Press Release

Architect Magazine Names SOM Number One Architectural Firm

In its November 2017 issue, Architect Magazine names Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) the number one architectural firm on its Architect 50 list. In forming this year’s rankings, the magazine placed a high premium on a strong design portfolio, participation in the AIA’s 2030 Commitment program, and net revenue per employee. SOM is the only practice to place first overall twice since the ranking was founded in 2009. The firm was also ranked number one in 2010.

In the story that accompanies the ranking, the magazine wrote: “When it took top honors in 2010, SOM had recently completed Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which remains (for now) the world’s tallest building. In 2016, the firm’s portfolio didn’t include a single supertall, but rather featured a diversity of completed projects.”

This year, “the design judges highlighted SOM’s ‘beautifully detailed public work’ with ‘sculptural surfaces and facades and structural forms,'” focusing on a selection of key projects, such as the Public Safety Answering Center II in New York, the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Center for Character & Leadership Development in Colorado, and the New United States Courthouse in Los Angeles. The magazine cited the LEED Platinum-certified courthouse as a prime example of “how SOM’s commitment to sustainability hasn’t undermined its pursuit of design excellence.”

“This is an extremely meaningful honor,” said T.J. Gottesdiener, Managing Partner at SOM. “It’s a testament to our constant evolution as a firm, our continued commitment to sustainability and design rigor, and the talent of our employees.”

The magazine called this edition of the Architect 50 list “the most competitive yet,” with entries from 149 firms—the most in recent memory.

The complete list and related stories appear in the November 2017 issue of Architect Magazine and online. Read more here

About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world. Since its founding more than 80 years ago, SOM has earned a reputation for design excellence with a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries, and has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with nearly 2,000 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, and Mumbai.