Park Hotel Hyderabad Named Best Overall Development

The Park Hotel Hyderabad was the recipient of two prestigious awards at the MIPIM 2011 global property market last week: the Special Jury Award for Best Overall Development and Best Hotel & Tourism Resort. The Park eclipsed the other twenty nominated projects to secure the special award, the highest honor given annually to an architectural … Continued

Meet the Man Behind Burj Khalifa

Bill Baker is the man behind the world’s tallest man-made structure, Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Here, he talks about the engineering challenges of extreme high-rise buildings. “It’s just a project.” It almost sounds as if he is downplaying their efforts, when William (Bill) F. Baker describes his team’s contribution to the Burj Khalifa Tower, which … Continued

A Big Picture Thinker, SOM Partner is Working on S.F.’s Most Transformative Projects

Leo Chow is a design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, one of the largest architecture firms in the world, founded in 1936. Chow has been with the firm since 1990 and has worked on massive San Francisco master plans for some of the region’s biggest projects, including Parkmerced, Treasure Island and India Basin. … Continued

SOM Contributes Expertise to New Book on Supertall Buildings

Chicago, IL: McGraw-Hill, in association with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and the International Code Council (ICC), has released a new book, “Tall and Supertall Buildings: Planning and Design.” Several SOM experts contributed chapters about the firm’s own noteworthy projects. William F. Baker, SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner, and James … Continued

DETAIL Engineering 4 Explores 80 Years of SOM’s Most Innovative Structures

“If an architect gives you a sketch, don’t take it as a solution, take it as a statement of the problem and then come up with your own counterproposals,” says SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner William F. Baker. DETAIL Engineering 4: SOM Structural Engineering offers a rare look into the inner workings of the firm’s … Continued

SOM Dominates Middle East Architecture Awards

Dubai, UAE: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) has been named Large Middle East Firm of the Year by Middle East Architect magazine. The award was bestowed Tuesday in a ceremony at The Westin Dubai. In addition to the firm’s overall win, SOM Partner William F. Baker won for Middle East Engineer of the Year … Continued

The Engineering of Architecture Featured on Bavarian Radio in Germany

Featuring more than 20 iconic SOM skyscrapers, “The Engineering of Architecture” delves into the firm’s iconic history of excellence in structural engineering. In an interview with SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner William F. Baker and Structural Engineer Christian Hartz, BR Bayern Radio 2 explore the firm’s uniquely integrated design-engineering process. One of the world’s … Continued

William F. Baker to Deliver Burj Khalifa Lecture at Yale

William F. Baker will present the annual Gordon H. Smith Lecture at the Yale School of Architecture. Lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. in Hastings Hall. Doors open to the general public at 6:15 p.m. Burj Khalifa: A New Paradigm February 16, 20126:30 p.m. Hastings HallYale School of ArchitectureNew Haven, CT 06511

William F. Baker to Speak at Architectural Record’s Innovation Conference

William F. Baker, SOM Partner in Charge of Structural Engineering, will appear on “Supertall Case Studies: Technique, Practice and Design,” a panel moderated by Carol Willis of The Skyscraper Museum. Conference attendees are eligible to earn 5.25 AIA HSW CEHs. Architectural Record’s Innovation Conference 2012 October 4, 20129:00 am – 7:00 p.m. New York City, … Continued

William F. Baker Interviewed by Princeton Students

Princeton civil engineering students Jeremy Chen, Elizabeth Nadelman and Maryanne Wachter interview Bill Baker about the design and construction of tall buildings, Fazlur Khan’s legacy, and how students can best prepare themselves for a career in structural engineering.