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James Baker, FAIA

Jim Baker, an American Architect, is Chief Executive of Forge Llewellyn and The Forge Company (UK) Ltd. Forge Llewellyn is owned by Forge and Walter Llewellyn & Sons Ltd., the 100 year old construction company.

Forge Llewellyn is dedicated to the development of cost-effective, factory-implemented, environmentally sound housing. Educated at Princeton and Yale Universities, Jim Baker has three decades of experience in the development of building systems in the United States and the UK.

These systems range from paper honeycomb, concrete, timber-frame and steel systems, including the design of on and off-site production facilities for both panel and modular construction.

He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a recipient of several awards for housing including an award from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for Innovation.

He serves as Production Co-ordinator for BAA’s Fit Out Team, advising the team on off-site production opportunities and is a member of BRE’s Steering Committee for Advanced Off-Site Production of Steel and Timber Building Systems.

Education

Princeton University, AB

Yale University, M Arch

Prior Positions Held

Managing Director, William McDonough Architects, New York City: Environmental architecture for commercial and institutional clients.

President, Springland Associates, Developers, New York: Architect-Developer for industrialized housing in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

President, Park Tower Development, New York: Hotel development in Eastern Europe, The Far East, Caribbean and US.

Consultant and Director, Llewelyn-Davies Associates, New York/London: Housing, hotels and planning projects in the US, Mid-East and Caribbean.

Partner, Baker & Blake Architects, New York: Housing, commercial and institutional projects.

Professional Experience

The primary focus of current and past work has been off-site fabrication of buildings and building elements. This has included the development of building systems and methods of construction. The following projects are some representative examples of this work.

Circle 33 Housing Association

Systems designer for Fifteen unit prefabricated steel housing project in Dagenham, completed in early summer 2000.

Ealing Family Housing Association

Systems designer for 25 unit prefabricated steel housing project in Reading. Won in limited competition against tunnel form, timber frame and conventional construction systems. Completed in summer of 2000.

West of Scotland Housing Association

Winner in collaboration with Assist Architects of Glasgow for a Scottish Homes competition for life-time, low-energy housing. The 20 unit project was completed in September 1999. In addition to prefabricated steel frames the project uses Wallfort™, a wall system developed by Liquid Plastics in collaboration with Forge, and a super-efficient heat recovery heating system developed by Baxi Air Management.

Hanover Housing Association

The Forge Company has developed a system of prefabricated estate offices. The first six are in place and others are in the planning process. This is an on-going project.

Gwalia Housing

Systems Developer and co-architect for the low-energy, industrialised steel-frame construction system used by Gwalia Housing Society, Swansea, Wales, in both an 8-unit prototype housing project and a small apartment building. The latter was the 1999 recipient of the Lord Mayor’s Award for Housing, an award for the best environmental housing in Wales and was runner-up for the most innovative housing project in the UK.

Bently Brook

Architect and Systems Designer for a residential hotel, Hancock, Massachusetts, using an industrialised, steel-frame, construction system. First phase of 24 units, 1500 sm., completed late 1997.

Mountainside at Jiminy Peak

Architect-Developer of condominium project, using manufactured timber-frame/steel-frame, panel systems, Hancock, Massachusetts, 25,000 sm. to date, work is on-going.

Russell Estates Housing

Architect-Developer, Systems Designer, for a single-family, detached housing estate, using a factory-fabricated, timber-frame housing system, Princeton, New Jersey, 56 units 25,000 sm. (Springland Associates)

Shafer House

Architect for prototype systems-built, self-help housing, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. (James Baker, Architect). The Shafer House has received several awards for innovation and is widely published in the US and abroad.

IDC Industries

Principal in the development of an on-site, lightweight, paper-technology, panel system for low-cost housing. Successfully demonstrated in several countries. Over 1000 units were constructed in the US Southwest.

Ahwaz Workers Housing

Architect and Planner for a 1000 unit, systems-built, low-cost, workers housing for national oil industry in Ahwaz, Iran. (Llewelyn-Davies Associates)

Bard College Student Housing

Architect and systems designer for a low-cost, fully pre-fabricated, modular building system for student housing, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. (Baker & Blake Architects)

ATT Mobile Theater

Designer for a prototype mobile theater for ATT.

Other Work

Other work includes hotels in Europe, Eastern Europe, China, the Mid East, and Caribbean. The College of Ceramics at the University of the State of New York at Alfred, restoration projects and new-build for the Darrow School in New Lebanon, New York and numerous private residences.

Professional Activities

Current Trustee, The Darrow School, Past Chairperson.

Trustee, Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, Past President and Chairperson.

Visiting Lecturer various Universities, Conferences etc.

Committee for Design Standards, Collyweston, Stamford, Lincs,

Chairman, Millennium Domestic Heating Consortium (Baxi Air Management),

Director, Steel Frame Homes Association

Member Steering Committee BRE Advanced Off-Site Production Systems

Previous Professor of Architecture, (Adjunct Faculty), School of Architecture, City University, New York.

Director, The American Institute of Architects, Washington D.C.

Trustee, The American Institute of Architects Foundation.

American Arbitration Association, Construction Industry Arbitrator.

Author of various professional articles

Editor and Publisher of Perspecta 6, The Yale Architectural Journal

Awards

Richard Upjohn Fellow, American Institute of Architects.

Award for Innovation in Housing, US Department of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Architectural Record House Award.

Bard Award, NYC, for architectural design (with Hans Hollein).

Alpha Rho Chi Medal - Yale University.

Work published and exhibited

Architectural Review, Architectural Record, Builder, Progressive Architecture, Bauen und Wohen, New York Times, Architectural Digest, Architectural Forum, HABM, Building Homes, Building Design and other magazines, newspapers and books: Exhibited; Yale University, American Federation of the Arts, The American Institute of Architects, others.

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