[som]city design practice by dadaguo

som city design practice SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL LLP

SOM CITY DESIGN PRACTICE SOM excels at building cities. Whether planning a new city, an entire district or redeveloping an industrial site, SOM focuses on projects that strengthen urban areas and the larger regions in which they exist. Seventy years’ experience has taught us many things, but the constant lesson is the nearbiological inevitability with which urban centers have reinvigorated, rebuilt and reinvented themselves, and will continue to do so over time. A host of challenges and opportunities face the 21st century city builder. While each urban area is a cohesive system, it is also one node in a comprehensive network of global cities. This fact greatly amplifies all challenges and opportunities. With full awareness of the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of cities, our mission is to design and build urban centers across the earth according to fundamental planning and environmental principles. In anticipation of several critical urban challenges facing planners today and in the immediate future—unprecedented population growth, resource depletion and attendant quality-of-life issues—we have developed a formidable set of goals.

We are committed to reshaping the urban future according to uncompromising environmental principles. We seek to design cities that possess, as part of their design DNA, a transit-centered density, a thriving, culturally distinctive environment, a secure infrastructure and sensible settlement patterns that enable sustainable growth. Our planning process supports the development of richly complex, wholly integrated urban environments at all scales—from city-wide master plans to detailed streetscapes. We design and build cities according to a carefully developed set of principles addressing quality of life and quality of place. Quality of place depends on the adoption of flexible planning frameworks that are scalable and adaptable over time, while the incorporation of natural features and smart infrastructure can yield environmentally sound development. Along with environmental sustainability and flexible planning, city builders must understand the human scale of development and contribute to the creation of pedestrian-oriented areas imbued with the vitality that characterizes all great cities.

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A great city anywhere in the world should be beautiful, culturally rich, and generally shining with the human energy that courses through its streets and public spaces

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These principles overlap with those concerned with quality of life. A great city anywhere in the world should be beautiful, culturally rich and generally shine with the human energy that courses through its streets and plazas. There should be space for congregation, celebration, work and commerce, as well as space for repose and retreat. The city should be designed and built to be a source of pride for its inhabitants, and offer a sense of wonder and comfort for visitors and residents alike. For every city, our City Design Practice addresses these goals: • Restore the land and natural setting • Establish an economically viable plan that can be sustained for future generations • Create a new generation of unique, dynamic neighborhoods • Define walkable neighborhoods with easy access to schools, churches and community services • Explore small, pedestrian-friendly blocks that allow for a variety of uses and building types • Develop a strong relationship between all neighborhoods • Integrate new neighborhoods with established communities

• Allow for a broad range of housing types • Provide new amenities and resources for residents and the larger community • Design streets that are green and walkable • Explore alternative transit modes • Build a new generation of neighborhood parks • Create exciting centers for entertainment, shopping and living • Create centers for continued learning and discovery • Provide space for play • Employ energy efficiency in everything we do • Respond to the local climate • Understand additional benefits to the community and the region • Respect the heritage and spirit of place

These points, among others, will allow millennial cities to become a means for billions of people to live in harmony with the environment on this earth. Our goal is nothing less than to find the clear path to what we believe is the 21st century urban destiny.

BIG PLANS, LONG VISIONS

CANARY WHARF MASTER PLAN London, United Kingdom

The act of building great cities requires big visions and a long view. Our City Design Practice is a global leader in the development of long range master plans for new and reimagined settlements. From the development of strategic vision plans for entire kingdoms, to comprehensive plans for major regions, to the development of growth plans for cities and major urban districts, SOM combines a global perspective with local values to create unique and memorable places on earth. Intelligent settlement patterns, expanded economic opportunities and planetary sustainability are the goals of our SOM City Design Practice.

CANARY WHARF MASTER PLAN London, United Kingdom SOM’s Canary Wharf Master Plan is one of the largest undertakings of urban infrastructure development in the modern era. The project established design guidelines for London’s burgeoning financial district, created an infrastructure design plan, and established over 20 building sites and five urban districts. Designed to revitalize a vacated portion of London’s Docklands, the plan established a series of open spaces and buildings within a walkable, efficient road and transit network. Buildings are organized around green squares and narrow streets, creating a “city center” within the larger fabric of London. To integrate the natural environment into the urban landscape, river basins were landscaped into a series of water courts ringed by pedestrian paths. The central wharf includes city parks, retail, and a new Jubilee Line rail station. As part of the effort, SOM also coordinated specialist landscape and utility consultants, as well as a number of artists and craftsmen who designed special features including railings, gates, lighting fixtures, and fountains. Over 80% of the employees arrive to Canary Wharf by transit. As Canary Wharf enters its third decade of planning and building, SOM continues to play a role in guiding its growth and that of the larger Isle of Dogs.

Image: SOM | Muharraqi Studios

2030 NATIONAL PLANNING STRATEGIES FOR THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN Kingdom of Bahrain In 2007, following an 18-month process of research, analysis, consultation, and design, SOM submitted the Bahrain 2030 National Planning Development Strategies. The plan is the first project to inventory and propose virtually every aspect of a new national infrastructure. It exemplifies a forward-looking process designed to address the role sustainable land use development can play in guaranteeing stable, predictable, and long-term economic growth. The plan addresses issues such as natural resources, inadequate housing, lack of zoning, transport infrastructure, insufficient public open space and the need for improved education and comprehensive employment. Strategies were established to coordinate and focus development, control land speculation, protect resources, preserve historic and ecologically important sites, integrate transport and ensure public access to open space and the waterfront. By confronting these issues today, Bahrain will be prepared to meet future challenges with confidence. The National Plan lays out ten key strategies that coordinate and direct future growth; 1 2 3

Create One Plan Achieve a Market Economy Preserve and Strengthen Environmental Resources 4 Establish an Interconnected Transportation Strategy 5 Build Distinct Communities 6 Define the Public Waterfront 7 Protect the Countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cultural and Archaeological Heritage 8 Meet Future Military Needs 9 Green the Country 10 Promote a Sustainable Future

2030 NATIONAL PLANNING STRATEGIES FOR THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN Kingdom of Bahrain Image: SOM | Muharraqi Studios

Image: SOM | Martha Schwartz Partners

JUMEIRA GARDENS MASTER PLAN Dubai, UAE Centrally located between the Gulf Shore and several major thoroughfares including the city’s main artery— Sheikh Zayed Road—the plan for Jumeira Gardens establishes crucial links between Dubai’s existing city framework, the central City and the ever-evolving waterfront. A set of smart boulevards and shaded streets thread together pedestrian paths with public transit, roadways and parking. Canals, 24-hour waterfronts, promenades and parks are integrated into the framework of Dubai—a vibrant metropolis that will come to be known as the City of Gardens. Covering approximately 1,000 hectares of land, the plan connects the heart of the City with the public shoreline. SOM City Design Practice lead the master plan and oversaw a number of wellknown design firms who were enlisted to design architectural landmarks and landscaped green spaces within each neighborhood. Emphasizing sustainable principles, accessible transit and an active public realm, the project reinforces Dubai’s image as a site of influential architecture and global business.

JUMEIRA GARDENS MASTER PLAN Dubai, UAE

KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY (KAEC) Saudi Arabia Located in the Qadeema Region on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah Economic City is a new city for a new generation of Saudi citizens. SOM’s Master Plan for the multi-purpose, mixed-use community comprises industrial, residential, office and financial, educational, commercial, resort, port and government facilities. The port facilities, with their close proximity to the two Holy Cities of Makkah and Madina, will have a dedicated Hajj terminal that can receive over 500,000 pilgrims every season. The plan covers an area of 13 million square meters designed for a population of 460,000 people. Waterways divide the city center into four major districts, each of them in possession of high-value waterfront properties. Buildings rising 60 to 100 stories will define the skyline and help to support the 300,000 new jobs that the city center is expected to create. A central park containing botanical gardens will define the city’s green center, while shaded pedestrian walkways will connect residential, commercial, educational and resort districts. Public open spaces throughout the city will house schools, mosques and markets. To support this dense, sustainable and economically viable network, the city’s transit system will integrate foot traffic, cooling canals, a hierarchy of roadways and public transportation. The city will be a center for international trade and tourism, linking to the Red Sea.

7 world trade center New York, Ny The reconstruction of 7 World Trade Center represents the redevelopment and renewal of Lower Manhattan following the events of 9/11. SOM pulled the tower back 115 feet from its eastern property line, re-establishing the historic Manhattan Grid. SOMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan for the site incorporates a triangular park between the now-extended Greenwich Street and West Broadway, creating public open space and a new corridor that begins to re-link two disparate parts of Manhattan: Tribeca and the Financial District. With safety enhancements that exceed New York City building codes, the tower sets a new standard for high-rises. 7 WTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 80-foot podium is uniquely reflective and porous, composed of two layers of steel wires that accommodate airflow for ConEd transformer vaults. Inside, the lobby includes a Jenny Holzer installation, which chronicles the history of the city through poetry. A glass curtain wall, created in collaboration with light artist James Carpenter, encloses the 42 floors of office space. The enclosure conserves energy, floods the interiors with natural light, and reflects the sky. The 741-foot tower is the first LEED Gold certified commercial office building in New York City.

ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER New York, Ny One World Trade Center will reclaim the site of the former World Trade Center, destroyed in the attacks of 9/11. The new tower draws on the long tradition of American innovation in city planning to reweave a void in the urban fabric. The design reinforces Lower Manhattan’s unique pattern of streets. Shaped like a parallelogram, the base aligns with the east/west grid and the diagonal angle of West Street, alongside the Hudson River. The tower adheres to and extends the design and safety principles of the Memory Foundations Master Plan. The design’s distinctive geometric torque affirms the spiraling composition of the Master Plan, while the offset spire suggests the profile of the Statue of Liberty and marks the symbolic height of 1,776 feet. The building’s bracing is a visual expression of its structure, which culminates at the top truss with a series of cables—the same type used in the Brooklyn Bridge. One World Trade Center’s program includes 2.6 million square feet of commercial office space in addition to observation decks, restaurants, event spaces and retail concourses below grade with direct connections to transit hubs.

POST-INDUSTRIAL FUTURES

Tianjin binhai new area cbd MASTER PLAN Tianjin, China Image: SOM | Crystal CG

Across the globe, cities are marred by large, disused parcels where former industrial or manufacturing uses grew to be obsolete. These sites are often centrally located within or adjacent to an urban center and, as such, are served by existing ties to utilities, road and rail infrastructure. Repurposing this land to take advantage of existing infrastructure and linkages, while striving to restore the natural balance of the land, is a means whereby new opportunities can grow on existing footprints thereby limiting the need to disturb virgin land. Transformation of former industrial sites to establish thriving urban districts, unlock new economies, and restore the land is one of the most sustainable actions we can achieve.

Image: SOM | Crystal CG

Tianjin BINHAI NEW AREA CBD MASTER PLAN Tianjin, China Located in Northwest China near Beijing, Tianjin encompasses one of the nation’s largest urban areas. Southeast of central Tianjin City—strategically located near the confluence of the Hai He River and the Bohai Gulf—the New Binhai CBD Master Plan redevelops an industrial zone that was once the old port of Beijing into a new center of finance. A comprehensive road and rail system will permeate the mixed-use district of high-rises, historic neighborhoods and open spaces. The high-density plan was developed according to key principles of sustainable design: providing accessible public transit, weaving a new generation of green spaces into the city, promoting clean water and ensuring long-term viability through intelligent city planning. New public parks and civic spaces will be threaded through the district, while historic sites such as the Chaoyin Temple and old Dagu Dockyards will be preserved. A high-speed rail hub will link northeastern China’s major cities, creating an accessible network of transit from the capital to the Bohai Gulf shore. The river will be transformed from an industrial corridor to a wetland and continuous public open space for the people of Tanggu.

Tianjin binhai new area cbd master plan Tianjin, China Image: SOM | Crystal CG

LEAMOUTH PENINSULA London, United Kingdom The Leamouth Peninsula project is adjacent to the London Docklands, near Canary Wharf and across the Thames from the Millennium Dome. The project is designed to take a brownfield industrial site and transform it into a thriving riverside community, geographically linking the isolated Docklands neighborhoods to the surrounding area and revitalizing an underserved part of East London. The project will ultimately include 3,000 homes in residential towers of varying heights, creating an attractive skyline inspired by the banded strata on the banks of the River Lea at low tide. Stores, shops, restaurants, cafĂŠs, and a performing and visual arts facility will draw visitors to the neighborhood. The scale and orientation of the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smaller buildings will reinforce the pedestrian-friendly, human scale of the community, while its taller buildings will be oriented to maximize sunlight and minimize shadow at ground level. A new topography for the site will create an upward slope that encloses a parking structure and enables residents to walk directly up the hill to a bridge that connects with a Jubilee Line transit station across the Lea River.

SOUTHWORKS LAKESIDE MASTER PLAN Chicago, Illinois SOM’s Lakeside Master Plan transforms a 573-acre abandoned steel mill site on Chicago’s South Side into a LEEDcertified, mixed-use community that will be a model for future sustainable urban development. The design revolves around a park system and pedestrianfriendly urban grid that will fill a void in Chicago’s lakefront and connect existing neighborhoods with Lake Michigan for the first time. Working with the City of Chicago, the LEED Neighborhood Development Pilot Program and a number of private developers, SOM/Sasaki organized the Master Plan to include sustainable structures throughout. Mixed-income residential districts will comprise a dense fabric of detached homes, townhouses, stacked flats, condominiums and apartments. Using energy-efficient materials and construction methods, homes will be built on tree-lined parkways within a short distance of green spaces, squares for farmers’ markets, and 13 million square feet of mixed-use commercial, retail and civic spaces. The Lakeside Master Plan integrates the natural environment into the fabric of the city, using native vegetation to protect wetlands and habitats. Lakeside’s urban park system will treat stormwater as an amenity, filtering 90 percent of it to Lake Michigan where it will recharge the ecosystem and promote a healthy waterfront through clean runoff. As the Lakeside development progresses, it will reinvigorate the surrounding South Chicago communities, which have suffered decline since the steel mill’s closing in the 1990s.

Image: SOM | Sasaki Associates, Inc.

200'

400'

SMART INFRASTRUCTURE

Wuhan Wangjiadun CBD MASTER PLAN Wuhan, China

City infrastructure must evolve to address 21st century realities. Infrastructure that is conceived and designed as a virtual closed loop is the model for global survival. Renewable sources of energy, food and goods should come into cities where they are used and recycled in order to limit overall inorganic wastes and harmful emissions. This way of thinking, designing and building should permeate every aspect of urbanization. At its most basic level, smart infrastructure requires a thorough understanding of the physical characteristics of a locale, with respect to wind, weather and solar orientation, in order to make the most basic and important decisions regarding street and block orientations, building technologies and passive architectural features. Integrated systems that address energy, water, stormwater and waste must evolve to utilize more nature-friendly systems with lower global impacts.

WUHAN WANGJIADUN CBD MASTER PLAN Wuhan, China Through the use of regenerative processes, Wuhan Wangjiadun CBD Urban Design (Wuhan CBD) aims to become, in a sense, a sustainable â&#x20AC;&#x153;living machine.â&#x20AC;? The plan for Wuhan CBD provides visionary sustainable initiatives that will help heal the environment and serve as an inspiration for the entire city. The proposal develops a selfsustaining system with an emphasis on a livable, walkable district that aspires to give back more than it takes. The proposal suggests the adoption of climate- responsive planning, with maximized use of renewable resources, and reduction and reclamation of waste. The plan works around the contextual characteristics of the city to capitalize on its strengths and overcome its weaknesses.

SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES Air and Light Orient blocks/buildings to encourage natural ventilation and harvest daylight Utilize vegetation to reduce heat islands and clean the air Water Use organically treated wastewater Capture, cleanse and recycle stormwater Energy Generate energy on-site from natural and renewable sources Minimize energy demand Waste Promote a low-waste community through recycling, composting and reuse

The proposed sustainable strategies seek to provide opportunities for an efficient network that optimizes energy use and cleanses the air and water, giving returns to the site and the environment in a virtual closed loop.

Image: SOM | Crystal CG

Transportation Provide ease of access to public transportation Promote environmentally friendly vehicles Encourage walking and bicycling Provide structured, below-grade parking Habitat and Ecology Utilize native plantings Create wetland habitat Incorporate flood protection Community Promote compact and mixeduse development to encourage walking Redevelop underutilized land

Mountain Park Water Source Subway Line

101 Road

103 Road

Storm Water

Water Reused By Buildings

Jian She Lu Commercial Corridor

Subway Station

Huang Hai Lu

Water Reintroduced Into Natural System

Water Naturally Cleansed

Street Car

WIND

SUN

Treasure Island 2005 Master Plan San Francisco, California Treasure Island is a 393-acre manmade island adjacent to Yerba Buena Island in the heart of San Francisco Bay. SOM created a new vision and master plan for the island, which is now poised to be a prominent, dynamic San Francisco community that is socially and economically diverse and supported by close-knit neighborhoods, unprecedented open space, resourceconserving technology, and a robust network of transportation choices. SOM’s vision for Treasure Island drew fundamentally from sustainable principles and the powerful appeal of island life, breathtaking downtown views and physical and emotional connections to San Francisco. The design proposes three compact neighborhoods centered around an energizing mixed-use hub and ferry terminal, all set within the 275-acre Great Park. The organization of fine-grained, inter-connected neighborhoods encourages walking, bicycling and public transit use, helping to reduce vehicular traffic and fuel consumption. By rotating the conventional street grid 35 degrees, transverse streets are oriented north-south, providing direct southern sun, while an angled secondary street grid mitigates the frequent and powerful westerly winds. The dense, transit-oriented land-use pattern preserves more land for open space, natural habitats, and storm water management, while conserving material resources per dwelling unit. Sustainable strategies built into the plan include: solid waste diversion (residential waste composted and used in organic farms), carbon emissions anticipated to decrease 60% per person per year, a new generation of wind turbines placed artfully in the landscape, and hydraulic systems that utilize grey water, maximize reuse and decrease dependence on San Francisco connections. Green building practices will also include rooftop designs that incorporate solar generation. The Treasure Island Master Plan regenerates the social, economic and natural environment through the design of urban space, architecture and landscape. It represents San Francisco’s best opportunity to accommodate growth in a way that presents a minimal ecological footprint.

Sustainable Attributes • Approximately 300 acres of open space • 100% of Treasure Island population within a 15-minute walk to transit hub and town center • Less than 5% peak increase to Bay Bridge traffic volumes in either direction • 100% of new landscaping is native species • Less than 40% of landscaping will require irrigation • Exceed California’s Building Efficiency Standards (Title 24) by 20% • 10% lower peak energy demand than baseline development built to California building code standards • Generate minimum of 5% peak power demand from on-island renewable sources • Use renewable grid-source power for 100% of the power supply • Consume 20% less potable water than Energy Policy Act fixture performance requirements • Treat 100% of storm water on site • Recycle 25% of wastewater to be used for irrigation • 75% diversion of solid waste from landfills by 2010 and 100% diversion by 2020 • 100% of organic waste composted on-site

Project Team Firm / Organization Collective: SOM Design Team Master Planning & Urban Design: SOM as Master Architect with SMWM and Conger Moss Guillard Overall Conceptual Architectural Design: SOM Associated Architects: SMWM, Baldauf Catton Von Eckartsberg Architects, Hornberger Worstell Landscape Architecture: Conger Moss Guillard with Tom Leader Sustainable Design: ARUP Civil Engineering Transportation: Korve, ARUP and Concept Marine Associates Geotechnical Design: Treadwell & Rollo and ENGEO Structural Engineering: SOM

Awards AIA San Francisco Chapter, Urban Design Award , 2006 California Environmental Protection Agency, Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, 2008 AIA California Council, Urban Design Award, 2009 AIA National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, 2009

Image: SOM | dbox

5.4 kmh/ sm/day Central Plant Bio Gas Plant

Natural Gas Grid Connected Gas

Electricity Grid Connected Power Excess Supply to Grid During Peak Demand

Wind Turbines Solar Hot Water Bay Water Heat Rejection Distributed Heat Pump Roof Mounted PV

Proposed Energy Supply

Master Plan

San Francisco Greenhouse Gas Emissions Forecast and Target Target: 20% below 1990 levels by 2012

12 9.7

10.8 Forecast

Millions Tons eCO2

9.1 8.4

Kyoto Protocol

7.2 SAN FRANCISCO TARGET

3.6

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

2 0 1990 SOURCE: MUNICH RE, 1999

TREASURE ISLAND 2005 MASTER PLAN San Francisco, California 38

2000

2012

SOM has established a partnership with the City of San Francisco, leveraging the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political and cultural commitment to sustainability, to explore regenerative design solutions in the urban core. The City of San Francisco has contracted to use this Digital Model to determine policy related to urban form. SOM is building upon its regional legacy with over 20 ongoing projects in the Bay Area.

Integrated Light Pole Chicago, Illinois The design for the Integrated Light Pole uses innovative technology to create a practical, energy- and cost-efficient model for sustainable design that has the potential to be implemented on a widespread, local level. The structure’s morphological form widens from a cylinder to an oval as it arches upward. This shape is then twisted and curved to increase its structural stiffness. The wide diameter of the pole allows all electrical components to be integrated within it. Embedded in the external skyfacing surface of the pole is a panel of photovoltaic cells that produce electricity that is stored in the light pole. The amount of energy generated on a typical day is sufficient to power an LED “walk/don’t walk” sign, an LED streetlight and a traffic signal. In most environments, this pole is self-sufficient and can be installed independent of electrical wiring. LED Light Source • Provides energy savings that range from 40-60% compared to a highintensity discharge light source that provides 9,500 lumens. • Reduces maintenance and replacement costs due to long lifespan (50,000 hours). • Does not utilize lead or mercury. • Lighter than traditional lamp fixtures. • Provides even light distribution with reduction in light pollution. Photovoltaic Array • Produces up to 245 kwh of energy Awards Spark Awards, Furniture & Outdoor, Street Furniture Category: Gold Award, 2008

Photovoltaic Switch

Fire Alarm Luminaire

250W HPS Lamp

Sleeved Joint

Textured MTL Refractor

Sleeved Joint LED LAMP Textured MTL. Reflector 1/4” Acrylic Prismatic Refractor STL. Plated Painted White Where ADJ to Fixture

Modified Steel Tube Perforated STL. Coverplate LED Matrix Assembly STL. Mounting Plate

Base Plate/Hub Welded to Pole and Bolted with Leveling Nuts to 15” Dia. Bolt Circle

MOVEMENT

tanggu high speed rail station Tianjin, China

Access and mobility are essential elements of good city building. The interconnection and balance of multiple modes of transportation must be achieved in order to provide access to global and regional economies, reduce traffic congestion and air pollution and enable healthy lifestyles that encourage walking. Strong transportation links to regional employment centers and other popular destinations reduce a communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reliance on cars, which, in turn, reduces impacts on the environment. Our work involves the planning, integration and development of air and rail infrastructure, streetcar, trolley and bus networks, bike lanes and comfort stations, and interconnected pedestrian networks. Great streets balance all of these systems and serve to establish signature addresses within the city. The best cities and neighborhoods are walkable, served by transit and offer rich sensory experiences for pedestrians.

Street Level Concourse

High Speed Rail

LRT Transit

TANGGU HIGH SPEED RAIL STATION Tianjin, China China’s premier high-speed rail line is capable of traveling upwards of 400 kilometers per hour across the northeastern part of the country. The train’s terminal station will be located in the new mixed-use Tanggu District of Tianjin City, east of Beijing, where SOM has designed an intermodal hub to serve over 6,000 passengers during peak hours. Sited within a 22-hectare city park, the rail hub rises gracefully amid a network of curving pedestrian paths. The station is configured to allow passengers to move quickly and easily between trains and into the city. A large waiting room provides views to the rail platforms, while a clear system of walkways leads from the main waiting area into a mixed-use space that can potentially generate retail revenue for the station. A series of sustainable strategies—including a ground-source heat pump, thermal chimneys and bioswales—have been integrated into the design of both the station and the park.

Image: SOM | Image Fiction

CHICAGO CENTRAL AREA PLAN Chicago, Illinois During the 1990s and 2000s, Downtown Chicago, the so-called Central Area, saw significant new growth in office, retail, educational and residential sectors. Much more growth is projected in the coming decades. In response, a steering committee of 24 business and civic leaders, Chicago’s Departments of Planning and Transportation, and a consultant team led by SOM created a stirring new plan for the downtown area. Chicago has a long history of making and implementing plans to guide its growth and development far into the future, and many of the city’s most notable features owe their existence to previous plans. SOM’s recent Central Area Plan draws on those deep roots of visionary pragmatism and builds on a vision of Chicago as a global city, the hub of the Midwest economy, the nexus of several mixed-use and residential neighborhoods and the core of the greenest city in the nation. The plan focuses on increasing density, accepting a mix of uses, and strengthening transportation connections. Guidelines identify requirements for highdensity, mixed-use, infill neighborhoods that honor Chicago’s urban character, enhance its gravitational pull and provide a framework to guide and support future growth. This is a plan that calls for growth, demands a high quality of place and supports a high quality of life.

STATE STREET RENOVATION Chicago, Illinois The nine-block State Street Renovation Project initiated the renaissance of one of Chicago’s most important urban districts. Historically the focal point of the city’s mercantile district, State Street began to decline following World War II. Various task forces and civic groups struggled to determine how to knit the street back into the Loop’s urban fabric while creating a new, pedestrian-friendly atmosphere that would attract both Chicagoans and visitors. The Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, along with other public agencies, retained SOM to plan a complete renovation of the street. Meetings with representatives from city agencies, stores, businesses and institutions were held weekly. The plan re-integrated the street into the surrounding city by restoring curbs to their historic location, creating appropriate streetscape elements that complemented the historic early-20th century buildings, improving the quality of access kiosks to the rail transit lines below the street and introducing significant landscaping. The renovation was especially unique due to the wide variety of users and advocates involved, as well as the remarkably tight design and construction schedules— approximately eleven months each.

Chhatrapati Shivaji airport International Terminal Mumbai, India SOM is currently designing the new international terminal at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), working directly for the privatization group tasked with the airport’s redevelopment. When fully built out, the new terminal will serve up to 40 million passengers per year. The terminal combines both domestic and international operations, employing an innovative set of “swing facilities” to optimize utilization of facilities across the 24-hour operational day. In addition to providing a number of state-of-theart amenities, the project is designed to maximize flexibility and provide for future growth and expansion. SOM’s unique design responds to, and in many cases, takes advantage of Mumbai’s climatic factors, including: • High humidity levels • Intense solar radiation • Average to high ambient temperatures • Westerly winds • Extreme rainfall High-Performance Glazing Green Roof An extensive green roof system will be implemented for a portion of the terminal roof. The green roof will help reduce heat loads, reduce energy use, diminish the “heat island effect,” manage storm water run-off, filter pollutants in the air and rainwater, and improve the acoustical performance of the roof. SOM is currently working with local horticulturists in the selection of plants for the green roof that are appropriate for the Mumbai climate and the airport operations requirements. Daylight-Responsive Controls Lighting is the leading energy consumer in most commercial buildings, accounting for 20-35% of the overall energy use. Maximizing daylight penetration takes advantage of natural ambient light, reducing the need for artificial lighting and thereby offering a better indoor environment and significant energy-saving opportunities. Daylight-responsive controls applied throughout will be coordinated to balance with outdoor light levels, reducing peak demand charges in the long run, as well as reducing air conditioning loads.

Potential energy savings from a daylight harvesting strategy like this can be in the range of greater than 20% for perimeter lighting and more than 40% for skylight areas. High-Efficiency Lighting High-efficiency lighting fixtures will reduce the internal lighting power density compared to that specified in the Energy Conservation Building Code. Reduced lighting power density saves energy, reduces peak demand charges and reduces building air conditioning loads. Optimized Air Delivery System The proposed ventilation and air conditioning system for the Terminal will be an All-Air system designed to operate based on Variable Air Volume (VAV) configuration. The air delivery system will be designed to supply only the volume of conditioned air to a space that is needed to satisfy the cooling loads and indoor air quality requirements. Water Harvesting and Management System Rainwater Harvesting Mumbai’s high rainfall makes it possible to employ a rainwater harvesting strategy, greatly reducing demand on municipal fresh water. This strategy involves collecting water runoff from the roof at defined points and taking it through connected piping to a storage tank. A filtration system will be installed to clean the water of any impurities before it reaches the tank. Some of this water will be reused for landscape irrigation in addition to toilet and urinal flushing and cooling tower for the post monsoon months.

Grey Water Treatment and Reuse A grey water treatment and reuse system will be incorporated in the design. Grey water is wastewater, generated from indoor uses such as showers and sinks, that can be reused in toilet flushing or irrigation to help minimize loading on any type of wastewater treatment system and reduce overall water consumption. The estimated recovery of this system is 80% of the collected discharge which can accommodate all the toilet flushing at any time, thereby eliminating the need for fresh water use for this purpose. Water-Efficient Fixtures Low and No-Flow water-efficient plumbing fixtures will be used in the airport building to minimize the burden on the municipal water supply and wastewater systems. The building will use a highperformance glazing system comprised of an insulated doubleglazed unit, designed to achieve optimal thermal performance. In addition to the high-performance glazing, the interior of the curtain wall will house perforated metal panels which will filter the low western and eastern sun positions providing for a comfortable daylit space for waiting passengers.

Image: SOM | Crystal CG

Chhatrapati Shivaji airport International Terminal Mumbai, India Image: SOM | Crystal CG

GREEN REGIONAL FRAMEWORKS

Chongming Island master plan Shanghai, China

Cities must be designed and developed in accord with nature so that both may flourish and survive. This basic premise represents a shift in the business-as-usual development practices of the past 100 years and is a hallmark of our practice. Our work includes the restoration and preservation of watersheds, the development of innovative flood control and water storage systems, the protection of forested areas, the integration of organic agricultural systems, and the restoration of ecosystems to support the existence of native plants and animals. Settlements are much more interesting and healthy when natural site features are maintained and development is more compact and sustainable.

Chongming Island Master Plan Shanghai, China Long considered Shanghai’s “rice bowl,” Chongming Island is one of the largest alluvial islands in the world and is known for its rich and fertile land. SOM’s award-winning Master Plan for the island establishes a program to preserve and advance agriculture as its major economic engine. The plan incorporates sustainable techniques to facilitate the development of a series of eight dense, transit-rich cities housing nearly one million people, yet occupying less than 15% of Chongming’s land. Each community will consist of walkable and accessible districts that will accommodate 800,000 people to live and work. Proposed transportation infrastructure will bring rail connections to the center of each city, while a sustainable approach to energy and water treatment will also be implemented. The plan proposes to restore wetland wilderness areas, maintain farming as a core business while emphasizing organic goods, tie all cities into a green filtration lake system, preserve the historic farm grid of narrow streets, minimize over-scaled highways and connect all cities by rail to Shanghai.

Protect Wilderness Areas and Eco Systems

Introduce Organic Farming

Develop Green Systems

Ensure Transit

Protect the Farming Villages

Create Coastal Cities

East China Sea

Qidong

Chongming Island

Mouth of the Yangtze River

Shanghai

Huang Pu River

Pudong Airport

lOS aNGELES river REVITALIZATION MASTER PLAN Los Angeles, California For sheer environmental, cultural and recreational benefit, few projects match the potential of an ecology-minded and people-centric revitalization of the Los Angeles River. By utilizing a balance of advanced engineering and imaginative planning, the LA River has the potential to be of comparable civic worth to New York’s Central Park, Chicago’s Grant Park or Washington’s Rock Creek Park. Developed in collaboration with Gehry Partners and Bruce Mau Design, sustainable concepts for the LA River include the “re-greening” of dozens of miles of riverbanks with native trees, grasses and shrubs, as well as the building of new user-friendly river walks. Jogging, biking and skating paths would connect the entire length of the project. Interspersed along this green thoroughfare would be mixed-use developments, schools, museums, art installations and cultural centers. These elements are critical to strengthening the connection between the river and its communities.

Healthy River, Healthy City

Green Blue Grey Freeway

A 32-mile Central Park

Construct the Landscape

Build Bridges

By incorporating modern flood control and water storage techniques into the effort to re-green the river, both safety and aesthetics can be served. For example, the creation of a series of new holding ponds, lakes and reservoirs to handle excess water during flood periods would make it possible to return large parts of the river to a natural state.

Studio City Sherman Oaks

Canoga Park

Encino

SUPPORT DIVERSE CULTURES

CREATE A Living Legacy

Burbank

Griffith Park

Boyle Heights

Chinatown

Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles River REVITALIZATION MASTER PLAN Los Angeles, California

VIBRANT URBAN DISTRICTS

denny triangle MASTER PLAN Seattle, Washington

VIBRANT URBAN DISTRICTS

denny triangle MASTER PLAN Seattle, Washington

Great cities have vibrant urban districts. These exist at a variety of scales that range from very dense downtown core areas, to medium density mixed-use districts focused around commuter transit facilities, to more traditionally-scaled urban neighborhoods distinguished by corner stores, beautiful residential blocks and pocket parks. The design of urban districts is an art form. It involves the skillful blending of streets, transit, parking and access with a rich variety of building typologies to provide choices in housing and commerce together with parks, schools and other public facilities. Vibrant urban districts are memorable and provide a rich mix of opportunities for diverse groups of people.

New active edge at Denny Park Denny Playground Extended Denny Park

Streetcar Stop

Triangle Park

Pedestrian mews Landmark Tower Streetcar Stop and Gateway Park 7th Avenue Retail and Restaurants

Triangle Park

DENNY TRIANGLE MASTER PLAN Seattle, Washington In Denny Triangle, Seattle has an extraordinary opportunity to create one of the world’s landmark 21st Century urban districts. A successfully realized master plan will not only thrive on its own as a vibrant urban neighborhood, but will also answer critical challenges of sustainability, compactness and connectivity. The plan envisions a district of seamlessly integrated spaces for living, working, shopping and more. Designed as a walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood, Denny Triangle will integrate residences, schools, restaurants, coffee shops, offices and hotels into the heart of the city. A system of landscaped boulevards and urban parks will strengthen connections to downtown Seattle and the larger city grid. The neighborhood is strategically positioned for convenient access to major highways and thoroughfares, while the city’s new streetcar network runs through the center of the district for easy access to public transit. A centrally located “Denny Park” will become a gateway into downtown from South Lake Union; 7th Avenue will be the primary address for retail and cafes; and the Westlake corridor is planned as the main thoroughfare for offices, hotels and commercial services. Designed for families and residents who want to live in the heart of the city, the Denny Triangle community will serve as a catalyst for reinvestment in the larger downtown area.

MUMBAI BHARAT NAGAR MASTER PLAN Mumbai, India Sited at the gateway to the Bandra Kurla, the Bharat Nagar Redevelopment will deliver a new center for commerce and activity in Mumbai. This mixed-use urban environment is designed to be a walkable district with a distinct sense of place. Focused around a series of interconnected neighborhoods woven together by a park system, the plan re-envisions an architectural language for the area that builds on local heritage. The existing natural landscape will be restored to provide functional outdoor space that reinforces the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity as a center of leisure. The plan seeks to improve access and connectivity for both pedestrians and vehicles within a permeable network of streets and urban districts. The planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong regional character and connection to the surrounding landscape serve as a model for other high-density, mixeduse districts, setting an example for sustainable development that honors local context.

BAHRAIN BAY MASTER PLAN Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain The Bahrain Bay Master Plan is centered around a unique conceptâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an island connected by two bridges that form an inner harbor. Its goals are to develop a high density, mixed-use waterfront district that sets new standards for urban living in the region. The islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proximity to the airport, Bahrain Financial Harbor, World Trade Center and the Diplomatic Area make it a prestigious location full of potential. Predominantly programmed as a residential island, its strong radial organization is bisected by a commercial mixed-use boulevard that begins and ends in two grand public open spaces. To ensure that the site is developed to its highest and best capacity, diverse neighborhoods are planned across the island. Along the waterfront, the Arcapita Headquarters Building and the Four Seasons Hotel anchor a development that preserves views from upland parcels. Smaller, more localized mixed-use districts are anchored by strategically located signature buildings. Residential towers are arranged to take advantage of natural light and ventilation, with windows that offer every resident views of the bay and sea beyond. Parking and service roads are placed below grade to minimize the impact of automobiles on the public realm. Since the completion of the Bahrain Bay Master Plan, SOM has worked with the client to expand the scope of the project. The planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first phases are currently under construction.

Image: SOM | Image Fiction

PARK GATE - JUMEIRA GARDENS Dubai, UAE Strategically located between the Arabian Gulf Shore and Dubai’s main artery—Sheikh Zayed Road—Jumeira Gardens establishes a district of waterfronts, parks and public transit in the central city. In the heart of Jumeira Gardens lies East Park, a district which is further divided into a series of precincts, the first of which will be Park Gate. Park Gate will be a walkable residential district of gardens and courtyards with a strong emphasis on pedestrian connectivity. Sited at the junction between the proposed Dubai Park and Jumeira Lake Park, the hierarchy of open space will define the character and identity of this unique address. Four connecting neighborhoods will be situated around a central piazza space animated by cafes, shops, bars and restaurants. Courtyard gardens will provide tranquil places for rest and relaxation, with a variety of pools, gardens and water features for the enjoyment of local residents. The master plan is based on a modular system of buildings, each designed to a common structural grid that provides a flexible approach to development. New and existing roadways will be utilized to draw traffic into the site, while underground car parks will minimize the impact of automobiles on the public realm.

TOKYO MIDTOWN Tokyo, Japan Located on the former site of the Japanese Self-Defense Agency, the Tokyo Mid-Town Project returns to the public domain a 20-acre site that was inaccessible for 60 years. SOM’s Master Plan allocates 5,000,000 square feet of mixed-use development and includes a five-acre public park. A signature 242-meter, SOM-designed tower is located in the southeast quadrant of the site with adjacent lower buildings that form “foothills” inspired by traditional Japanese temple gardens. The tallest building in Tokyo, the tower houses corporate offices and a luxury 240-room hotel at the top. Surrounding the tower and framing the public plaza, the project includes two other office buildings, three residential properties, a retail gallery, an entertainment venue, conferencing facilities and two museums. SOM planners and architects were inspired by traditional Japanese architecture’s ability to “dematerialize” mass through the use of planar screens. Elevations of multiple overlapping planes, inspired by Japanese Shoji screens, are meant to veil rather than enclose space. Exhaustive computer-generated solar analyses provided a technical basis for the design of each of the elevations.

BEIJING FINANCE STREET Beijing, China Located in the city’s historic center, Beijing Finance Street is China’s new “Wall Street.” This 860,000-sm (ninemillion-sf) mixed-use project forms the center of a 35-block development adjacent to Beijing’s Second Ring Road, previously the edge of the ancient Walled City. SOM’s plan capitalizes on Beijing’s tremendous economic energy and addresses the resulting challenges of improving transportation, air quality and historic preservation. The plan recommends a city-scaled network of open spaces and revitalization of the surrounding fabric. The design includes a central park that anchors Beijing Finance Street’s 18 buildings. Smaller parks, gardens, courtyards and landscaped pathways create a walkable urban environment. The SOM plan integrates a variety of “urban rooms” of varied scales, merging public and private space and promoting social interaction. Like modern China, Beijing Finance Street employs a palette of current thinking and technology—sustainable design, mixed-use neighborhoods, transit-oriented development—to create a memorable urban district firmly rooted in the City’s distinctive culture and rising international prominence as a financial center. Much of the plan has been implemented, and the public park is now the center of BFS’ West District.

REINVENTED WATERFRONTS

alexandria waterfront historical eastern harbour redevelopment project Alexandria, Egypt

In many cases, the industrial and shipping functions of cities over the past century have resulted in degraded waterfront environments and constructed physical barriers. As the viability of former uses has shifted and people are rediscovering the spiritual and economic values of water, great opportunities exist to reinvent them as vital anchors to bring new life and investment into existing urban settlements. Great waterfronts are places where people, plants and animals coexist together. We strive for the restoration of local ecologies, the celebration of unique culture and histories and a careful balance between development and recreation. Reconnecting people to the water is one of the most rewarding endeavors a community can undertake.

Alexandria Waterfront Historical Eastern Harbour Redevelopment Project Alexandria, Egypt SOMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master Plan aims to regenerate the Eastern Harbor of Alexandria and help re-establish the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position as one of the leading cultural centers in the world. Designed to support the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the new East District development proposes several programs including two hotels, a convention center, office space, a shopping center and a museum/ cultural district. The proposed museum district radiates outward from the Bibliotheca, towards the sea. The plan allows convenient access to historic ruins in the bay, as well as a direct connection to the pedestrian promenade planned for the corniche. In the West District, a similar mix of cultural and commercial programs includes a shopping center modeled after a traditional souk. The cityscape gives way towards larger open spaces on the coastline, where hotels and residential buildings are planned. Facing the bay in this district, SOM proposes a series of linear buildings that echo the form of the corniche. Restaurants and an aquarium are planned for this area, as well as a solar power generator in the form of a delicate tower. Glowing by night, the generator evokes the memory of the pharos that once stood here, while its function as a source of renewable energy speaks to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future.

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resort, residential and hotel

kait bay fort pharos resort, residential and hotel

solar tower

aquarium

retail, market place

fish market

ARCHAEOLOGY

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Redevelopment project

Alexandria Waterfront Historical Eastern Harbour Redevelopment Project Alexandria, Egypt 80

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museums

retail and office ARCHAEOLOGY

BIBLIOTHECA alexandrina convention center and hotel

5 star resort hotel

ARCHAEOLOGY Archaeological Promenade Project

saad zaghol project

new university square

Hong Kong Waterfront Master Plan Hong Kong, China Set between mountains and sea, central Hong Kong has long depended on landfill to create new areas for development. With the completion of the airport and related transportation improvements, a policy shift occurred that will cause more balanced regional growth. SOMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan recognizes the historic opportunity presented by these developments, and proposes that Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth will depend as much on environmental quality as on increased development capacity. The planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centerpiece is a 16-hectare crescent-shaped park framing Victoria Harbor. This new park provides the city with a dramatic sense of arrival, a place for public gatherings, and a peaceful sanctuary from city life. A landscaped boulevard gives a formal edge to the Crescent and creates a prestigious address for new development. A comprehensive network of pedestrian paths, bridges and promenades links the entire waterfront district. This network centers on three corridors: a civic corridor, an historic corridor and an arts corridor that will expand cultural facilities for the residents of Hong Kong.

Shanghai Waterfront Redevelopment Master Plan Shanghai, China With the rise of containerized shipping, and with burgeoning real estate pressure throughout the city, Shanghai city authorities sought to relocate the Huangpu River’s existing port functions, and transform the riverfront into a place for business, tourism, housing and recreation. SOM’s plan recognizes the significance of this opportunity by creating planning strategies and a comprehensive vision to guide the redevelopment of a 4.8-square kilometer area along both sides of the river. The master plan’s main priorities are to reconnect the city to the river while extending the image of the Bund—with its grand ensemble of historic buildings and public esplanades—to the entire riverfront. Key strategies include devoting the majority of the riverfront to open space connected to the existing regional park system. To reinforce these links, this master plan establishes a new transportation framework, including a scenic shoreline drive, trolley line, ferry system and continuous public pedestrian walk along the entire river. Relying on public-private partnerships, the master plan will make the Huangpu River Corridor the true heart of the city and prepare Shanghai for the postindustrial era.

URBAN HERITAGE

SAIGON SOUTH MASTER PLAN Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Thoughtful urban planning and community-building requires not only an eye toward the future, but a sincere respect for the past as well. A region’s natural features, pre-existing networks, and cultural heritage inform SOM’s designs for signature buildings, waterfront developments, city centers and public parks. We seek to repair the rifts in a city’s cultural foundations, preserving historic landmarks as new ones are built for the years ahead. While there are forces that make cities look alike, particularly in fast-growing regions, SOM’s projects blend modern design with renovation, redevelopment and a unique sense of place. By thinking and designing strategically within the context of a city’s urban heritage, SOM is able to further the development of places that are distinctive, livable, and sustainable.

SAIGON SOUTH Master Plan Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Saigon South is a 6,500-acre redevelopment and extension of one of the largest cities in Vietnam. As the population grows, high-density development in central Ho Chi Minh City has threatened the preservation of historic neighborhoods. The master plan steers development south of the city, where substantial new growth can be accommodated cost-effectively with close proximity to public transit and pre-existing centers of business. Saigon South’s location is also strategic in relation to the City’s major investments in roads and infrastructure. By organizing development along the BT Roadway, the new area has immediate access to the Central City, the Deepwater Port, the Export Processing Zone and the Airport. Planned transportation improvements focus on connections to the existing city, a network of walkable blocks and clear access to public transit. For residents in the Central City, Saigon South provides a range of needed amenities including universities, sport facilities, botanical gardens, a zoo, a water park, fair grounds, a race track and golf courses— all linked by a landscaped parkway. The master plan improves water quality in the Doi Canal and in agricultural areas south of the City by creating an environmental framework that manages the region’s hydrology, water quality, flood system, shoreline ecology and air quality. The plan advocates a public and private partnership to provide adequate development of infrastructure and municipal services, as well as competitive economic and development incentives.

HANOI NEW TOWN Hanoi, Vietnam Hanoi is one of the traditional seats of Vietnamese culture, where the Red River defines the city and nourishes its people. As the capital of Vietnam, historic Hanoi is also a fast-growing city that is experiencing intense pressure for expansion and redevelopment. The Hanoi New Town Master Plan proposes a modern city built through the partnership of government, business and industry. Its framework allows Hanoi to become a world-class city without losing its historic continuity and urban identity. At the same time, the Master Plan strives to relieve development pressure on the existing central city. The town is planned for a population of 750,000. Its 7,580 hectares will be developed as three related districts: the City Center (Dong Anh West), Dong Anh Central, and Tu Liem. Together, they provide the Hanoi Region with new settings for urban growth, infrastructure and industrial development. These areas are seen as the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important economic engines for the future and are linked by a network of roads, utilities, mass transit systems, green space and public areas. North of the existing city, a floodplain contains an area of low-lying lands where rice paddies are grown. Canals are designed to criss-cross the floodplain and transform water into an amenity that defines the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character and culture. These canals also connect to the Red River, providing points of access between the city center, adjacent districts and bordering farm villages.

FOSHAN LINGNAN TIANDI Master Plan Foshan, China The third largest city in Guangdong Province, Foshan is renowned as one of China’s leading centers of art and scholarship. The city is home to the Foshan Zumiao, the 900-year old Song Dynasty Ancestral Temple. The Temple, in turn, represents the heart of the Donghuali “Old Town” and its exceptional “Lingnan” architecture. Designed to promote the city’s unique identity, the Foshan Plan strives to provide a new model for historic conservation and revitalization that can apply throughout China. As unremitting high-rise development threatens the architectural heritage of Foshan’s Old Town, this plan identifies ways to conserve the ancient area while simultaneously creating a sustainable, modern central district able to meet the inevitable need for growth. Meetings between planners, developers and city officials established a series of potential private developments outside of the Old Town. Guidelines for these developments established density levels that could support a transitoriented, mixed-use downtown while at the same time defraying the costs of preserving and restoring the historic Old Town and Temple. The plan also designated a range of sensitively scaled building heights, as well as walkable blocks to encourage pedestrian activity and transit development.

KNOWLEDGE CENTERS

University OF California - Merced master plan Merced, California Image: SOM | Tim Griffith

Skillful planning and design of universities, research institutions and medical districts can elevate their missions by establishing engaging physical environments that attract top talent and plant the seeds of innovation and invention. World-class knowledge centers include state-of-the-art buildings with integrated technologies. Within a campus, great urban design establishes connections while providing spaces that promote interpersonal interactions and collegial exchange. Integration of the campus into a broader urban context provides access to goods, services and residential accommodations. Dynamic centers of learning, research and development are the underpinnings of great and stable societies.

University of California–Merced Master Plan Merced, California The University of California – Merced Master Plan integrates sustainable practices at every phase of the project, from energy-infrastructure and transportation-systems planning through building occupancy. The plan incorporates new, cost-effective ways to both reduce consumption of natural resources and decrease pollution from transit systems as well as minimize the waste of resources. The campus design considers its regional context in order to minimize the impact of long-term development on natural resources, and the fabric of future northward expansion of the City of Merced. The campus grid is angled to maximize cooling breezes off the lake. The plan allows for infrastructure implementation, predictable and sensible expansion and phasing, and creates an environment supportive of social interaction and sustainable town living.

UC Merced Central Plant Complex The 41,000 square foot complex consists of three buildings: a three-story plant that houses most of the campus’s power and infrastructure operations, a telecommunications hub, and a twomillion-gallon thermal energy storage tank (TES). The TES tank is one of the main efficiency strategies for the Central Plant, contributing to campus energy savings of 30-50%. The Central Plant Complex also facilitates academic discourse around climate change. The interior processes of the plant remain visible so that it functions as a pedagogical tool. Glass ribbon wraps around the building, allowing views into the plant while also acting as a light shelf. A thin veil of perforated metal clads the plant and masks the opaque areas of the building to permit light and views. Since the campus opened in 2005, the Central Plant Complex, in combination with other energy-efficient buildings on campus, have provided 30-50% energy savings per year. Furthermore, because the University is able to buy cheaper, non-peak power, the Central Plant has saved the campus up to 75% in energy

costs. Due to the benefits gained by other campus buildings serviced by the Central Plant Complex, each of those buildings will receive ten prototype points towards LEED®-certification. Select LEED®-certification features include: • 77% of the construction waste was diverted from landfills. • 50% of materials used contain recycled content. • Materials were selected with consideration to their extraction and manufacturing proximity to the project site. • A high level of indoor air quality was assured through installation of low-emitting materials and phased construction (e.g., odorous materials installed prior to absorbent materials).

Library and Information Technology Center (LITC) The LITC was designed with flexible open space and a highly adaptable infrastructure, allowing it to accommodate the changes required as the campus evolves. The LITC is composed of three primary elements: a sky-lit well that is suited to the traditional “stacks and carrels” library, a multi-use space that is daylit from the sides and a lantern-like architectural form that pins the larger building elements together at the corner. This lantern contains the main entry with a stack of key programmatic spaces wrapped in indoor and outdoor reading rooms. This third element is the organizational and social center of the building and the “front porch” of the campus. Several sun mitigation strategies were necessary to maintain views between interior and exterior campus life, as well as to the landscape beyond. The building was oriented North-South, and deep-set façades were used to provide shade. Operable garage doors, louvers, loggias, overhangs, and arcades invite students to work and congregate outside in this extended “campus living room.” In the evening, the project marks its place on campus with a warm glow. Louvers, which protect the project from the sun, reflect light and turn the building into a lantern.

These sun mitigation strategies form a significant part of the project’s overall sustainable ethos, which responds to its location in the climatically hot Central Valley and promotes a sustainable future for the University. Just as the surrounding natural environment is a living laboratory for the sciences, engineering and policy sciences, the project itself is a teaching tool for sustainability.

Awards SCUP/AIA-CAE, Special Citation, 2006 AIA San Francisco Chapter, Excellence in Architecture Award, 2006 AIA California Council, Honor Award, 2006 Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, Beyond Green High Performance Building Award, 2007 Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, Award of Merit: Sustainable Design, 2007 Chicago Athenaeum, Architecture Honor Award, 2007 AIA National Honor Award for Architecture, 2007 Savings By Design, Energy Efficiency Integration Merit Award, 2007 Chicago Athenaeum, Green Good Design Award, 2009

Image: SOM | Christopher Grubbs

Limited operable windows Shaded terrace

Light shelf at Campus Reading Room

Building mass rotated off campus grid to true North/South exposure

Aluminum sun shades and “barn slat” windows

Limited windows on west façade

Light monitor

Shaded terrace Valley aggregate, high fly ash architecture concrete Fritted glass sun shades Ventilating garage doors Shaded entry loggia

Image: SOM | Tim Griffith

Cooling Effect

Sustainable Strategies

High albedo white roof Fritted glass sun shades High visibility, low reflectivity glazing Deep eggcrate facade for shading, daylighting, and maximizing views Shaded arcade

Knowledge and Innovation Community Master Plan Shanghai, China Shanghai’s Yang Pu District is home to 17 universities and over 200 research institutions, but it also has large tracts of underutilized land. With the global shift from industrial production to technology, city officials recognized the opportunity to capitalize on this wealth of knowledge and transform Yang Pu into an incubator district that creates key connections between research institutions and commercial technology ventures. SOM’s analysis of other incubator regions—like California’s Silicon Valley— identified key elements of innovation and invention. In particular, we recognized that access to capital and talent and the ability to share information freely drives the generation of new ideas. For the KIC master plan, this translated into on-site housing within the district and incentives for start-up businesses to establish offices. The plan also draws upon the ideas of a typical university campus by encouraging chance encounters (and therefore exchanges of ideas) through a pedestrian-friendly environment, ample retail and amenities such as sports facilities. Two boulevards will form the main north/south and east/west axes, enhanced by landscaping, a light-rail transit system and a vibrant blend of uses including areas for offices, homes and cultural buildings within the research and development district.

GREAT URBAN PARKS

MILLENNIUM PARK master plan Chicago, Illinois

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Great cities are anchored by great urban parks and a variety of public spaces. Planning for new and evolving cities always requires a delicate balance between public investments that create private sector economic opportunities and investments more targeted at addressing quality of life issues. Urban parks can serve both purposes and establish postcard identities. Great parks are memorable and engaging and can take many forms. The best ones provide a rich mix of spaces to accommodate a wide variety of activities.

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MILLENNIUM PARK master plan Chicago, Illinois Millennium Park is the result of a collaborative effort between the City of Chicago, SOM, and several other renowned architects including Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano. Created to celebrate the turn of the millennium and reinvigorate a 25-acre tract of land in Chicago’s Grant Park, Millennium Park incorporates groundbreaking advances in sustainable design, including the world’s largest green roof. A pioneering model for urban planning, the park synthesizes architecture, landscape design, public sculpture and cultural programming. SOM’s engineering expertise was critical to the project. The above-ground area spans a subterranean complex that includes rail lines, bus lanes and a two-level parking garage, making the park accessible from multiple modes of public transit. Working with Frank Gehry, the firm engineered two of the Park’s most famous landmarks: the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and BP Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge’s five percent grade makes it easily accessible to wheelchairs. An estimated 2.5 million people visit the park each year, making it one of Chicago’s most successful tourist attractions. Since it opened, Millennium Park has attracted over $2 billion dollars of private sector investment in adjacent areas of downtown. The Park has received numerous design awards from the AIA, American Society of Civil Engineers and Urban Land Institute.

URBAN LANDMARKS

TRUMP TOWER Chicago, Illinois

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Urban landmarks are the features of a community that make it recognizable to the world. These can be supertall buildings that shape a skyline or iconic architecture that defines a district. SOM has designed a portfolio of world-renowned projects and continues to lead the profession in the integration of art and science to create new urban landmarks.

TRUMP Tower Chicago, Illinois The Trump International Hotel & Tower is the tallest building project in the United States since the Sears Tower was completed in 1974. Its architectural design strategy is wholly contextual: the south side of the tower parallels the bank of the Chicago River, a position that enables the structure to connect with Chicago’s north-south grid. Setbacks in the tower’s massing integrate the building into the overall context of the city. For instance, the first setback occurs on the east side of the tower, at a height that is essentially the same as the cornice line of the Wrigley Building to the east. The next setback on the west side of the tower relates to both the height of the residential tower to the north and Marina City to the west. The third and final setback on the east side of the tower relates to the height of the IBM Building immediately adjacent. Near ground level, the building’s massing is lifted by 40 feet, opening up an expansive, landscaped promenade that steps down, like terraces on a hillside, for three lower levels until it meets the Chicago River. This promenade provides a pedestrian connection between Michigan Avenue and State Street, as well as public assembly spaces and retail activity at the river’s edge.

Image: SOM | Lawrence Okrent

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Pearl River Tower Guangzhou, China The 71-story, 2.3 million square foot Pearl River Tower is expected to be the world’s most energy-efficient supertall office tower upon completion, and a milestone along the way to energy independence. In 2005, SOM presented plans for a new headquarters tower in Guangzhou that would incorporate the latest sustainable technology and engineering know-how in an attempt to create the world’s most energy efficient high-rise structure—a tower that would significantly reduce its dependency on the city’s infrastructure. The design of the ‘zero-energy’ concept Pearl River Tower reflects the principle of humankind in harmony with the environment. Pearl River’s sleek, aerodynamic form was developed through a careful understanding of solar and wind patterns around the site. The building optimizes the solar path and utilizes the sun to its advantage. The building also minimizes the interference of wind forces and uses them to relieve the structural burdens imposed by high-wind pressures. Pearl River’s sculpted body directs wind to a pair of openings at its mechanical floors. Traveling winds push turbines which generate energy for the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Energy consumption is reduced by maximizing natural day-lighting, reducing solar gain in air conditioned spaces, retaining rainwater for gray-water usage, and by utilizing solar gain for attaining the building’s hot water supply. The office tower is chilled by a combination of displacement ventilation, radiant panel cooling and chilled beams and incorporates optimized air and water delivery systems and optimized building management systems. Solar collectors integrated into the façades transform the sun’s energy to usable AC current.

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‘zERO-ENERGY’ CONCEPT COMPETITION DESIGN

In evolving the relationship between building and environment, a twofold strategy was developed to target a net-zero energy building.

19%

With the proposed system, the HVAC equipment would pass the cooling tower water through embedded tubes within the building’s caissons prior to being delivered to the cooling towers.

A dynamic high-performance building envelope is incorporated into the design.

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This air displacement system is chosen as both an excellent complement to building’s usage and to the ensemble of sustainable systems purposed. The displacement system will rely on a raised floor which will dually serve as a pressurized plenum and space for routing electrical and data cabling.

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Two sets of wind turbines will be integrated within the building and are to be located at each mechanical floor. These turbines will serve to generate power that can be directly fed to the mechanical equipment with minimal losses.

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High temperature fuel cells would complement the sustainable systems purposed for Pearl River Tower.

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The façade system is optimized with consideration of orientation for the utilization of daylight while controlling solar loads and glare to the interior zone. An internally ventilated high-performance double wall façade is used for the northern and southern orientation. The outer skin of the façade will feature an integrated photovoltaic system.

BURJ DUBAI Dubai, UAE Burj Dubai, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tallest building, is the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development comprising residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, retail and leisure outlets with open green spaces, water features, pedestrian boulevards, a shopping mall and a tourist-oriented old town. Its design combines historical and cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve a high-performance building. The design of the tower is derived from the geometries of a regional desert flower and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture. Built from reinforced cement, the tower employs advanced engineering with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;buttressed coreâ&#x20AC;? structural system that resists the wind and provides stability. As the tower rises, spiraling setbacks decrease the floorplate. Inside, a mixed-use program of condominiums, shops, hotel rooms and recreational spaces will make Burj Dubai an international destination.

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iNFINITY Tower Dubai, UAE The design for Dubai’s Infinity Tower exemplifies SOM’s belief that in order for a building to endure, the exterior form must be a direct expression of its structural framework. The idea that iconic architecture must be more than skin deep is reflected as powerfully today in this tower as it was in SOM’s designs for Lever House, Sears Tower and John Hancock Center. The building’s twisting helix form is its most striking feature. The column superstructure rotates by one degree at each floor, forming the tower’s unique profile around a core of reinforced concrete and an exterior of corrosionresistant titanium. Its winding shape optimizes views for residents while preserving the vistas of its neighbors. Currently under construction, the tower has already been singled out as a regional landmark that will become synonymous with Dubai’s waterfront.

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the city is The solution “

With language itself, the city remains man’s greatest work of art Lewis Mumford

At SOM, our City Design Practice believes that enlightened urban thinking, planning and design can lead to comprehensive solutions for many of the larger problems that confront human society in the early part of the 21st century. We view the city as a saving solution. The subject of how human settlement takes place on the land links together most, if not all, other environmental and social issues.

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”

How humankind comes together in cities thus becomes nothing less than a key to the long-term stewardship of the land, air and water, to habitat preservation, to health, security and even positive social integration. Solutions exist to some of the world’s most pressing problems within the structure of the city itself.

URBAN DESIGN AWARDS Alexandria Waterfront, Alexandria, Egypt American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Urban Design Award, Unbuilt Category: Shortlisted World Architecture News BAHRAIN BAY, MANAMA, BAHRAIN MIPIM/Architectural Review Future Project Awards BEIJING FINANCE STREET, BEIJING, CHINA China’s Top 10 Landmark Building Complexes, Development and Research Center of the Department of State, Real Estate Research Institute Qinghua University, & China Index Research Institute Chinese Lou-Bam Award for Architecture and Engineering: National Quality Project, Ministry of Construction and The Chinese Architect Organization Urban Design Award, AIA Urban Design Merit Award, AIA Best Planning Project, Architectural Record/ Business Week American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Award for Excellence: Asia Pacific Competition, Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence, Global, Urban Land Institute BEIRUT CENTRAL DISTRICT MASTER PLAN, BEIRUT, LEBANON Charter Award, Congress for New Urbanism CANARY WHARF, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM MIPIM Award: Best Office Development Programme CHICAGO 2016 MASTER PLAN, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Honor Award, AIA Chicago Chapter CHICAGO RIVERWALK MAIN BRANCH FRAMEWORK PLAN, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Honor Award, AIA Chicago Chapter CHICAGO CENTRAL AREA PLAN, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA CHONGMING ISLAND, SHANGHAI, CHINA National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA Charter Award, Congress for the New Urbanism Sustainable Design Award: Citation of Merit, AIA MIPIM Future Project Award: Regeneration and Master Planning, Highly Commended CROSSHARBOUR, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM International Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum FOSHAN LINGNAN TIANDI MASTER PLAN, FOSHAN, CHINA American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Honor Award, AIA San Francisco Chapter Honour Award, AIA Hong Kong Merit Award, AIA California Council MIPIM Future Project Award: Regeneration and Master Planning, Commended, MIPIM/ Architectural Review National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA

Hong Kong Central Waterfront Development Plan, HONG KONG, CHINA Honor Award for Outstanding Regional and Urban Design, AIA

SACRAMENTO CAPITOL AREA PLAN, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA Honor Award, AIA Sacramento Chapter Urban Design Award Urban Design Institute

KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATION COMMUNITY, SHANGHAI, CHINA Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape Museum of Modern Art Urban Design Award, AIA San Francisco Chapter

SAIGON SOUTH MASTER PLAN, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA Urban Design Award, Progressive Architecture

LAKESHORE EAST MASTER PLAN, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS National Honor Award Regional and Urban Design, AIA Prix d’ Excellence Award: Master Plan Design, FIABCI

SHANGHAI WATERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN, SHANGHAI, CHINA National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA

LEAMOUTH PENINSULA, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM International Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum

STATE STREET RENOVATION, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum Award of Merit, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Charter Award, Congress for the New Urbanism Distinguished Building Award, AIA Chicago Chapter National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA Special Achievement Award, International Downtown Association

los angeles river, a plan for the next 100 years, los angeles, California Unbuilt Design Award: Special Recognition, AIA

TIANJIN COFCO MIXED-USE PROJECT, TIANJIN, CHINA Merit Award, AIA Hong Kong

MILLENNIUM PARK, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Award for Excellence: The Americas, Urban Land Institute National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA Award for Outstanding Large Project, American Society of Civil Engineers

TOKYO MIDTOWN, TOKYO, JAPAN Best Mixed Use Building, MIPIM Asia Global Award for Excellence, Urban Land Institute

LAKESIDE MASTER PLAN, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Sustainable Design Award: Citation of Merit, AIA National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA International Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum

NORTHWEST FRONTIER PROVINCE AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN Urban Design and Planning Citation, Progressive Architecture NORWALK BUSINESS DISTRICT MANAGEMENT PLAN, NORWALK, CONNECTICUT Honor Award, APA, Connecticut Chapter ONE LEWIS WHARF, MASSACHUSETTS Regional Award, Governor’s Design Award ORLANDO NAVAL TRAINING CENTER REDEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN, ORLANDO, FLORIDA Award for Excellence: Global, Urban Land Institute Catherine Brown Award for the Landscape of the New Urbanism, Congress for the New Urbanism PARK EAST CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN, RINKUUTOWN, KOREA Unbuilt Design Award, Citation of Merit, AIA Chicago Chapter PORTLAND URBAN RENEWAL MASTER PLAN, PORTLAND, OREGON Honor Award, AIA Portland Chapter PROVIDENCE CAPITAL CENTER PLAN, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND Urban Design and Planning Award 29th Annual, Progressive Architecture Outstanding Achievement Award for Design Excellence in the Category of Architecture, Federal Railroad Administration

TREASURE ISLAND 2005 MASTER PLAN, SAN FRANCISCO, california National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design, AIA Urban Design Award, AIA California Council Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, California Environmental Protection Agency Urban Design Award, AIA San Francisco Chapter University of California–Merced Master Plan, Merced, California Green Good Design Award, Chicago Athenaeum Energy Efficiency Integration Merit Award, Savings By Design National Honor Award for Architecture, AIA Architecture Honor Award, Chicago Athenaeum Award of Merit: Sustainable Design, Structural Engineers Association of Northern California Beyond Green High Performance Building Award, Sustainable Buildings Industry Council Honor Award, AIA California Council Excellence in Architecture Award, AIA San Francisco Chapter Special Citation, SCUP/AIA-CA

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