Thames City is a key part of Nine Elms, Europe’s largest regeneration zone. Born out of SOM’s New Covent Garden Market Plan, Thames City provides around 1,500 new homes overlooking the River Thames and over 2.5 acres of interconnected publicly accessible space. In addition to the planning of the site, SOM designed three residential high-rise … Continued
A civic centerpiece As part of a master plan for the Pazhou district, the Guangzhou Chamber of Commerce tower reinforces the city’s commitment to high-quality urban public space. The office tower is lifted above the street level to create the “City Room,” a 22-meter-high atrium that provides an entry point to Guangzhou’s public transit system. … Continued
Shaping workplace culture through design For decades, SOM has designed cutting-edge workplaces with the conviction that architecture has the power to shape an organization’s culture. For our own office in New York City, we took the opportunity to demonstrate what a forward-looking workplace can be. Spanning two interconnected floors at the SOM-designed 7 World Trade … Continued
Enhancing a transit-oriented community Centro Westlake envisions the full potential of a remarkable urban site—above a Metro station, and opposite MacArthur Park—to provide new housing, workspace, and community amenities. The mixed-use development introduces 668 new residential units (234 of which are affordable), 100,000 square feet of office space, a 300-key hotel, and a dynamic mix … Continued
Harmonizing with the neighbors The curved facade of the Davies Symphony Hall faces City Hall on a diagonal axis, toward the heart of the Civic Center. The design is at once contemporary and classic, relating the Hall to its neighboring buildings in terms of scale by matching cornices, roof forms, colors, and textures. The Hall’s … Continued
A front porch for the College of Engineering Engineering has been a core academic focus at the University of California, Berkeley, since the institution’s founding in 1868. Over the course of nearly 160 years, Berkeley engineers have helped build California’s infrastructure, established numerous disciplines, and launched world-class research institutes and programs. Today, the campus’s “Engineering … Continued
Shaping a sense of community This 460-meter mixed-use complex is located at the heart of the new central business district in Suzhou, China. Its three interconnected towers integrate apartments, office space, and retail into a mixed-use community. The tower will become a new landmark in Suzhou—a modern expression of the city’s enduring values and quality … Continued
A long-range vision for Toronto’s waterfront Located minutes from downtown Toronto, the Port Lands is a stretch of former industrial waterfront that has been identified as a key area for urban regeneration. The Port Lands Planning Framework, established in 2017, sets out a vision for the area’s transformation into a place that will benefit all … Continued
Expanding a community resource For decades, the Lower Eastside Girls Club (LESGC) has been dedicated to empowering young women to become the next generation of community leaders. The organization engages with thousands of young women and gender-expansive youth of color throughout New York City to shape a healthy and prosperous future through free, year-round mentorship … Continued
Made for the city Located on a triangular 2.5-acre site just beyond Civic Center, 49 South Van Ness is one half of a mixed-use development that also includes a mixed-income residential tower—1550 Mission—as well as the adaptive reuse of a former bottling plant. The design process focused on meeting the needs of multiple users across … Continued