David Sharpe, a former SOM architect and an influential educator, passed away on June 20th, 2020. Sharpe made a lasting impact at SOM and at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he became the first Black professor of architecture and taught for nearly 50 years.
6/29/20
Events, People, Press Releases
On June 25th , the Lower Eastside Girls Club (LESGC) hosted a Virtual Gala unveiling the Center for Wellbeing and Happiness, the expansion to the organization’s current headquarters on East 8th Street and Avenue D in Manhattan. The project was designed pro-bono by SOM, and adds 5,000 square feet of new space to the organization’s headquarters.
Commercial Observer reports on the new Center for Wellbeing and Happiness, an expansion to the Lower Eastside Girls Club headquarters designed pro-bono by SOM. The space will be devoted to programming for the health of Lower East Side residents of all ages and the community at large.
Director Peter Lefkovits and Associate Director Lori Maas join Rob Cassidy, Executive Editor of Building Design and Construction, on an episode of "The Weekly." Lefkovits and Maas discuss the current state of office and hotel markets and design strategies for maintaining healthy buildings in the age of COVID-19.
On Monday, June 22nd and Tuesday, June 23rd, Associate Director Daniel Cashen and Senior Architectural Designer Daniel Inocente will present at The Festival of BIM and Digital Construction. The festival is the world's largest virtual event for digital construction.
FashionUnited speaks with SOM Design Partner Colin Koop and Associate Charles Harris about the firm's design and distribution of PPE in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of April, SOM has donated 5,000 plastic face shields to frontline healthcare workers and care homes across the East Coast.
The Moscone Center Expansion project in San Francisco, designed by SOM with Mark Cavagnero Associates, won the 2020 Award of Excellence from the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). The awarded projects serve as models of excellence in structural engineering design.
6/10/20
Events, People, SOM in the Press
On June 9th, Director Julia Murphy participated in "Tenant Talks," a panel hosted by Commercial Observer. Dino Fusco, Debra Hudnell, and Tal Kerret of Silverstein Properties, along with Arthur Matuszewski of Better.com and Thea Kruger of Berdon LLP, join Murphy in a discussion on returning to office spaces in New York as the city lifts coronavirus restrictions.
Structure Magazine features SOM's Mark Sarkisian, Eric Long, and David Shook in an article on seismic performance of slender core-only towers. The article showcases SOM's 500 Folsom street in San Francisco as a model of design and engineering for buildings in high-seismic zones.
As architects, designers, and engineers—as human beings—we stand with our Black colleagues, the Black community, and all people of color in the fight for justice and equality. Racism has no place in our culture, and we unequivocally condemn it in all forms. The fabric of our society, the founding promise that all humans are created equal, needs to be restored and it is our responsibility to raise our voices and be part of the solution.
6/1/20
On June 25th, 2020, Graphic Design Manager Nathan Bluestone will participate in San Francisco Design Week. Through two SOM projects, Bluestone will explore the ways in which graphic design can shift people’s perceptions of long-established customs and institutions.
Mechanical Engineering Associate Director Rebecca Delaney has been named to the Nashville Civic Design Center Board of Directors as a Young Leaders Council Intern. The mission of the organization is to elevate the quality of Nashville's built environment and to promote public participation in the creation of a more functional and beautiful city.
How can the design community build a better future? On May 26th, 2020, SOM Design Director Kim Van Holsbeke joined ArchDaily and LifeCycles2020 with Henning Larsen's Jacob Kurek and UNStudio's Arjan Dingste for a virtual panel titled, "The Future of Our Cities."
Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune reports on the adaptive reuse of the Cook County Hospital. SOM is partnering with the Murphy Development Group; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates; Walsh Investors; MB Real Estate; the Plenary Group; Granite Cos; and KOO to revitalize the 1916 building into a hotel, food hall, and office space.
CityLab interviews SOM Director and Aviation Practice Leader Derek Moore. Moore shares insight on the rapid rate of obsolescence in airport architecture as well as on the design changes that may help future-proof airports against COVID-19 and other challenges.
