Press Release

SOM Contributes Expertise to New Book on Supertall Buildings

Chicago, IL: McGraw-Hill, in association with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and the International Code Council (ICC), has released a new book, “Tall and Supertall Buildings: Planning and Design.” Several SOM experts contributed chapters about the firm’s own noteworthy projects.

William F. Baker, SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner, and James J. Pawilkowski, SOM Structural Engineering Associate Director, wrote about the Burj Khalifa, while John Zils, SOM Associate Partner Emeritus, penned a chapter about Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower).

Emblems of their respective eras, the Burj Khalifa and Willis Tower represent enormous milestones in both the history of SOM and the planning and design of supertall structures. Completed in 2010, the 828-meter Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building, soaring above the desert metropolis of Dubai. The 442-meter Willis Tower, completed in 1974, is a Chicago icon and was for many years the tallest building in the world.

Several other skyscrapers of note are featured in the book, including Taipei 101 and the Petronas Towers. SOM is proud to have contributed to what is being billed as “the definitive guide for engineers, architects, project managers, building inspectors, and anyone involved in the planning and design of tall and supertall buildings.” 

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, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM 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 more than 1,700 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, Mumbai, and Abu Dhabi.