Colin J. Williams, 66, an expert in microclimate impacts on building performance and founding partner of Canadian design firm Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin, died on Sept. 17 in Elora, Ontario. The cause of death was cancer, says the company. In a 40-year career at the Guelph, Ontario, firm, he helped grow it from a small regional company to a 400-person global consultancy, says CEO Michael Soligo. Williams “was a much published author whose research and practical experience working on a vast array of projects were applied to developing criteria for wind and snow issues that are still in use today,” he says. Among projects on which he consulted were the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica and the Rankin Community Snow Fence in Northwest Territories.