SOM little black book

Cert no. SGS-COC-003554

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With 75 years of expertise as a multi-disciplinary firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) has developed a portfolio of world-renowned projects and a reputation for the highest quality of service. Since the firm’s inception, SOM has been the recipient of over 1400 design awards—more than any other design firm in the United States. SOM was also the first firm to receive the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Firm Award in 1962, when the AIA noted: “In design and personalized service to clients, your firm’s performance has consistently attained a high order.” SOM became the only firm to be so honored twice when the AIA recognized SOM again in 1996.

In 2010, Architect Magazine named SOM the number one architectural firm in its Architect 50 list citing the firm’s “historic ability to fuse advanced engineering and modernist aesthetics.”

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Firm Profile

The AIA citation noted that SOM works at "exemplifying mastery of the changes of time, cultural values, technologies, business practice and economics," qualities that have undoubtedly contributed to the firm's enduring success. In addition to our two firm awards, SOM has also won five prestigious AIA "Twenty-Five Year Awards," which recognize projects of enduring architectural significance. SOM continues to look forward to the future of design, embracing new innovations and new technologies. We help our clients meet challenges head on and create solutions that address current and future needs.

Areas of Expertise SOM's diverse practice brings together designers who have expertise in the following project types.: • Large Scale Mixed-Use • Commercial Office • Financial Services • Hospitality and Hotel Facilities • Residential Facilities • Super-tall • Cultural Arts Centers and Museums • Convention and Exhibition Centers • Educational Facilities • Hospital and Research Labs • Aviation Centers and Airports • Urban Infrastructure and Open Space • Sports

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Firm Profile

Multi-Disciplinary Services As a multi-disciplinary firm, SOM fosters a collaborative environment. The multidisciplinary approach—one SOM helped pioneer—has allowed us to develop new and unique solutions in our designs and project management. SOM provides the following services, all in-house: • Architecture • Building Services/MEP Engineering • Digital Design • Graphics • Interior Design • Structural & Civil Engineering • Sustainable Design • Urban Design & Planning

In addition to our broad in-house capabilities, SOM has a long history of partnering with specialty consultants and other design firms to ensure design excellence and the highest level of client service.

SOM Offices and Staff SOM offices are located in: • Chicago • New York • San Francisco • Washington, DC • Abu Dhabi • Dubai • London • Hong Kong • Shanghai • Brussels

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Beijing CBD East Expansion Beijing, China

The SOM plan for Beijing’s expanded Central Business District (CBD) calls for the establishment of three new districts anchored by signature parks and green boulevards. New modes of public transportation are proposed, including express commuter rail service between the Beijing Capital International Airport, the CBD, and high speed rail service at Beijing South Station. A new streetcar system is proposed to conveniently link all areas of the CBD, and every street would be bicycle friendly. To establish a pedestrian-friendly scale for development, the plan calls for a network of small, walkable blocks.

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The SOM plan defines new strategies for building municipal infrastructure and high performance buildings. Implementation of the plan could reduce energy consumption within the district by 50%, reduce water consumption by 48%, reduce landfill waste by 80%, and result in a 50% reduction in carbon emissions. Reduction in emissions from office buildings alone would eliminate 215,000 tons of CO2 per year, which is the equivalent of planting 14 million adult trees.

SOM’s vision for the Beijing CBD provides the framework that will enable China’s capital city to grow as a global center for commerce, yet be a green and ecological setting for healthy life.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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U.S. Embassy – Beijing Beijing, China

At 500,000 square feet, the new U.S. Embassy in Beijing is the second largest Embassy compound ever undertaken by the United States government. Located on a ten-acre site northeast of the Forbidden City in Beijing’s new Third Embassy District, the new Embassy is a multi-building campus punctuated by gardens and art. The design emphasizes environmental sustainability and presents an open, gracious and civic face to the city of Beijing.

The Embassy is organized into three “neighborhoods”: a social neighborhood with community serving and recreation spaces, a professional neighborhood with office space, and the Consular neighborhood. The Embassy’s Consular Pavilion serves as America’s front door to China. Chinese visa applicants cross a lotus garden pond on a stone-framed wooden bridge, arriving at a generous portico— an American front porch.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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The New Beijing Poly Plaza Beijing, China

The New Beijing Poly Plaza has a triangular footprint and a façade of dynamic angular glass forms. This iconic building has a strong presence in the surrounding area.

It also sets a tone of architectural excellence for future developments south of the site.

Because the office space is primarily speculative, the client was especially concerned with maximizing leasibility.

The design responds with lease spans that optimize office layouts while maintaining access to natural light.

Passive solutions for climate control are also incorporated, resulting in flexibility, efficiency and durability. The building’s singular design and memorable entry are designed to attract potential tenants.

In addition to 58,000 square meters of Class-A offices, Beijing Poly Plaza hosts an eight-cinema multiplex and 8,000 square meters of supporting retail. Easily accessible by car, subway, bus, or foot, the Plaza is a landmark building at an important crossroads.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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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 (nine million- sf) mixeduse 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.

Like modern China, Beijing Finance Street employs a palette of current thinking and technology—sustainable design, mixeduse 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.

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.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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China World Trade Center Beijing, China

China World Trade Center Tower embodies quiet, purposeful elegance.

As the tallest building in the city, it will mark the broader CWTC development as the centerpiece of Beijing’s Central Business District.

The tower has a classic columnar proportion of a base, shaft/middle and crown integrated in the exterior surfacing and structural expression. The bold tapering profile will create a strong, curved silhouette that reaches for the sky. A confident, singular soaring form will contrast with the jumble of new buildings constituting the business district’s skyline.

The faceted surface combined with glass/ metal fins creates a textural yet transparent effect, with reflective surfaces becoming a “waterfall” of light and detail.

Celebrating the public functions of the hotel at the top of the building, the upper levels take advantage of higher floor-toceiling heights and impressive views to create distinctive public rooms. The crown development demarcates the Shangri-La Hotel and celebrates the public access and functions at the top of the tower.

Folded seamlessly into the urban fabric of streets and plazas, the tower’s base visually strengthens the lower tower levels, with transparency welcoming people to the spaces within. The ground floor contains clearly organized entries to the offices on the west and the hotel on the east.

The tower’s robust base visually and physically anchors the soaring spire.

The shaft’s façades are layered with a series of vertical glass and metal fins to provide solar shading of the interiors.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Pearl River Tower Guangzhou, China

The 2.3-million square-foot Pearl River Tower redefines what is possible in sustainable design by incorporating the latest green technology and engineering advancements. The 309-meter tower’s sculpted body directs wind to a pair of openings at its mechanical floors, where traveling winds push turbines which generate energy for the building.

The design for the tower incorporates a series of other integrated sustainable and engineering elements, including solar panels, double skin curtain wall, chilled ceiling system, under floor ventilation air, and daylight harvesting, all of which contribute to the building’s energy efficiency.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Guangzhou Baietan Area Master Plan Guangzhou, China

The Baietan Master Plan envisions a sustainability-integrated city with over 740,000 residents and 660,000 employees situated on the banks of the Pearl River in central Guangzhou, China. Baietan will be Guangzhou’s international commercial center located at the heart of the GuangFo region. Situated to the Southwest of historic Shamian Island, a 35-square kilometer area of former industrial land will be transformed into a twenty-first century urban environment that combines the core qualities of Lingnan culture with urban density, transit accessibility, livability, and ecological vitality.

A detailed urban design plan for a 4-square kilometer Core Area encourages the development of a compact and high intensity central business district that is located at the convergence of subway transit services and at the edge of the Pearl River.

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Through the integration land use, transportation and economic development strategies, Baietan will be transformed into the regional commercial hub of the western Pearl River Delta and the heart of GuangFo (Guangzhou-Foshan). A highly-skilled and creative workforce will be attracted by enhanced living and employment opportunities, and the urban vitality provided by new retail and cultural uses.

Baietan capitalizes on its unique location on the Pearl River by extending and enhancing the system of waterways, canals, and riparian corridors to form a network of open spaces that restores the natural habitat and supports diverse recreational opportunities. The new community will be protected from flooding from the Pearl River though a system of levees, raised land, and canals. Through integrated planning strategies targeting energy, water, and waste, the Baietan plan also establishes a new benchmark of sustainable urban development.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Poly International Plaza Guangzhou, China

The design and siting of these two mixeduse towers mitigate the hot climate and take advantage of riverfront views. Clad in glass and metal curtain walls, the towers face north, allowing natural light and views.

An evolution of ideas explored in the Crown Zellerbach Building (1959, San Francisco) and the Alcoa Building (1964, San Francisco) influenced the design. The towers feature a slender floorplate and a distinct core, reminiscent of Crown Zellerbach’s, but rely on a new offset structural solution.

are pulled to the exterior and enclosed in glass, which makes pedestrian movement between floors visible. Openings penetrating both buildings at their centers reduce wind loads and become social spaces that can double as refuge floors during an emergency.

The X-bracing is similar to Alcoa’s in appearance, but does not envelope all four walls on the exterior. Instead, a double structural spine on the south face of the buildings shields the interiors from direct sunlight and reduces the structural load carried by the office volume and core element, which are both glazed. This solution also permits a column-free space for the office floors. The building core becomes a translucent volume rather than a solid mass; glass elevators offer tenants and visitors the experience of moving up and down the core. Extending this idea of celebrating utilitarian spaces, exiting stairs 18

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Ssiger International Plaza Phase II Shanghai, China

The design of Ssiger International Plaza proposes a building for Cixi whose geometry optimizes each of the internal program elements in order to create a singular landmark structure which directly addresses city hall immediately to the southeast. The form is a critical response to the challenge of creating unique and marketable residential program area which responds to code constraints while providing optimal views and access to sunlight. The design strikes a balance between the creation of flexible living units, while emphatically expressing the building’s pragmatic, functional and structural performance.

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Configured in plan as a trio of individual towers, the building massing facilitates views and reduces wind forces by creating large vertical openings. Placing the hotel functions at the crown gives the building, with its dramatic, portal like openings, a uniquely recognizable presence on the skyline. A series of dramatic, multistory connecting elements link the supporting towers to one another while creating residential amenity spaces and multistory “sky loft� units unavailable elsewhere.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Jianianhua Center Chongqing, China

The Jianianhua Center defines a new kind of civic landmark, one that establishes a meaning and presence through an innovative integration of architecture and graphic design. Through the unexpected application of common billboard technology, the glass volume is transformed into dynamic architecture.

The idea of a transparent, glass building that would provide a counterpoint to Chongqing’s often foggy climate and the prevailing heavy concrete buildings spoke to the intent of the design. At the same time there was a desire to appropriate the largescale signage and elevate it to a public art more suitable for the building’s civic role.

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The building is oriented towards the park, with seven floors of retail organized around an atrium and the slender office tower rising seven stories above. The internal focus of the retail space provided the opportunity to explore a more opaque, graphic façade, while the office component, with its glass enclosure and operable windows, takes advantage of views, natural light and air.

The result is architectural and graphic design that has transformed the city’s character, color and identity.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Gaoxin Nanchang, China

The architectural expression and formal inspiration for the mixed-use tower and development in the Gaoxin district of Nanchang, China are based on creating an iconic and emblematic beacon for not only the area, but for the city of Nanchang as a whole. The massing is geometric and refined, asserting its presence as a destination and new urban landmark for Nanchang. The building’s “great window”, occupying the top third of the tower, not only signifies a visitor’s arrival into the hotel, but also suggests the arrival and importance of a new district in the city.

The “great window” is orientated in such a way that it faces due west, which is in direct line with the old city. Through the buildings orientation, a connection to the past both visually and metaphorically is created. The sloping, glazed surface that defines the “great window” is unique to the program and place and a similar formal strategy is echoed in the façade enclosure.

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The triangular shaped fins that trace their way up the four faces of the tower not only provide a distinctive texture to the facade, but also ensure a better performing building. The use of both horizontal and diagonal fins eliminates a large percentage of the heat gain through solar shading.

The orientation and distribution of the podium’s programmatic massing and its gracefully terracing outdoor spaces allow spectacular views out over the old city.

For the pedestrian, the building’s retail distribution is organized in such a way so as to not only extend the amount of retail store frontage, but also create a bustling urban public plaza. The grand public courtyard, with its variety of spatial conditions, provides different areas of interchange between the casual passerby, the hotel guest, the office tenant and the city as a whole.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza Nanchang, China

Inspired by the city flower of Nanchang, the twin towers on Site A are the centerpiece of a new mixed-use, high-rise development.

Rising to a height of 289 meters, they will be the tallest buildings in central China.

Each tower consists of 110,000 gross square meters of Class A office space, while two smaller buildings will each house 5,000 gross square meters of retail and conference functions for the towers.

The towers’ organic, twisting profile will form a uniquely reflective and luminous surface. Grand in stature, yet sinuous in shape, these towers will appear unlike any others in the world.

SOM created a master plan for the high-rise development and designed Site A to support a balanced mix of office, retail and public spaces. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2010.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Tianjin Tanggu District Conceptual Master Plan Tianjin, China

The conceptual plan produced by SOM will provide the Tanggu District with a vision for guiding future development of the area and its projected Central Business District. The plan will serve as a model for development in the Binhai New Area—China’s 3rd generation economic engine—and will represent a balance between economic and environmental objectives.

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Jinta Tianjin Tianjin, China

The Jinta Tower, situated at the historical heart of Tianjin, captures the city’s powerful confluence of history, culture, geography, and art. The project will create a nuanced public place that will embody the city’s international prominence as a physical and economic gateway to China.

At less than one kilometer from the main railroad station in the heart of downtown Tianjin, the Jinta Tower site is bounded on three sides by prominent urban thoroughfares. Pedestrians will readily access the 336.9-meter-tall tower, which provides high-density development in close proximity to the transit hub. Visible from all of Tianjin, the tower signifies a vital point of reference as it marks the active location of the city center.

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The tower’s densification within the city fosters the preservation of open and green space as a true amenity of the district. From the street, a rhythmic sequence of indoor and outdoor program spaces sensitively encourages an urban, pedestrian experience. The large, open space bordering this landmark building is at once a garden and an inviting public destination. Occupants and visitors will find opportunities for informal social exchange while enjoying spectacular views of the adjacent Haihe River.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Green Tech City Hanoi, Vietnam

SOM’s Master Plan for Green Tech City in Hanoi, Vietnam creates a new district and urban vision for this part of the city based on its local culture and urban heritage, while incorporating advanced city design methods and sustainable principles to reduce the demand for natural resources and traditional civil infrastructure. The plan, covering an area of 145 hectares, integrates existing villages with future development and provides community amenities to serve a future urban population in excess of 20,000 people. The Master Plan engages and enlivens the envisioned green landscape corridor and applies state-of-the art technology in carbon emissions/energy needs reduction and smart infrastructure.

The Master Plan generates a series of organic, low-rise, pedestrian-friendly residential neighborhoods within the planned Green Corridor, balanced by a more urban and dense edge of high rise development (including a zero-energy landmark tower) articulating the future skyline of the district. A new cultural forum building will be established, animating a central civic piazza to establish a clear heart 32

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and shaded meeting space for this new community, and the wider population of Hanoi.

The strong presence of water on site is organized into an inter-connected canal network providing continuous bands of public space which define neighborhoods and create intimate outdoor places. This water system can assist in managing flood control, preventing rainwater runoff into surrounding areas, filtering and cleansing grey water and providing a source for irrigating new viticulture activities. The creation of key public spaces includes extensive provision to protect and encourage natural wildlife.

Wind and solar analyses have been used to determine the optimal orientation of streets and buildings to ensure comfortable urban micro-climates. The analyses also ensure the plan will harness natural environmental conditions in order to maximise comfort and minimize infrastructure requirements and operational energy costs. The plan also promotes low-tech passive design strategies for environmentally-friendly architecture which is appropriate for the local economy and Vietnamese climate.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Seoul LIght DMC Seoul, South Korea

Seoul Light DMC Tower is a mixed-use project envisioned as a new model in sustainable super-tall building design.

A large central void and two perimeter voids are carved through the upper half of the tower; the void spaces create the opportunity to integrate a series of sustainable strategies to bring in natural light, clean air, and capture renewable energy at the building scale. The inner panels of glass that line the central void are designed with materials that catch, reflect, and hold light, which reduces the user’s reliance on artificial lights.

The tower produces renewable energy by capitalizing on the principles of a solar updraft tower within the tall vertical central void. The design plans for six vertical axis wind turbines at the crown of the tower to be driven by the air as it is drawn out of the void; as the buoyant air rises, the air flow draws in cool, fresh air from below which also drives wind turbines at the base of the building.

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An active phyto-remediation green wall is planted within the void to clean and replenish the interior air supply. A graywater reclamation tank within the tower drastically reduces the dependence on the public water supply and eliminates any need for potable irrigation water.

The exterior façade of the Seoul Light DMC Tower features an integrated shading and solar panel system that reduces solar heat gain while generating additional renewable energy. The design incorporates solar PV panels on the surface of specific zones of louvers that receive most sun.

At the base, an eight story retail podium connects the tower to the surrounding urban fabric and encourages pedestrian flows through the site between the Digital Media City business district to the north and the recently rehabilitated Nanji public park to the south.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Busan Lotte Tower Busan, South Korea

Situated on a prominent waterfront site in Korea, the Busan Lotte Town Tower is poised to become the new gateway to East Asia.

Standing at over 510 meters, the landmark tower holds a vast 6.3 million sf mixeduse program consisting of office, hotel, residential, retail and entertainment facilities and underground parking. The streetscape is enlivened by a vibrant retail podium, while the waterfront side features raised parks and plazas that connect directly to the promenade.

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The tower’s shape and massing are driven by the compact site, the complex program, the desire to optimize views, and strict structural requirements. Tower setbacks occur at transitions between major program components and are arranged with a clockwise spin to animate the façades. Concrete outrigger walls transfer perimeter column loads to six mega-columns, allowing each tier to have an independent column layout appropriate for its function. Environmental sustainability features of the tower include natural ventilation, thermal regulation, , louvers, and a sea-water cooling system.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Changi International Airport – Terminal 3 Changi, Singapore

This new international terminal will be the third and final phase of Changi’s master plan, begun in the 1970s. Terminal 3 provides passengers with 21st century amenities and a high level of service in an environmentally friendly building. It is intended to solidify and enhance Changi’s status as the premier gateway to the Asia/Pacific region.

Working with Singapore-based PWD Architects, SOM’s charge was to design the enclosure for the terminal. SOM first proposed a series of plan improvements, incorporating significant landscape elements in the terminal with the intent of celebrating Singapore’s lush vegetation through a series of gardens, penetrating the building and marching through it.

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In order to clarify the hierarchy of spaces in the terminal, one feature roof with simple trusses spans the ticketing hall and departure hall. A system of operable louvers both above and below the feature roof baffles the tropical sunlight admitted through skylights; the louvers limit the amount of direct light, yet allow in enough light so that no artificial lighting is needed during most hours of the day. The careful positioning of louvers gives the ceiling a soft, organic character. The lightweight, perforated aluminum composite panels enhance the acoustics of the space while reflecting both natural and artificial light, creating a unique, serene ambience.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Tokyo Midtown Tokyo, Japan

Located on the former site of the Japanese Self-Defense, the Tokyo Midtown project returns a 20-acre site that was inaccessible for 60 years to the public domain. The Master Plan for the site allocates 5,000,000 square feet of mixed-use development and includes a five-acre public park. A signature tower is located in the southeast quadrant of the site with adjacent lower buildings that form the “foothills,” in a design inspired by traditional Japanese gardens seen in Zen temples.

At the focal point of the project is the tallest building in Tokyo at 800 feet (244 m), housing corporate offices and a luxury 240-room Ritz-Carlton Hotel at the top.

Surrounding the tower and framing a main public plaza, the project includes two other office buildings, three residential properties, a retail galleria, an entertainment venue, conferencing facilities and two museums.

A soaring glass plane intersecting the north and south faces of the tower re-proportions the building and marks the axis of the plaza, connecting the mid block building back to the street.

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Traditional Japanese architecture and its ability to “dematerialize” mass through the use of planar screens is a primary source for the project’s external expression.

In the Tokyo Mid-Town buildings, program area is contained by elevations of multiple overlapping planes, inspired by Japanese Shoji screens that are meant to veil rather than enclose and imply spatial continuity.

Exhaustive computer generated solar analyses provided a technical basis for the design of each of the elevations, refining and rationalizing the intuitive nature of adapting the shoji concept to contemporary buildings.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Jaypee Cities Master Plan Noida, India

Jaypee City will be a beautiful, world-class city anchored by business, sports, health and educational enterprises. Residents of this city, its workforce and visitors will enjoy the highest standards of modern accommodation in one of the greenest cities in the world. Jaypee City is envisioned to be home to over 800,000 residents and accommodate a daytime population of over 2 million people, anchored by world-class tourist attractions: Formula One Circuit and professional league Cricket venues. Jaypee City will be located within the National Capital Region of north India and situated on 2,000 hectares of land. The site will include ten character-rich districts and a series of neighborhoods that will contain high, medium and low-density housing with schools, parks, retail and community facilities.

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The new city will be organized along Jaypee Park Boulevard, a 15-kilometer boulevard that will contain a variety of active parks and public amenities. Jaypee Park Boulevard will span and interconnect the city, incorporating transit, recreational areas and a stormwater management system.

The new Yamuna Expressway, which will connect Delhi to Agra, will serve as a major transit artery through Jaypee City. Through its modern design and consideration of resources and amenities for residents, workers and tourists, Jaypee City will set a new precedent for urban areas in India.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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The Park Hotel Hyderabad Hyderabad, India

SOM recently completed The Park Hotel, Hyderabad, the flagship hotel for The Park Hotel Group. This 531,550-square-foot, 270room hotel infuses a modern, sustainable design with the local craft traditions, and is influenced by the region’s reputation as a center for the design and production of gemstones and textiles.

The project is distinctive for its profound implementation of sustainable design strategies, with special attention paid to the building’s relationship to its site, daylighting and views. Solar studies influenced the site orientation and building massing. The hotel rooms are raised to allow more expansive views, situated on top of a podium comprised of retail spaces, art galleries, and banquet halls open to guests and visitors.

The building’s three sides wrap around an elevated central courtyard that can be accessed from the hotel lobby. This flexible outdoor area is protected from strong winds, and serves as an extension of the restaurants inside. Designed to be multifunctional, the outdoor courtyard

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features a private dining court and a swimming pool. Elevated three stories above ground, this veranda provides views to Hussain Sagar Lake and the city.

The facade provides a range of transparency according to the needs of the spaces inside. Perforated and embossed metal screens over a high-performance glazing system give privacy to the hotel rooms while allowing diffused daylight to enter the interior spaces. The shapes of the facade’s openings were inspired by the forms of the metalwork of the crown jewels of the Nizam, the city’s historic ruling dynasty.

SOM designed many of the project’s interior spaces, including the lobbies, the lobby lounge, retail, and banquet halls. The interiors continue the jewelry concept – with silver, gold and gem tones throughout.

Collaboration with manufacturers, fabricators, and researchers played a vital role in developing this low-energy prototype building. The project achieved the first LEED Gold certification for a hotel in India.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Chhatrapati Shivaji 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 cater to 40 million passengers per annum (mppa). The initial building phase will provide five Code F gates and 27 Code E gates, or, alternatively, 52 Code C gates, with as many as 11 Code E and seven Code C remote stands in the immediate terminal area. The terminal combines both International and Domestic operations, employing an innovative set of “swing facilities” to optimize utilization of facilities across the 24-hour operational day. Sizeable secure-side retail and dining areas are provided for both Domestic and International departing passengers, as well as VIP lounges and other state-of-the-art amenities. The project will also provide multi-story car parks, multiple curbs for different vehicle modes at both Departures and Arrivals, and provisions for future rail access.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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10/28/2010 11:18:51 AM

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10/28/2010 11:18:53 AM

Burj Khalifa (Formally Burj Dubai) Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, will be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development comprised of residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, shopping and leisure outlets with open green spaces, water features, pedestrian boulevards, a shopping mall and a tourist-oriented old town.

The building’s massing is manipulated in the vertical dimension to break up the vortex shedding and minimize the impact of wind on the tower’s movement. The tower is composed of three elements arranged

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around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat desert base, setbacks occur at each element in an upward spiraling pattern, decreasing the mass of the tower as it reaches toward the sky. At the top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a spire. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes views of the Arabian Gulf.

The reinforced cement tower uses a “buttressed core” structural system to resist the wind and provide stability in the building. Construction started in March 2004 and was completed in 2010.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Rolex Tower Dubai, United Arab Emirates

This high-rise tower is a 61-story, mixeduse project consisting of high-end rental apartment units, office and retail space with a 12-story detached parking structure.

This building will have approximately 650,000 square feet of gross area, consisting of 29 floors of office space and 26 floors of residential units.

The glass tower stands quietly among its neighbors, reinforcing the existing “urban wall.” This rectilinear building is minimal and subtle, providing a pristine, mirage-like silhouette in the skyline. As if draped by a veil, the building is wrapped with a glass

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curtain wall of milky translucency. As it ascends, the building’s opacity changes from translucent to transparent. With two setbacks containing sky terraces, the 3-tier massing suggests the internal program of offices, residential units and amenities.

The horizontal slots at the base of the building are intended to mimic the rhythm of the street, while providing a shaded outdoor space. The vertical lightwell located at the upper portion of the residential tier forms a visual link between the walls of towers.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Infinity Tower at Dubai Marina Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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 the Infinity 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. Currently under construction, the Tower has already been singled out as a regional landmark that will become synonymous with Dubai’s waterfront. The SOM design won Best Architecture in the International Property Awards, as well as four additional awards in the Arabian Property category.

The Tower’s winding shape optimizes views for residents while preserving the vistas of its neighbors. The column superstructure

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rotates by one degree at each floor, forming the building’s unique shape around a core of reinforced concrete and an exterior of corrosion-resistant titanium. To determine the shape and size of the structure, SOM used three-dimensional computer modeling to execute wind tunnel testing and analyze the building’s stresses.

The Tower will include over 450 residential units, ranging from studios to full-floor penthouses. Other amenities include an outdoor pool, a health spa with treatment rooms, an exercise facility, conference centers, lounges and a child care center.

Retail shops and an arcade will be positioned at street level.

The Infinity Tower exemplifies the potential elegance and power of a design wrought by technological mastery and sheer imagination.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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10/28/2010 11:18:59 AM

Bahrain National Planning Development Strategy Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain

The Bahrain National Plan is the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf and will help the Kingdom of Bahrain move into the forefront of modern nations planning for an era of stable, sustainable growth.

The National Plan seeks to transform Bahrain into a prosperous and innovative city-state of the 21st Century. Government officials called on SOM to create a master plan that will serve the government and economy of Bahrain when the country’s petroleum resources become depleted.

The plan addresses issues such as natural resources, inadequate housing, lack of zoning, weak transport infrastructure, insufficient public open space, the need for improved education and comprehensive employment. The National Plan of Bahrain lays out ten key strategies that 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.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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10/28/2010 11:19:00 AM

SOM

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by Khalid Al-Muharraqi

Muharraqi Studios

10/28/2010 11:19:01 AM

Arcapita Bank Headquarters Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

Dramatic siting and sculptural forms define the new Arcapita Headquarters building, providing the client with a distinct sense of place for business and arts uses. The project’s significant architectural presence has an immediate impact and creates positive and exciting associations for Arcapita Bank. Business and art converge in a single venue that articulates the binary program in simple, powerful forms.

The building is sited in a prominent location that provides easy, direct access from the bay, the causeway, and Arcapita Park, which lies in between the water and roadways.

An adjacent marina further connects the building to the ocean. A promenade passing underneath the building joins to a network of waterside and inland walks, linking the building to the wider, landside district.

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above. Enclosed spaces housing a contemporary art gallery, cafeterias, and lobbies are created in the wave’s swells, alternating with open arches that allow pedestrian circulation beneath and around the building. The water theme is extended to the reflective, undulating glass and louvers of the façade.

The 18,000 square meters office space will enjoy significant perspectives in all directions, with localized views to Manama and panoramic views of the marina, bay, and ocean. Its horizontal form thrusts out and over the bay, accentuating views and links to the water. The 3,000 square meter Museum of Contemporary Art will showcase regional artists of international repute in a venue that connects to a marina district with shopping and entertainment opportunities. The convergence of office and museum spaces in a single building allows the Arcapita Bank to broaden the context and appeal of its new corporate name and image.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa Messilah Beach, Kuwait City, Kuwait

The Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa is located on a stretch of seafront midway between the airport and Kuwait City.

This business hotel brings five-star comfort to a prime location. Conceived as a mosaic of buildings and gardens, its landscaping strategy recalls traditional souks or marketplaces of the Middle East.

The public area of the complex is composed of a cluster of restaurants and shops overlooking the interior of the site.

An arrival court with a fountain leads

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to a lobby, restaurant, spa and festive wedding hall. Eighty apartment suites for long-term residents complement the 350-room business hotel. Space meanders between interior and exterior.

Throughout the design, space is unveiled gradually through digitally created screens and perforated walls that filter the sunlight and acknowledge traditional Middle Eastern patterns. In the subterranean spa, vertical shafts of light animate the space and walls are subtly luminous.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Al Hamra Kuwait City, Kuwait

Located in Kuwait City, Al Hamra is part of a commercial complex comprised of offices, health club, shopping mall, movie theaters, and food court. Reaching 412 meters tall, the iconic office tower will be the tallest building in Kuwait. The total gross area of the tower, including two basement floors, is 195,000 square meters.

One quarter of each floor is removed and rotated from west to east along ascending levels. The resulting mass maximizes northern views of the sea while keeping the 2,400 square meter floor area constant.

This simple operation creates an illusion of a twisting building and thus achieving a dynamic visual form. The apex of the building is a natural resolution of its geometry, a rising spiral.

The tower’s core is covered in a limestone and trencadis cladding, giving it a monolithic character. The contrasting glass and metal curtain wall lends transparency and light to the interior while optimizing views of the city and sea.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Lusail Beach and Boating Club Doha, Qatar

The Lusail Beach and Boating Club is a world-class leisure facility serving both families and individual club members.

Located on the Lusail islands, the site enjoys a dynamic setting with magnificent views both to the marina and to the gulf. SOM’s used parametric digital design research tools to assess multiple evolutions of the villa and courtyard typology combinations that are indigenous to the region. These advanced tools and methods allowed SOM to develop an optimal solution of spatial functions, open and closed spaces that interconnects structure, circulation and programmatic organisation with environmental and sustainability factors. At once a high-performance building system and a richly detailed and textured multisensory environment, this atmospheric and human scale complex unfolds and is enhanced by the native landscape and climate of the site.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Alexandria Egypt - A Framework Plan for the City to Complete the Historic Eastern Harbor Alexandria, Egypt

This proposed East District development is designed to support and enhance the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Possible proposed programs include two hotels, a convention center, office space, a shopping center and museum/cultural district. The two hotels flank the library and face the sea.

A resort-type hotel includes bay frontage, and begins the street wall of the corniche.

A convention hotel faces the sea, and is directly connected to a convention center; its glass façade gives the building a unique character while its five-story height remains in scale with the existing context.

An open arcade, which echoes the shape of the library, links the convention hall, retail and office buildings, creating a comfortable pedestrian environment. The arcade forms a delicately scaled backdrop to the library.

A museum district is planned to radiate outward from the Bibliotheca towards the sea. The district is intended to provide an exciting environment, and allow for convenient access to the ruins in the bay and the pedestrian promenade planned

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for the corniche. This proposed program mix and building design will support and expand the influence of the library.

In the West District, a similar mix of cultural and commercial programs are proposed.

A shopping center—modeled after a traditional souk—meets the existing city and emulates its scale and character. The cityscape gives way to larger open spaces on the coastline, occupied by hotel and residential buildings. The development will have a lively resort-type atmosphere, comparable to Jumeirah beach in Dubai.

A series of linear buildings, which face the bay, echo the form of the corniche and will house restaurants and an aquarium. A solar power generator in the form of a delicate tower completes the district.

Glowing in the night, the district will recall the grandeur of the pharaohs who once stood in this place, while its sustainable approach promises a long and successful future.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Crossharbour London, United Kingdom

SOM’s Crossharbour complex at the old London Arena site incorporates residential, hotel and retail accommodation as well as a crèche, childrens play areas and a sports hall. The scheme improved public access and permeability through and around the site, activating the waterfront into a more popular and shared place with an increased sense of community. The project is defined by two main blocks with public courtyards accessed by a central pedestrian boulevard.

In contrast to the brick courtyard buildings, the shifting reflective aluminium strips and curvilinear form of the 45 story residential tower provide an innovative and prominent landmark to the site. The undulating form of the metallic balconies that shift and step at each story provide variable solar shading and cover for each floor produce enhanced environmental performance and a changing array of perceptual effects as the sun moves around the tower.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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201 Bishopsgate and The Broadgate Tower London, United Kingdom

201 Bishopsgate and The Broadgate Tower represent a significant continuation of the practice of constructing buildings utilizing air rights above railway tracks within the City of London. The project’s concept is informed by the constraints imposed by the limitation of foundation placement and by the robustness of its structural expression.

The project consists of two primary buildings: a low-rise 13-story horizontal structure and a 35-story tower, accessed by an open public plaza. These two structures significantly enhance the opportunities for tenants to select the type of space that best suits their needs.

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Between these two structures lies a covered, sky-lit galleria providing a protected public open space for retail activity. This space acts as a pedestrian passageway connecting the Broadgate complex and Liverpool Street Station to the south. Directly adjacent to the galleria is a public plaza with additional retail space. This area will be landscaped with trees and vine-covered walls, augmenting the civic mission of the existing Broadgate complex: to provide important public urban spaces and amenities for tenants and citizens.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Leamouth Peninsula London, United Kingdom

The Leamouth Peninsula project sits in a strategic area of East London near the 2012 Olympic Park, Canary Wharf and the former Docklands, directly across the River Thames from the Millennium Dome. The project takes a brownfield industrial site and transforms it into a thriving riverside community, geographically linking it to the surrounding area and revitalizing an underserved part of London. The project will include 2,000 homes in residential towers of varying heights, creating a landmark development on an ‘island’ site. Flexible workspace, convenient stores, shops, restaurants, cafés, and an arts centre will draw visitors to the neighborhood. The scale and orientation of the site’s buildings will reinforce the pedestrian-friendly, human scale of the community. The plan reinvigorates the urban waterfront and improves local bio-diversity by repairing the local natural landscape along the River Lea. The plan also creates a sequence of sheltered public spaces that connects the local area directly to a multi-model transport hub across the river via a new pedestrian bridge and continuous waterfront promenades.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Manhattan Loft Gardens London, United Kingdom

The 42-story Manhattan Loft Gardens near Stratford International Station is a gateway to the 2012 London Olympics.

Situated alongside one of London’s largest and newest international transport interchanges and adjacent to the new Olympic Park, the project delivers a wide range of residential loft-style and single story living spaces. The scheme provides a 150 room, world-class hotel at the lower levels with a 34-story residential tower above. These two program components share a large communal lobby that provides retail, leisure facilities, swimming pool, spa facilities, meeting and conference spaces as well as a shared external roof garden that overlooks the Olympic park. A unique feature of the building is the sky gardens that carve into the building form to create a striking profile in the London skyline. The three sky gardens provide a diverse range of restaurants, shared gardens and open spaces that allow panoramic views over London. The 248 unit residential tower is created by a unique interweaving of

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single and 1.5-story loft apartments that allow each flat to be individually designed to maximise its volumetric space, natural daylight and views. The proposal is an exemplar of sustainable building design in the UK.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Castle Quay St. Helier, Jersey, United Kingdom

The 250,000 sf Castle Quay residential development is part of St Helier’s prestigious waterfront and includes 280 new residences. As part of the second phase of this development, Castle Quay Phase II is transforming the island into an internationally recognised business and tourism region. The complex will attract public activity and events to the area and enhance the existing identity of Castle Quay as a premier destination by providing modern landmark design that fits into the sensitive local urban context. The three blocks of the complex protect the unique views between the town centre, Marina and historic Elizabeth Castle and strengthen the routes and connections between the town centre and waterfront. Over 50% of the site is dedicated to public space and new pedestrian avenues that activate the waterfront for residents and visitors. The architecture maximises its environmental performance in relation to the local climate and includes bio-diverse roof terraces. The scheme’s urban design enhances its open spaces with newly commissioned public art works.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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10/28/2010 11:20:02 AM

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Wirral Waters Wirral, United Kingdom

Wirral Waters, is the largest private sector led regeneration project in the UK and is the result of a 30-year ambition to create a new city waterfront. The development comprises a mixed-use, tall building cluster centred upon an existing historical Wharf, with associated mixed-use buildings and activities around the East Float district, facing the Liverpool Waterfront. SOM was appointed to master plan and set the vision for the Sky City & the Point quarter, a prestigious tall building cluster of 50+ stories offering world class residential and commercial accommodation.

SOM’s design generates the visual spine of the masterplan, with vantage points at the highest levels and restaurants, bars and retail animating the lower ground floors. The Point building, by SOM is the masterplan’s crowing landmark and is the new centre to this worldclass cultural destination.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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NATO Headquarters Brussels, Belgium

The political world has changed dramatically in recent years from one of limits, boundaries and territories, to a more interwoven spatial fabric of fields, forces and zones. This has led to a major reconsideration of NATO’s primary mission.

In this fast-changing world, the role of NATO has been redefined from one of defense and prevention to one of unification and integration.

SOM’s competition-winning design for their headquarters will include 200,000 square meters of offices, conferencing and recreational facilities, which will be used for the accommodation of the 26 member countries and 19 partner nations.

Each nation operates a diplomatic mission within the campus.

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The design concept weaves different constituencies into a distinctive, threedimensional spatial organization.

The resultant structure is dynamic and highly functional. Formally, the building embodies the principles of unity, strength and transparency.

The structure and organization of the building components are designed in direct response to considerations of the surrounding community, the optimization of systems and blast-resistant design.

While it is important for the facility to preserve openness for its users, it is equally important that the users have discreet protection measures that provide a secure environment.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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JTI Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland

SOM designed the new JTI Headquarters in Geneva to provide a high-performance multi-use office complex of international stature and distinctive identity. The significant presence of the building within its urban context is reinforced by a unique geometry which offers panoramic views of Lake Geneva, the city of Geneva and the Alps. The six level complex includes two receptions and entrances, executive offices, business lounge, conference centre, crèche, fitness centre, auditorium, restaurant, kitchens and outdoor terraces. The central courtyard area features a landscaped garden with a variety of open-air, covered

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and shaded areas. The headquarters is a seamless integration of engineering and architecture. JTI’s architectural innovations maximizes daylight and the connections between the different parts of the business, increasing communication, social interaction, organizational integration and a sense of community. JTI’s five-story reception lobby and sculpture garden create ample internal and outdoor spaces to accommodate modern art and temporary cultural, social and other events for staff, visitors and the public.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Four Seasons Hotel & Residences City Santa Fe, Mexico City, Mexico

This luxury hotel and residential project is the centerpiece of Mexico City’s City Santa Fe development. It is integrated into a series of landscaped gardens, courtyards, and viewing platforms at the edge of an abandoned quarry. The two towers are bundles of creased, undulating tubes that spread at the base like a camera tripod for lateral stability. The hotel and condominiums inside feature dark wood, light polished stone, and finishes inspired by Mexico’s craft traditions of leatherwork and weaving. The clean, modern aesthetic takes advantage of the abundant sunlight and showcases the towers’ spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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10/28/2010 11:21:01 AM

Time Warner Center New York, New York, US

Time Warner Center exemplifies above all the concept of a city within a building, versus a building within a city. The mixed-use project encompasses major retail, restaurant and exercise complexes; television studio production facilities for CNN; the cultural performance venues of Jazz @ Lincoln Center; office space (primarily the corporate headquarters of Time Warner); the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and residential condominiums; resolving site infrastructure, including subway access, services and parking.

The building’s form and imagery are derived from the very essence of the urban context from which it emanates, the Manhattan grid. It restores the eliminated 59th Street corridor, an important east-west public axis that serves as the southern wall of Central Park, by creating at the ground plane a completely transparent public room which penetrates westward into the heart of the project. Civic uses emanate from this re-registration of the city grid within the project, primarily retail, but also

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the performance venue of Jazz @ Lincoln Center is visually offered as the heart of the space at the upper level.

Above, the void between the two towers dramatically recreates the axis of 59th Street in the city’s skyline. The northsouth axis of the towers, distorted from the orthogonal city grid into parallelogram shapes, reveal in the skyline the angle of Broadway as it bisects Columbus Circle.

The building’s circular wall at Columbus Circle reinforces the previously eroded shape of this unique baroque urban element. Its importance is emphasized by the circular repetition of the major internal arcade. Thus both the project’s program and its sculptural form recreate and reinforce the particular energy and urban form of the great city in which it resides.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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One World Trade Center New York, New York, US

One World Trade Center, the first building to rise on the World Trade Center site, recaptures the skyline and establishes a new civic icon for New York City and the country.

Building on the long tradition of American ingenuity and innovation in skyscraper construction, the tower incorporates the highest standards of design, safety, quality and technology.

One World Trade Center adheres to and extends the numerous design principles set out in the Memory Foundations Master Plan.

The Tower affirms the spiraling composition of the Master Plan with the distinctive geometric torque of its form. The sculptural asymmetry of the tower evokes the dynamic form of the Statue of Liberty. The tower’s soaring offset spire suggests the Statue’s profile and marks the symbolic height of 1,776 feet above ground.

The building program is similar to that of the old World Trade Center, with 2.6 million square feet of commercial office space. At the base of the building, street-level lobbies provide access to both the office spaces and public areas, including observation decks, restaurants and event spaces.

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Retail concourses below grade connect directly to transit hubs.

At ground level, the tower reinforces and extends the unique pattern of streets and neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan.

The parallelogram-shaped base takes its shape at the confluence of the rigorously linear east/west streets and the angle of West Street, which runs alongside the Hudson River. As the tower ascends, it tapers and torques to meet the prevailing winds and harness their substantial energy.

The tower, clad in shimmering glass, culminates in an elegant spiral.

High above the office spaces, broadcast antennas will rise to serve the tri-state region. As a super tall high-rise building, the design solution proposes an innovative mix of architecture, structure and mechanical systems. A beautiful expression of structural bracing rises to the topmost truss, where the same type of cables used in the Brooklyn Bridge highlight the spire’s tapered form.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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New School University, University Center New York, New York, US

This new, multi-purpose building, located at the intersection of 14th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, is intended to become the currently missing center, or “heart,” of The New School. This “University Center” building will provide space for all aspects of the New School including an auditorium, the primary library, lecture halls, studios, dining facilities, cafes, classrooms, student centers, a faculty center, a university resource center, offices and provisions for science laboratories. In its urban context the project is designed to conform to the massing and relative scale of neighboring buildings. However, in appearance, the new building will reveal to the public certain aspects of the activities that go on within.

With this transparent design, the façade reveals the internal circulation providing as an interactive extension of the diverse activities inside. The resultant building will become a vertical campus center for The New School that extends into its urban environment, bringing the city, the campus and the classroom together. The project has a target of LEED Gold certification.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Grey Group Roof Deck New York, New York, US

On the roof of this advertising firm’s Flatiron building, SOM has designed an alternative work and entertainment space. A vehicle for firm culture-building, the deck is used at all scales; from a private refuge to collaborative meetings and workshops and to larger events and launch parties.

The design consists of the Pavilion, the Terrace and the Annex, which are interconnected by a half height enclosure designed as a perimeter of planters and benches. The armature plays off the structural module of the base building and introduces an unexpected game of variation.

The Pavilion is the main structure; a 14 ft high asymmetrical steel pergola with Ipe’ wood louvers. It has a 60ft bar counter with integrated lighting and a projection screen.

The Terrace is a hybrid of meeting space and amphitheater, inclusive of bleachers and a stage. The Annex holds support areas such as restrooms and storage but it also provides the only fully covered space.

A graphic strategy is woven throughout the furniture, upholstery and the wall coverings.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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GSC Group New York, New York, US

The New York City headquarters of GSC Group, an international investment manager of alternative assets, is a warm environment that immerses workers in light and views of nature. The design takes full advantage of the client’s location on two floors of an L-shaped glass office building in Midtown facing Central Park. Wrapping around the interior of the open office is a stimulating work of art designed in collaboration with a digital media artist. Cory Arcangel photographed Central Park on a sunny spring day, digitally manipulated the images to create a pixilated texture, and installed them in a sophisticated glass wall illuminated from behind by diffused light. Caught between the digital glow of this electronic artwork and the filtered sunlight of the glass façade, the open office features custom workstations fabricated out of a natural, environmentally sustainable wood product. The modular design allows the workstation layout to be quickly reconfigured depending on the balance of employee types. A communicating stair provides connection between offices, a trading floor, conference rooms, a pantry, and a gallery.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Law Firm – Conference Center New York, New York, US

Since 1977, SOM has worked with this top law firm to create environments around the world that facilitate productivity and express its commitment to excellence. A major new Conference Center in Manhattan's Citigroup Building accommodates the law firm's conferencing and training needs and takes full advantage of the remarkable 360-degree views. Space utilization research established 12 different meeting types, creating a common programmatic language for use, size, and type. The functional requirements challenged the planning process and resulted in a highly flexible plan with rooms that could join together to form suites and larger spaces as needed.

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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The Toren Brooklyn, New York, US

This 260,000 sf, 36-story condominium tower in Brooklyn is situated on a triangular site allowing for impressive views along the East River both towards Manhattan and the Statue of Library as well as downtown Brooklyn. The faรงade employs a panel system which gives living spaces maximum glass exposure, while more private areas, such as bedrooms and bathrooms, have smaller windows. The condominium contains both affordable housing and market rate units, with the same finishes and fixtures used throughout the project.

In addition to housing, the building contains one level of below-grade parking, ground floor retail, and a lobby. The base of the tower benefits from a rainscreen system.

A cogeneration plant will supply tenants with power and water.

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101 Warren Street New York, New York, US

101 Warren Street is a 31-story mixed-use project occupying nearly an entire city block at the southern tip of Tribeca in New York City. A 46-foot podium with two floors houses retail space, while rental apartments and condominiums occupy the 382-foot tower.

The residential component is divided into two separate buildings. The northwest corner supports a condominium tower of approximately 264 units, while the corner of Greenwich and Murray Streets defines an “L” shaped building of 175 rental apartment units.

but flexible envelope that accommodates both the structure and openings.

The innermost enclosure of both the tower and base is defined by glass, where the relationship of glass and stone changes to create outdoor pockets or “loggias.”

Each of the condo units will include these loggias, which frame views of the northern and eastern Manhattan skylines.

The ground floor, while mainly retail, also accommodates the residential lobbies.

The second floor contains spaces currently designed to accommodate large-scale retail tenants needing significant square footage.

An amenity pavilion for the condominiums will be located on the third floor, including recreation space, a children’s play area, a fitness center and a rooftop terrace.

The skin of the building is articulated as a large screen of stone that encloses the condominium tower and provides a uniform

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John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, New York, US

John Jay College of Criminal Justice formerly occupied an existing historical building, Haaren Hall, on 10th Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets. With ownership of the entire Manhattan block, the college has fulfilled ambitions to grow into the full zoning capacity of the block.

The charge of this project was to occupy the entire site with an integrated campus, while providing a base for future growth.

The new building incorporates classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, administrative functions, and student and faculty amenities. The full program represents an entire college campus vertically compressed into one city block, creating a community within the community.

The massing of the proposed expansion creates a strong urban form, providing the college identity within the city. The building grows from an existing datum set in the adjacent Haaren Hall limestone base and dramatically rises to the west, creating maximum visibility from both 10th Avenue and the Westside Highway. The presence of

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a significant Campus Commons is created in the void between the existing and new structures.

The Interior is organized by a cascading sequence of public circulation, dispersing students vertically through the facility.

The descending movement organizes program elements, maximizes natural light, enhances orientation, and encourages interaction. Large stepped lounges serve as both circulation and gathering spaces.

The Campus Commons serves as the culmination of the Cascade, creating a spiraling public sequence that again connects with Haaren Hall at the main classroom level. Above the level of the commons the flow of circulation is directly vertical, with a series of interlocking academic quads.

An all-glass building is proposed to allow the diverse programmatic functions to read on the exterior, demonstrating the “transparency of justice.� Through the use of white ceramic frit, the building skin will contrast significantly with the dark glass and masonry buildings of its context.

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Memorial Sloan-Kettering Mortimer B. Zuckerman Research Center New York, New York, US

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Research Building incorporates basic science laboratories, dry laboratories, a vivarium and an education center. Designed in collaboration with Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, this new research facility creates an inspiring and interactive environment for innovative cancer research, as well as a distinct civic identity for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Located on a dense urban site, the building provides state-of-the-art laboratory spaces while responding to stringent urban design, zoning and phasing constraints. At 420 feet, it also represents a new paradigm for urban laboratory buildings.

The first phase of the new research tower incorporates a rectory and cantilevers over an existing research building. The design of the vertical stack is predicated upon the demolition of the old Kettering Laboratory after the completion of the new building.

The nine-story above grade portion of the second phase will house dry laboratories and two below grade levels of vivarium and animal imaging suites.

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The second phase also completes a through-block lobby featuring conference rooms, auditorium, cyber-library and cafĂŠ.

The main entrance, pre-function area and conference center are located at street level with large frontages to promote user interaction.

The laboratories are enclosed in transparent, translucent and opaque glass with graduated densities of ceramic frit.

The precise “tuning� of the fritted glass mediates the daylighting of the laboratories while the office, conference and interaction spaces on the opposite side of the tower are clad in transparent glass. The extensive glazing offers views of the East River, and integrated exterior sun-control devices minimize glare and solar gain.

A continuous terra cotta wall defines a plane between the laboratory and office blocks, connecting inside and outside, linking the various glass membranes and linking the project to the masonry context of the hospital campus and the neighborhood.

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Harvard University Northwest Science Building Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

The Northwest Science Building is a model for a new generation of research environments that emphasize collaborative and multi-disciplinary learning. This building also helps define a new campus yard— replacing World War II-era structures on the north edge of the campus—and creates an important link between Harvard and the adjacent Cambridge community. While the science building represents the largest project in Harvard’s recent history, SOM recommended that a substantial portion of the building sit below grade to preserve the scale and openness of the campus.

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the local community to facilitate a design that contributes to both the academic and neighborhood environments.

The Northwest Science Building presents exciting challenges from all perspectives— incorporating flexibility and spontaneity into rigorous, state-of-the-art research facilities, while creating a distinguished campus presence that respects Harvard’s history. This new science building not only houses multi-disciplinary dry and wet labs, classrooms, and academic offices but also has below-grade facilities for herbaria and anthropological collections, as well as a high-energy physics laboratory.

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St. Albans School Washington, DC, US

St. Albans School lies within the “Cathedral Close,” an area that surrounds Washington National Cathedral. The Close occupies Mount St. Alban, the high ground of Washington, D.C., which offers views of Capitol Hill and the Washington Mall. The visual and symbolic relationships between the School, Cathedral, and Capitol were crucial to the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., the original master planner of the Close.

To fulfill its ongoing mission, St. Albans needed to consolidate and add to its current educational space. Keeping Olmstead’s master plan in mind, SOM created a new fine arts building that includes classrooms, faculty offices, a renovated 3-D arts facility, and a performing arts theatre. SOM’s design adds new space in a way that reinforces the primacy of the Olmsted landscape and the site’s principal icon, Washington National Cathedral.

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The extension creates better physical and visual connections to the Cathedral, enhances views to central Washington, improves potential circulation sequences, and seamlessly connects disparate internal floor levels and external public spaces.

Four processional pathways links upper and lower levels and create a continuous circulation system. Informal seating areas and a cafe are located along the circulation paths to encourage public use of the open plazas and extend the learning beyond the classroom walls.

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Virginia Beach Convention Center Virginia Beach, Virginia, US

Designed to reinvigorate a classic beach resort, the award-winning Virginia Beach Convention Center (VBCC) demonstrates SOM’s ability to look beyond an immediate project site in terms of both community growth and sustainability. Upon completion, VBCC was the first convention center in Virginia to meet standards set by Virginia Green, the state’s campaign to promote environmental initiatives in the hospitality and tourism industries.

Working with the city of Virginia Beach, SOM designed a 516,000 square foot expansion with several energy-efficient initiatives: lighting and HVAC systems programmed to conserve electricity during off hours, energyefficient windows that limit UV penetration, naturally rot-and-insect-resistant Cumaru wood flooring and decks, and effective storm water retention systems.

A soaring 147-foot glass and steel tower pays homage to the city’s historic lighthouse, while a futuristic, energy-saving glass curtain wall curves around the lobby.

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cellular phone enhancement system that enables conference attendees to locate one another and navigate the facility without difficulty.

The Convention Center includes four easily reconfigurable sub-halls with 40-foot ceilings and a 240-foot clear span roof. A significant feat of engineering, VBCC’s roof is one of the largest column-free spans in the U.S. The facility also contains a grand ballroom, meeting rooms, and a community-oriented park landscaped with plants that tolerate draughts and conserve water.

Since its opening, the Center has significantly raised the community profile and acted as a catalyst for new development. To augment the Convention Center with additional design services, SOM produced a long-term Master Plan for Virginia Beach that includes a direct link between the Convention Center and the beach community, as well as a landbanking program to spur redevelopment.

Like the Convention Center itself, the plan has helped inspire the Virginia Beach community with a compelling vision of what their city can become.

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United States Census Bureau Headquarters Suitland, Maryland, US

The new headquarters for the United States Census Bureau, located outside of the beltway, consolidates the formerly decentralized agency into a single campus and serves as the flagship of the agency.

The building is a part of a larger federal complex including agencies such as the NOAA, NMIC and the WNRC. The nature of the U.S. Census Bureau’s work presented an unusual design challenge for its new headquarters building: with staff temporarily swelling during the censustaking process every ten years, the bureau needed workspaces designed for cyclical expansion and contraction. SOM conceived an open plan in the spirit of a vibrant office urbanism, with flexible neighborhoods of employees stacked vertically and connected by stairs and two-story common areas containing pantries and meeting areas.

government facilities that are organized around long, drab corridors. The interior core is marked with a transitioning color spectrum to enliven the space and serve as a wayfinding tool. Individual workspaces are natural-hued and daylit with personal climate controls. The facility meets LEEDÂŽ Silver rating standards, with water reclamation ponds, green roof, and narrow floorplates to maximize natural daylighting.

Within the 1,500,000 square meters of office space, SOM clustered amenities like a library, a gymnasium, a credit union, and medical facilities around an underground street that ties the complex together.

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University of North Carolina Genome Science Laboratory Building Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US

UNC’s Bell Tower Development succeeds in leveraging a disparate design program to meet several critical objectives of the UNC Campus Master Plan. By conceptualizing these projects as a unified whole, the SOM proposal was able to transform UNC’s central, but under-utilized Bell Tower campus into an exciting, activity-rich central agora.

The program includes a new Genome Science Laboratory, a renovated campus chiller plant, an elevated pedestrian walkway, and a multi-story parking garage.

The laboratory is highly sustainable, featuring a green roof, high-performance glazing, and the use of special concrete for high thermal efficiency.

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University of North Carolina – BioPods Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US

The BioPod was developed as a branding mechanism for the BioInformatics research team, a group of scientists who required a work environment that was equal parts collaborative and completely insular. The University and the design team created an open, transparent work area for the group consistent with the interstitial space they were given, while minimizing acoustical distractions and providing the users with secure work areas.

Additionally, the BioInformatics team had not previously been given an “address” in the science department. In the new Genome Science Building they are front and center, highly visible from the public plaza below and to visitors circulating the building. The BioPods are an opportunity to give them recognition; to introduce them to the campus and to attract researchers in a notoriously competitive recruitment process.

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Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, Illinois, US

The Trump International Hotel & Tower is the tallest building project in the United States since the Sears Tower was completed in 1974.

The architectural design strategy for the Trump Tower 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 northsouth grid. The building is shaped to reflect its orientation along the riverfront.

Through the contemporary synthesis of adjacent building fabrics and modulations, the Trump International Hotel & Tower expresses a truly modern architecture.

Setbacks in the tower’s massing provide additional connections to the surrounding context and integrate the tower into the overall composition of its riverfront setting.

The building’s massing is lifted by 40 feet, opening up a landscaped promenade that steps down, like terraces on a hillside, 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.

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Millennium Park Chicago, Illinois, US

SOM, in collaboration with the City of Chicago, developed the next generation of improvements for Grant and Burnham Parks situated along the city’s lakefront.

The 17-acre Millennium Park completes Daniel Burnham’s vision for Grant Park and attracts families throughout the City, providing a range of activities, vistas and environments. The park is built over existing and expanded rail lines, bus lanes and two new parking levels, forming a multi-modal transit center, as well as performing facilities for Chicago music and dance.

The open space includes a new music shell, Great Lawn and bridge designed by Frank O. Gehry & Associates with structural engineering by SOM. The performance venue serves the Grant Park Symphony and other performing

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arts events such as jazz and blues concerts. The open-area plans of the project are a part of the Chicago Central Area Plan and encompass public spaces around the neighboring cultural institutions.

Located between Michigan Avenue, Columbus Drive, Randolph and Monroe streets, the site of Millennium Park was previously an eyesore surrounded by offices, cultural institutions, stores, residences and parkland, in the heart of one of the world’s most beautiful, diverse and vital cities. The completed park provides a new and exciting people-friendly destination for Chicagoans and visitors alike, a tribute to the City’s motto “Urbs in Horto” (City in a Garden) and a monument to Chicago’s peerless civic leadership, generosity and commitment.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Hyatt Global Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, US

As a corporate manifestation of a residential ideal, the new Chicago home for Hyatt Hotels and other Pritzker family businesses in Chicago embodies the company’s mission of providing corporate hospitality.

Designing the 280,000 square foot headquarters posed the question of how to combine the typology of the modern office with that of the modern hotel. The answer led to the evolution of a hybrid. As a result, the Hyatt Global Headquarters presents hospitality in the form of a public reception atrium, much like a hotel, and substitutes individual private rooms with workstations that convey the ambience and calm found in Hyatt hotels. By challenging the conventional boundaries between public

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and private, corporate and residential, the project weaves together a sequence of representational zones and workspaces through the use of a unifying architectural language and material palette.

The design of the headquarters was an opportunity for Pritzker & Hyatt to retool its corporate identity. As represented in the recently developed Park Hyatt Hotels in Milan and Paris, the company’s emphasis on signature architecture and design offers a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

By training this focus on its own headquarters, the company’s workplace becomes a showcase for the lifestyle it espouses around the world.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Chicago Riverwalk Chicago, Illinois, US

The Chicago Riverwalk Main Branch Framework Plan defines a bold vision for improvements to the public rights-ofway of the Main Branch of the Chicago River. The challenge of this project was to create an actionable plan with specific recommendations to guide a multi-year implementation program, as well as provide opportunities for public and private sector participation.

This plan includes guidelines for the construction of a continuous walkway from Lake Michigan to Lake Street, ramp and elevator improvements to establish universal access between street and river levels, loading and storage spaces to support river business operations, and landscape improvements to return plants and animals to the river corridor. This plan also includes conceptual designs for a new focal point feature, activity space and green amenity at the river confluence, a new public market under Wacker Drive and new pedestrian bridge to link both sides of the river east of Columbus Drive.

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Inland Steel Renovation Chicago, Illinois, US

Designed by SOM in the 1950s, the Inland Steel tower is an icon on Chicago’s skyline and a National Historic Landmark. Now, a building that originally gave form to the innovative organizational business methods of a strong postwar economy is becoming a new embodiment of progress shaped around the needs of the dynamic global marketplace. The new interior pays homage to Inland Steel’s iconic aesthetic.

In the lobby and exterior plazas, new art will complement the design and convey Inland Steel’s civic and cultural leadership.

The last thing that a growing, changing, or mobile company wants to worry about is maintaining a permanent physical environment. As a more flexible alternative to a conventional commercial fit-out, an office hotel gives companies an immediately deployable workplace and high-end amenities without tying them down. Inside Chicago’s Inland Steel tower, SOM is creating a forward-thinking, pretà-vivre workplace based on a kit of parts of partitions, ergonomic furniture, and environmentally-conscious finishes.

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The design allows offices to be rearranged or expanded quickly and cleanly. An ensemble of services will be served up from a Frank Gehry-designed annex that will give the office hotel a contemporary face and become a popular venue for receptions, conferences, and other public and professional functions.

The project aims to make workplace comfort environmentally and economically sustainable. An active chilled beam system regulates the temperature inside without wasting energy. The office hotel’s modular fit-out system allows for a “green leasing” initiative that eliminates the wastefulness of interior demolition. Such ecological features will be a major point of pride for forwardthinking tenant companies, who will be able to boast that their home is one of the first commercial interiors in the United States to achieve triple LEED Platinum certification.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Law Firm Interiors – Global Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, US

This project included strategic planning, real estate strategy development and interior design for a law firm’s global headquarters. As the anchor tenant of the building, the firm is located within 25 floors of a high-rise along the Chicago River.

Informed by a forty-year relationship with the client, the design seeks to evolve with the firm over future decades. The logic of fiscal and environmental longevity, exceptional performance and adaptability guided every design decision, from base building definition to materials selection.

The design relies on volume, daylight and a sense of connection to surrounding city views to create an elegant, value-driven workplace.

Specially designed furnishings anticipate changes in workplace technologies and work processes by supporting constant reconfiguration. Located within a LEED® CS building, the firm is pursuing LEED® for Commercial Interiors, and will earn recognition as the largest sustainable interior office space in Chicago.

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Lakeside Master Plan Chicago, Illinois, US

Lakeside is a shuttered, 600-acre former U.S. Steel manufacturing plant planned by an SOM-led consortium for transformation into a new high-density, mixed-use South Side Chicago community of 30,000.

The goals of the project were to create a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable community on the former steel mill site. The plan also aims to create a model for future development within the City of Chicago. This new community of housing will include new services, social and economic activity, and an extensive network of open spaces. Sustainable strategies will be implemented through all scales of development, while reinvestment in the neighborhood will reenergize the surrounding community. All of this will be done while respecting the heritage and spirit of Chicago’s steel industry.

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Vision for the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Region Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Region, US & Canada

SOM is scripting a vision for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region. Living on an increasingly urbanized planet, it is critical that cities act sustainably and that the natural resources that surround us be protected. This is a region of 105 million people and it contains 21 percent of the world’s, and 84 percent of North America’s, fresh water. We are calling for a global dialogue between scientists, scholars, urban designers, advocates, writers, politicians, students and residents. Connected by the water, the choices and decisions we make impact us all.

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We are addressing issues centered on the phenomenal increase in human population, the impacts of urbanization, and the threats of climate change. Specifically, this vision addresses sprawling development, congestion, urban runoff, agricultural runoff, power generation, invasive species and the challenge of multiple jurisdictions.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Central Trust Bank – Branch Bank Prototype First National Bank of Missouri Lee’s Summit, Missouri, US

Designed as a prototype for community banks throughout the Midwest, the Central Trust Bank takes its cues from the surrounding prairie landscape, incorporating a planar roof that mirrors the linear horizon line. The bank uses sustainable technologies to control light and temperature, including high-performance glazing and a sunshade that wraps the perimeter of the building.

SOM’s long-term relationship with Central Bank began in the 1960s with the design of a Jefferson City branch that led to subsequent projects. More recently, the bank commissioned SOM to design three branch prototypes to be built throughout the Midwest.

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Prototype projects afford a special opportunity to work with a client as they develop and refine a brand. In this project, SOM was charged with creating a model for small neighborhood branches. As part of Central Bank’s brand, the building needed to reflect the company’s commitment to its Midwestern clientele and community.

The prairie landscape informed SOM’s design choices and material selection, with special consideration given to sustainable design.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Denver Union Station Denver, Colorado, US

Denver Union Station is one of the most comprehensive intermodal transportation and transit-oriented development projects currently being designed in the United States. The project is the lynchpin of Denver’s FasTracks program, which is constructing an extensive network of light rail and commuter rail lines throughout the city and much of the front range region of Colorado, terminating at the city’s historic Union Station in Lower Downtown.

architect, will rise over and around the transportation facilities.

The district will be organized around a series of public plazas serving both local residents and commuters, bringing green space to the heart of downtown.

SOM’s master plan will restore the station building as the centerpiece of a “transit district”, completing the transformation of the former railyards into a model of downtown residential, commercial, and mixed-use development.

The project integrates light and heavy rail lines with regional and commercial bus routes, connecting commuters to local buses that shuttle riders throughout the central business district. The new development, for which SOM is the master

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Peaks Resort and Spa Telluride, Colorado, US

The Peaks Resort and Spa originally opened in 1992 as a four-star resort located in Mountain Village, Colorado. It was re-envisioned as a five-star hotel and condominium complex involving a complete renovation of the existing building.

SOM’s proposed renovation included the combination of existing rooms to create larger guestrooms and one- and twobedroom suites. The proposed project included additional keys built on adjacent land and linked to the resort.

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Rice University BioScience Research Collaborative Houston, Texas, US

SOM designed a collaborative research center at the edge of Rice University’s campus. The new building is prominently sited at the intersection of Main Street and University Boulevard in Houston, bridging the intellectual and physical realms of the university and Texas Medical Center.

The building supports multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research facilities, including wet and dry labs, imaging, shared cores, classrooms and an auditorium, plus amenities such as retail, plazas and cafĂŠs.

The building not only house researchers from Rice University, but also five institutes from Texas Medical Center.

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Dallas City Performance Hall Dallas, Texas, US

One of the most ambitious North American cultural and performing arts projects undertaken in recent decades, the 68acre Dallas Arts District comprises several theaters, an opera house, a symphony center, comedy clubs, art museums, a sculpture center, a performing and visual arts high school, and other cultural venues.

The cast of design talent for the various privately funded, mega-million dollar Arts District facilities is an architectural star map. It is SOM’s publicly funded Dallas City Performance Hall, however, that is frequently singled out as a true “village for the arts,” as it will serve as a home to a range of Dallas’ smaller theater, music, dance and performance companies.

this intense research are manifested not only in the design—the massing of the linear pavilions, each lyrically articulated so that their purpose, navigation, and use is self-evident—but also in the graduated construction phasing of the entire complex.

The project entails two tightly budgeted construction phases. When both phases are complete, the center will feature a 750-seat acoustically flexible proscenium theater flanked by two multipurpose performance spaces seating 200 people each. The complex will include galleries, a café, gift store and bookshop, educational and meeting facilities, artistic support spaces, and an indoor garden.

Scheduled for completion in 2010, this project has been largely free of the civic debate which often accompanies arts funding and design. This is due, in large measure, to SOM’s singularly thorough research and development process: hundreds of local artists, performers, and audiences were interviewed by the firm’s designers to determine what was needed in a new performance hall. The results of 140

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Kia Motors North American Research and Development Campus Irvine, California, US

Kia Motors elevates the typology of the suburban office park through a thoughtful embrace of the economic constraints of tilt-up construction and standardized components. The complex accommodates a wide range of uses—from office functions to gallery spaces—throughout generous, light-filled areas.

The bridge floats above a gracious, top-lit reception gallery enclosed by a series of 27foot-high pivoting glass doors. These doors create a flexible indoor-outdoor environment for events. This multipurpose room is used by the surrounding community, and has hosted the South Coast Symphony as well as a other non-business functions.

The site plan is organized by oppositional outdoor rooms, one grand in scale that faces Interstate 5, and an informal gathering space which marks the main entry of the Headquarters Building. These spaces frame a view of the complex from the highway, drawing the gaze of passing motorists.

The Design Center’s program resulted in a large footprint that supports a triangular workflow between design, modeling and presentation disciplines. To the east of the design studios, two presentation rooms and an outdoor court allow designers to study and present “in progress” full scale designs in both natural and artificial light.

The project was built in two phases: a Phase One Headquarters Building and Phase Two Design Center. Exploring the limitations of tilt-up construction, the simple and efficient Headquarters Building is composed of a pair of two-story structures containing office and technical functions, joined by a third level glazed “bridge” for executive and administrative offices.

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Oakland Museum of California Oakland, California, US

The SOM Graphic Design Studio worked with the Oakland Museum of California to design the environmental graphics program for the Museum renovation and to develop a new graphic identity for this beloved California institution. The environmental graphics program for the Museum incorporates the details and finishes of the new architecture, while remaining sensitive to the existing historic building. Bold and vibrant colors are used throughout the program to enliven the concrete structure, announce gallery entries and showcase donor recognition.

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University of California, Merced Kolligian Library Merced, California, US

The Kolligian Library is the gateway building for the UC Merced campus. The program for the project is a challenging one: the building encompasses the library, student union, administration, and technology facilities, acting as a nexus for the campus and creating a community space. Because the building program incorporates such diverse elements, the building must necessarily be flexible—one of the primary tenets of sustainability. The project is also notable for being designed within a very aggressive budget while still achieving Gold LEED® rating.

The two wings are joined by a large central space, the main entrance for the building.

In this space, informal study areas and information desks help orient students and staff, and underscore the building’s role as a meeting and gathering place. The entry space is surrounded by metal louvers, the top portion of which is punctuated by a metal and glass “lantern.” This lantern— illuminated at night—acts as a focal point, calling students to study and providing a sense of warmth and community.

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San Francisco International Airport – International Terminal San Francisco, California, US

The International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport is the centerpiece of the airport’s multi-billion expansion and modernization program. The iconic structure creates a powerful identity for both the airport and the City of San Francisco.

Its form and aesthetic stem directly from functional necessity—the roof’s wing-like form directly expresses the structural diagram of its bending forces. So the facility would remain operational in the event of a major earthquake, SOM engineered the structure to the highest seismic safety requirements ever imposed on an American airport terminal. This strategy incorporated the most ambitious use of base isolation technology for the time.

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Treasure Island San Francisco, California, US

Treasure Island is a 393-acre man-made island originally constructed for the Golden Gate International Exposition. The island later served as a U.S. Naval Air Station until its decommissioning in 1997. Planning for Treasure Island’s redevelopment began in 2002, when the City of San Francisco issued a call for a master developer. In 2005, after facing significant and ongoing opposition to the initial development proposal, the development team changed course, bringing on SOM to create a new vision for the island.

The 2006 Treasure Island Plan defines a unique, 21st Century San Francisco community—one that is socially and economically diverse and supported by close-knit neighborhoods, unprecedented open space, resource-conserving technology, and a robust network of transportation choices. Envisioned as both great place to live and a regional destination, the plan proposes three compact neighborhoods centered around an energizing mixed-use hub and ferry terminal—set within a richly faceted, 275-acre Great Park.

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Cathedral of Christ the Light Oakland, California, US

Located in downtown Oakland on the edge of Lake Merritt, The Cathedral of Christ the Light offers a sense of solace, spiritual renewal, and respite from the secular world. The 1,350-seat sanctuary, with its side chapels, baptistery, health clinic, and dependencies, honors its religious and civic obligations to both the Catholic Diocese and the city.

Through the use of advanced seismic techniques, including base isolation, the structure has been designed to withstand a 1,000-year earthquake. As a result, the Cathedral of Christ the Light will endure for centuries rather than decades

As its name suggests, the Cathedral draws on the tradition of light as a sacred phenomenon. Through Its poetic introduction, indirect daylight ennobles modest materials—primarily wood, glass, and concrete. The Omega Window rises behind the altar, its triangular aluminum panels perforated with 94,000 laser-drilled holes. As points of light shine through the holes in varying levels of brightness, a 58-foot image of Christ appears and disappears.

Through the highly innovative use of renewable materials and other sustainable design strategies, the building minimizes the use of energy and natural resources.

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For more information please contact:

Chicago

san francisco

224 South Michigan Avenue

One Front Street

Suite 1000

Suite 2500

Chicago, Illinois 60604

San Francisco, California 94111

T: 001 (312) 554 9090

T: 001 (415) 981 1555

F: 001 (312) 360 4545

F: 001 (415) 398 3214

somchicago@som.com

somsanfrancisco@som.com

New York

washington, dc

14 Wall Street

2001 K Street, NW, Suite 200

New York, New York 10005

Washington, D.C. 20006

T: 001 (212) 298 9300

T: 001 (202) 367 2600

F: 001 (212) 298 9500

F: 001 (202) 367 2602

somnewyork@som.com

somdc@som.com

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LONDON

Abu Dhabi

1 Oliver’s Yard

Al Niyadi Building

London, EC1Y 1HH

7th Floor, Office 704, Airport Road

United Kingdom

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

T: 44 20 7798 1000

T: 971 2 6433601

F: 44 20 7798 1100 somlondon@som.com

F: 971 2 6433602 somabudhabi@som.com

SHANGHAI

Dubai

Suite 201, Block 7

Level 42, Emirates Towers

No. 8 Jian Guo Zhong Road

Sheikh Zayed Road

Shanghai 200025, PRC

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

T: 8621 5466 6888

T: 971 4 3197713 somdubai@som.com

F: 8621 5465 7536 somshanghai@som.com Hong Kong 1805 Wheelock House 20 Pedder Street Central, Hong Kong, PRC T: 852 2810 6011 F: 852 2810 6659 hongkong@som.com

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Cert no. SGS-COC-003554

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