SOM leaders from across architecture, structural engineering, and environmental efficiency, joined the Texas A&M College of Architecture in March for the 44th Annual Rowlett Lecture. The event, “The Art & Science of Integration in Architecture,” challenged the traditional silos between the three disciplines, inviting dialogue on the impact of collaboration.
The lecture centered on the premise that high-performance architecture requires an integrated team from the outset. Design Principal Jose Palacios explained that for SOM, enduring architecture is rooted in integration rather than mere aesthetics. He noted that form and shape are never arbitrary; they are driven by a clear “why” that responds to a project’s specific parameters of time, place, and culture. Shona O’Dea, SOM’s Sustainability Director and Structural Engineering Partner Eric Long shared insights into the technical results of proactive, interdisciplinary design, building efficient, regenerative, and sustainable projects. By evolving a vocabulary of tools and techniques that integrate construction and material early on, the firm ensures that creative aspirations are grounded in technical purpose.This event was supported by participation from members of the SOM Austin studio.
Following the lecture, speakers joined James Diewald and Nkiru Gelles to facilitate a hands-on workshop for students. Participants used a “kit-of-parts” methodology, leveraging environmental data, material quantities, and embodied carbon metrics as creative drivers rather than afterthoughts. This process showed students how to use structural constraints to lead design rather than limit it.
Hosted by the CRS Center for Leadership and Management in the Design and Construction Industry, the Rowlett Lecture honors former Texas A&M professor John Miles Rowlett. For 44 years, the series has brought international design leaders to the university to discuss the future of the built environment.
