These Are the Best-Designed, Most Useful Architecture Firm Websites

Our editors look at hundreds of websites per week. What do they admire and appreciate the most? Organization and simplicity. Sites that are not only clean, but fast. We actively search for projects to include on our platform, so it’s crucial that when we visit a website we not only know where to look, but … Continued

A Post-9/11 Symbol of New York Emerges

You glance toward Lower Manhattan and expect to see a single tower where two once stood. You delight in the spectacle of sunlight glinting off its slivered facade. Suddenly, you realize, the new 1 World Trade Center — the Freedom Tower — has become familiar… You can now buy snow globes with the tower. Or … Continued

What Remains: Structure and Story on the 15th Anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001

Last September, Pope Francis descended into the 9/11 Memorial Museum and presided over a multifaith prayer ceremony of great breadth and resolve…Alongside leaders from many faith traditions, he prayed before the raw slurry wall that protects the World Trade Center site, its symbolic power never more evident than on that day. In that unforgettable moment, … Continued

The status of the World Trade Center Complex, 15 Years Later

Though it’s been a long road back for Lower Manhattan, the past decade and change—and the past three years in particular—have seen a lot of progress. Against all odds, there is a World Trade Center again, and while it’s not quite finished—and some parts are still up in the air—it’s getting closer and closer to … Continued

Top of the Tree

The five-storey pagoda of the Temple of the Flourishing Law in the Nara prefecture of Japan is one of the world’s oldest wooden buildings. It has withstood wind, rain, fire and earthquakes for 1,400 years. … A recent experiment by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a firm of architects, and Oregon State University, shows how strong engineered … Continued

SOM and Sterling Bay Outline Vision for Chicago’s Union Station

Sterling Bay is proposing a skyscraper connected to Union Station that would become one of the city’s tallest, as the Chicago-based developer vies for the assignment to redevelop real estate owned by Amtrak… Sterling Bay’s office building, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, would be one of the city’s 10 tallest. It would trail Willis … Continued

Architect Magazine Ranks SOM Among Top Firms in 2016

In the 2016 edition of Architect 50, an annual ranking of industry leaders, SOM is ranked third overall among this year’s top 50 firms. Recognized for its leadership in business, sustainability, and design, SOM was selected from a field of 136 architecture firms that qualified for evaluation this year. The survey is administered by Architect … Continued

Behind The Scenes at Capitol Crossing’s Construction

One of DC’s largest private developments, Capitol Crossing, began going vertical in June. The $1.3B project rising atop I-395 will be among the topics at Bisnow’s Major Projects event Sept. 29, where Property Group Partners’ Robert Braunohler will discuss the ambitious endeavor. This week, Bisnow got a sneak peek of the construction site to check … Continued

Archtober Building of the Day Tour: Lever House

On October 23rd, SOM Associate Director Frank Mahan will lead a tour of Lever House as part of Archtober’s Building of the Day program. Taking place in New York City, Archtober is an annual month-long festival of architecture. The Archtober Building of the Day program celebrates both contemporary and iconic architecture throughout New York City with daily … Continued

Dorm Architecture: Admiring Avant-Garde Student Housing Designs in New York

Historically, college dorms have been characterized by anything but great architecture… More recently, however, at least some colleges and universities have begun to acknowledge that where students live may have an impact on their performance. … The corner of 14th Street and 5th Avenue was rebuilt from the ground up and in 2014, SOM’s (Skidmore, Owings … Continued