Long before San Francisco’s Mid-Market neighborhood was given its current development-happy sobriquet to lure high-tech companies, The Strand theater was a fixture there. The building played host, for most of the last century, to various sorts of entertainment… But throughout the building’s dramatic career, its infrastructure remained intact, and in 2015, an enlightened renovation by … Continued
SOM’s designs for two university projects are on display at the University of Virginia, as part of the School of Architecture’s inaugural Alumni Exhibit. Titled “Living Learning: Designing University Environments,” the exhibition highlights the work of the school’s alumni, and includes projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to the design of university and college campuses for the 21st century. The exhibition features two SOM-designed projects: University Center at … Continued
Asheville may fairly be called a city of many plans, yet the comprehensive plan update approved by City Council on April 26 will in fact be only the fourth planning effort to address the city as a whole… Staffer Stacy Merten, the Planning Department’s lead contact on the project, says Asheville’s request for proposals netted … Continued
With a fresh population of artists priced out of nearby San Francisco, Oakland has emerged as the Bay Area’s creative center… Here, eight of our favorite Oakland spots.?.. Cathedral of Christ the Light One of the most strikingly modern churches in the world, the wood-and-glass Cathedral of Christ the Light—designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill—shelters visitors … Continued
At a time when traditional urban Chinatowns in Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia are fading due to gentrification and changing cultural landscapes, Chicago’s Chinatown is growing larger — becoming what experts say could be a model for Chinatown survival in the U.S. … And in August, the city opened a two-story, $19.1 million branch … Continued
In an age when academics and scientists love to talk about breaking down departmental silos, blurring the barrier between town and gown, and cross-disciplinary synergy, an island might seem an odd place to site an applied sciences campus. But it is on Roosevelt Island’s meager 150 acres that Cornell University is doing just that. In partnership … Continued
Work has begun on the new “School of Genius” campus in New York City, which aims to boost the city’s burgeoning tech industry (+ slideshow). Located on Roosevelt Island, a sliver of land that sits between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens, the new 12-acre school promises to be “one of the most environmentally friendly … Continued
On Friday, May 13th, SOM received six awards at the inaugural China Tall Building Awards. Organized by the China International Exchange Committee for Tall Buildings (CITAB) and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the awards were presented at a ceremony in Shanghai. Five SOM projects received awards: Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza, Parcel A received … Continued
At a newly renovated plant in Riddle, Ore., workers glue together boards harvested from nearby forests, where Douglas fir has grown for thousands of years, and feed the resulting 10-by-30-foot panels into a pneumatic press… Interest is spreading from Europe to North America. In 2013, Vancouver-based architect Michael Green proselytized for the material in a … Continued
SOM Associate and Mechanical Team Leader Rebecca Delaney has been named to the 2016 40 Under 40 Awards by Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine. Leading projects from SOM’s Chicago office, Delaney works closely with design teams to create and implement vital sustainable engineering schemes. In addition to her work with SOM, Delaney volunteers with Engineers Without Borders, the ACE … Continued