For 46 years Will Bruder has explored inventive and contextually exciting architectural solutions in response to a site’s opportunity and the user needs. His work celebrates the craft of building in a manner not typical of contemporary architecture. Through his creative use of materials and light, Will is renowned for his ability to raise the ordinary to the extraordinary. Opening his first Arizona studio in 1974, Will relocated his studio to downtown Portland, Oregon in the spring of 2019. He has led work for over 650 commissions, received prestigious national awards as well as lectured and been published all over the world. He has held visiting chairs at MIT, IIT, Yale, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin/Milwaukie, University of Toronto, University of Virginia, Portland State University, and University of Oregon.Self-trained as an architect, Will has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He supplemented his studio art education with further study of structural engineering, philosophy, art history and urban planning. He followed this with architectural apprenticeships under Paolo Soleri and Gunnar Birkerts. He was a Rome Prize Advanced Design Fellow at the American Academy in Rome in 1987 and was made a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 2013.

A few of the names behind our 2026 series.

Supporting Architalx helps continue to bring inspiring architects and designers to Portland, Maine. Your sponsorship helps us host engaging lectures, foster creative dialogue, and connect our community with innovative ideas from around the world. You're in good company.

Hammond Lumber Company

Waypoint Brokers Collective

Landscape Forms

Gawron Turgeon Dillon Architects

Fore Street Restaurant

Steven Mansfield

GafARCHITECTURE

Maine Community Bank

Susan C. Bruce

Kyo Bannai & Craig Schneider

Landry/French Construction

Chase Construction

Aceto Kimball Landscape Architecture

Boulos Commercial Design

Patrick & Jocelyn Boothe

Thornton Tomasetti

Studio Mnemosyne

Drs. Gillian Newstead & Robert Schmidt

Maine Interior Design Association

Maine Home + Design

Oak Point Associates

Maine Stone Scapes

3D Maine

Pierson Nurseries

See full list of sponsors

Become a sponsor

Click to
Explore

Back to All Speakers