A shot of the models on display at "SOM: Engineering x [Art + Architecture]" Photo ©? Danielle Campbell
The question that Bill Baker, partner and chief engineer at SOM, asks himself when he travels to Shanghai, among other places, is: have we run out of good ideas?
On a mission to ensure that his team keeps asking questions and finding solutions, in whichever order, he initiated ‘SOM: Engineering x [Art + Architecture],’ a book and exhibition that present ideas and projects explored by the ‘Research Gang’ at SOM – an informal and voluntary group of engineers interested in pioneering new technologies with substance.
…
‘We’re doing all these giant buildings, but this kind of stuff gets us grounded again. The details matter,’ says Baker, who, with his colleague engineer Christian Hartz, joined Wallpaper for a stroll around the exhibition.