Two SOM projects, Taylor Street Apartments and Little Italy Branch Library in Chicago, and Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank Headquarters in China, have been given AIA Chicago’s Distinguished Building Award. The projects were recognized on Friday, October 15th at the AIA Chicago Designight 2021.

SOM worked with the City of Chicago to design one of the city’s first co-located Chicago Housing Authority and Public Library branches. Taylor Street Apartments and Little Italy Branch Library includes a one-story public library branch and a multi-story mixed income residential complex, with additional community spaces at street level.

Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank Headquarters defines a world-class benchmark for sustainable design utilizing naturally ventilated atria and a column-free externalized structure. The material strategy, which transitions from “earth to sky,” is informed by the bank’s history of serving agrarian communities. In the wake of COVID-19, this new “breathing” building allows for a fully customizable experience through operable louvers that tenants can use to control airflow in the building.