Four SOM Projects Shortlisted in ABB LEAF Awards

Four SOM projects have been shortlisted in the 18th annual ABB LEAF Awards. The award program, which recognizes projects around the world for design excellence, will select winners in 16 different categories in October. SOM’s shortlisted projects were Manhattan Loft Gardens, New Futura, the Cornell Tech Campus Framework Plan, and Moynihan Train Hall. Manhattan Loft … Continued

First Look: SOM Completes 42-story Manhattan Loft Gardens in London’s Stratford

. . . Working as an integrated group of architects and engineers, the design team shaped the tower’s innovative steel and concrete form to create impressive communal spaces that would provide a natural platform for interaction, while working from the inside-out to maximise views and natural light. As a result, the building has an unusual … Continued

SOM Completes Double-cantilevered Manhattan Loft Gardens Tower

Manhattan Loft Gardens is a 143-metre-high tower with two cantilevers designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill that overlooks London’s 2012 Olympic Games park. Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) engineered the concrete and steel frame so that it could accommodate three sky-gardens notched into the 42-storey building. . . . “The way in which we settled … Continued

Six New Aviation Projects

For the upcoming Seattle-Tacoma facility, scheduled to open in 2020, SOM [in collaboration with Miller Hull] created eight new gates, increasing the total to 20. A bridge will allow international travelers to move on foot over taxiing aircraft. The new 450,000-square-foot building attempts to convey a strong sense of arrival, with windows on either side … Continued

Two SOM Projects Win ULI Chicago Vision Awards

On Wednesday, July 10th, two SOM projects were honored at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Chicago Vision Awards Gala. Optimo Hat Company won in the “Visionary Manufacturing” category, and the Taylor Street Apartments and Little Italy Branch Library won for “Affordable Housing and Visionary Collaboration.” The ULI Chicago Vision Awards recognize the full development process, … Continued

Airports of the Future

Except for people who have their own jets, most would agree that the romance of air travel faded long ago. But that isn’t stopping those who want to be on the move. Worldwide, aviation numbers are expected to double to 8.2 billion passengers per year by 2037, say estimates by the International Air Transport Association. … Continued

Alárò City and West Loop Library Win 2019 Architizer A+ Popular Choice Awards

We are proud to announce that two SOM projects won Architizer A+ Popular Choice awards in their respective categories. The Alárò City master plan, designed to strengthen Lagos’ position as the economic and cultural hub for West Africa, won the popular choice award in the Unbuilt Masterplan category. The West Loop Branch of the Chicago … Continued

LFA Building Sounds: Discovering Canary Wharf

The first episode of “Building Sounds,” a podcast created by London Festival of Architecture, explores the history of Canary Wharf through the architects and planners who have shaped the development of this commercial district across three decades. Described as “part podcast, part walking tour and part museum audio guide,” the program aims to provide an … Continued

SOM Team Selected to Lead Design of Satellite Concourses for O’Hare Global Terminal in Chicago

The City of Chicago has named a team led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) to design two new satellite concourses, comprising 1.2 million square feet, at O’Hare International Airport. The concourses form part of the O’Hare Global Terminal, a major phase of the O’Hare 21 Program, a historic plan that seeks to transform the … Continued

Gordon Bunshaft: What Convinces is Conviction

This story by Nicholas Adams is published in SOM Journal 9, the ninth installment in a continuing series that highlights the conceptual undercurrents being developed at SOM. Few architects have had a more fortuitous entrance into the profession than Gordon Bunshaft (1909-1990): education, travel, employment before World War II. He returned from the war to … Continued