought by the Golden Gate Bridge’s new suicide‑deterrent system, a miles‑long stainless‑steel net designed after decades of advocacy and careful planning. Once averaging roughly 30 deaths per year, the bridge has seen an extraordinary drop since the system’s completion: eight in 2024, just four in 2025, and none for seven consecutive months. Beyond the immediate lives saved, the article highlights the project’s growing global influence, as agencies worldwide look to the Golden Gate Bridge as a powerful model for how thoughtful design interventions can meaningfully reduce suicides at even the most historically vulnerable sites.
Story courtesy New York Times, John Branch reporting from San Francisco
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