 William Pedersen, FAIA, is the founding Design Partner of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), which he started with A. Eugene Kohn and Sheldon Fox in 1976. Personal honors which Pedersen has received include the Rome Prize in Architecture in 1965, the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize from the American Academy and the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the University of Minnesota's Alumni Achievement Award, the Gold Medal from the national architectural fraternity, Tau Sigma, the Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award from the CTBUH and the Medal of Honor from the AIA of New York. He was also recently elected as a member of the National Academy. 

Bill Pedersen talks about some of the design impacts in the building, the fact that it sits on top of the subway, only became viable when the real estate market changed, the zoning envelope and the desire to allow as much light as possible into the apartments.

Blll Pedersen talks about how his competition winning scheme integrated the original buildings with the new design and draws from the existing building.  This allowed the Headquarters building to be completed sooner. 

Bill Pedersen talks about his design for the skyscraper.

Bill Pedersen talks about designing what was the Tallest Building in the World for some years.  The client was Japanese; the site was in China and he shares the real and perceived symbolism in the shape of the skyscraper and its top.  

Bill Pedersen talks about the limited competition and about designing the then tallest tower in the city.  He shares the zoning issues that affected the form of the building, namely the narrow depth required for the offices.  It tries to mark the significant heights of the buildings in Frankfurt.  

The Architect talks about designing the Corporate Headquarters as his 'fling at Post-Modernism', about the L-shaped form of the building.  His intention was to make the building fit into its place.

Creating a vertical campus for a 5000 student university building is highly unusual for a school as most universities are laid out horizontally.  The envelope was a product of the New York City Zoning Code as well as a desire to create social spaces for the students and a supportive client.  

<p>“William Pedersen avowed that he drinks only wine, and is all about “the high-rise commercial office building and all the daily bustle therein.” So my mandate was clear: tall and vinous. Invoking his many Asian projects, I went to fresh lemongrass juice and Buddha’s Hand citron to inflect this take on a French 75, using vodka in place of cognac.” - Toby Cecchini</p>