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William F. Baker to Deliver Keynote Presentation at Structural Engineers World Congress in Mexico

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On Tuesday, November 14th, SOM Structural Engineering Partner William F. Baker will deliver a keynote presentation at the sixth Structural Engineers World Congress (SEWC) in Cancun, Mexico. Themed “Architectural and Structural Design for Enriching Human Habitats,” the congress will focus on the latest developments to improve safety and reduce environmental impact while rehabilitating existing infrastructure and building … Continued

Designs for Proposed Nashville Tower Submitted for Review

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Nashville-based The Mainland Companies has submitted to Metro design and concept drawings for its 30-story mixed-use One KVB Circle tower proposed for a site fronting the Korean Veterans Boulevard Roundabout in SoBro. … “Daylight and flexibility are key to creating a sense of well-being in the workplace,” said Scott Duncan, SOM design partner. “To maximize open, … Continued

Savills Studley Locked Down Real Estate in One of Chicago’s Newest Buildings for Itself

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When Savills Studley relocated its Chicago office in February, the commercial real estate brokerage became the first tenant to move into the new tower at 150 N. Riverside Plaza. Representatives of the firm, including Chicago co-leader Robert Sevim, and the architect of the space, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, provided a tour.

William F. Baker Featured on Travel Channel Program on Tall Buildings

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On Thursday, November 2nd, the Travel Channel will air a program titled, “The Secret Life of America’s Tallest Buildings.” William F. Baker, a Structural Engineering Partner who is based in SOM’s Chicago office, is featured.  In the interview, Baker discusses the SOM-designed WIllis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). Baker shares insight on the tower’s structure, which comprises nine squared tubes. The tubes, each rigid within itself without internal supports?, are bundled … Continued

Claesson Koivisto Rune Recreates Modernist Skyscraper Facades for Collection of Prints

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…On show at new Tokyo design festival Designart last week, the 12 images – collectively titled Faciem – zoom in on the regimented facades of pioneering towers like Mies’ 1958 Seagram Building in New York and Skidmore Owings & Merrill’s 1974 Sear’s Tower in Chicago. Each image is made up of hundreds of layers of … Continued

SOM Celebrates 50 Years in Washington, D.C.

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In celebration of the 50th anniversary of SOM’s Washington, D.C. office, the Partners of SOM and Melissa Chiu, Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, hosted a cocktail reception the evening of Wednesday, October 25th. Overlooking the Washington National Mall, guests—including clients, consultants, press, friends of the firm, and SOM leadership and staff—gathered in … Continued

The Guggenheim Bilbao’s Impact on Chicago and the World Still Resonates

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Twenty years ago this month, Frank Gehry’s masterful Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, fired an architectural shot heard ’round the world.  Its revolutionary, shimmering mass of titanium catapulted Gehry to global stardom and spawned scores of imitators who tried…to duplicate the much-hyped “Bilbao effect,” whose starry-eyed adherents claimed that an eye-grabbing building could single-handedly resurrect … Continued

William F. Baker to Speak at California Institute of Technology

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On Friday, November 3rd, SOM Structural Engineering Partner William F. Baker will speak at the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as part of the colloquium series hosted by Caltech’s Department of Aerospace. Baker will discuss historical figures in structural engineering, including James Clerk Maxwell, William John Macquorn Rankine, and George Biddell Airy. Baker will review the seminal contributions … Continued

Mana Contemporary Announces SOM Exhibition for 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial

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Mana Contemporary Chicago has announced that a new pop-up exhibition, titled “SOM: Engineering x [Art + Architecture],” will open on Sunday, September 10th. Presented in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Biennial and Ace Hotel Chicago as a partner for special programming, the exhibition will run through January 7th, 2018. For more than eight decades, SOM has explored the … Continued

The Desmond Wins 2017 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award

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The Desmond received an Excellence in Structural Engineering Award from the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations. A renovation and adaptive reuse project in downtown Los Angeles, the building was recognized in the category for Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures up to $20 Million. The annual awards program calls attention to examples of ingenuity in structural engineering throughout … Continued