On the latest episode of Architectural Record’s DESIGN:ED podcast, SOM Design Partner Ryan Culligan reflects on his career and the values that define his approach to architecture—designing environments that are high-performing, resilient, and connected to the natural world. He shares how this perspective has guided projects ranging from calm, light-filled airport concourses to future healthcare spaces centered on empathy and care. “They’ve been designed for a very long time as almost machines for care,” he says, “rather than as caring places.” Culligan also highlights SOM’s interdisciplinary culture, where architects, engineers, and planners collaborate from the start to create integrated, high-impact design solutions.

The conversation spotlights 400 Lake Shore, a pair of towers now under construction in Chicago, where performance and sustainability are seamlessly integrated. Shaped through in-house wind tunnel testing, the tower’s cascading form reduces wind loads, lowers embodied carbon, and creates new opportunities for outdoor space. Culligan also reflects on SOM’s Great Lakes Century vision as an example of how coordinated, regional planning can help cities adapt to climate change and support more equitable futures.