What have we learned so far about how cities function — and how they don’t? What is the role of that most symbolic of city features, the skyscraper? And is it possible to “break” a city? Five experts offered their perspectives on the use of data to solve urban problems, the ways in which the … Continued
William F. Baker, SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner, has been elected an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the United Kingdom’s preeminent national academy for the advancement of engineering. Election to the Academy is by invitation only. All new Fellows have been invited to join the Fellowship in recognition of their outstanding and continuing … Continued
SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner William F. Baker will discuss creativity with notable Northwestern University academics on October 8, 2014. The free, public event, part of a series titled “Conversations at the Intersection,” will focus on the similarities and differences of the creative process across disciplines. Baker, an adjunct professor at Northwestern’s McCormick School of … Continued
The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) honored William F. Baker, SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner, with an Honorary Doctorate on May 16, 2015. The degree was conferred to Baker at IIT’s 2015 Commencement. He is one of three honorary degree recipients for the 2014-2015 academic year. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary … Continued
On June 6, 2015, William F. Baker, SOM Structural and Civil Engineering Partner, will speak about architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s imaginative design for The Illinois, a mile-high tower. Baker will discuss the feasibility of realizing the fantastical project using today’s technology. The talk is one of five keynote lectures that anchor the 5th International Congress … Continued
Chicago, IL: A new model of compact, environmentally enhanced urban design by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) for the rapid development of satellite cities along Chinese high speed rail corridors has won an international design competition with its Beijing Bohai Innovation City master plan. The winning SOM plan leverages the economic and lifestyle assets of … Continued
The largest migration in human history is currently underway in China, where the central government is moving forward with a plan to urbanize nearly 300 million people by 2030. But many challenges must be confronted in both existing and planned cities for this to work. How can China accommodate this massive shift while addressing the … Continued
Possessing one of the most striking facades in the Middle East is the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain, designed by U.S. firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The 273-bedroom Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain is a new visual anchor in the city with its unusual [form] of concrete piers and suspended volumes. “It’s not very … Continued
New York, NY: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has been selected as one of 21 U.S. businesses to join Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker on her Middle East Trade Mission from March 8 – 14, 2014. SOM Director Thomas Behr and Associate Director Brett Taylor will represent the firm and participate in a series of meetings … Continued
“Transformative” is the word that is often used to describe Brightline, the privately funded passenger rail system being built by All Aboard Florida… The approximately $3-billion rail project is entirely a private-sector effort—the only such transit program currently underway in the U.S.—and aspires to counter South Florida’s long-standing car-centric notion of mobility with modern, brightly … Continued