The concept of “floating” isn’t typical of courthouses. The norm for such facilities is to project authority while staying rooted in the foundations of justice. But the new United States Courthouse in Los Angeles, currently under construction, takes a different approach. Developed in close collaboration with the Clark Construction Group, the design concept for the … Continued
On Tuesday, October 20th, Andrew Obendorf, SOM Associate Director, will join other architects whose work appears in the “BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago” exhibition, which was organized by Iker Gil of MAS Studio as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. The panel will address how the exhibition’s projects operate within the constraints and realities of … Continued
SOM’s Guiyang Nanming Riverfront Cultural Central Business District Master Plan has won a 2015 AIA Hong Kong Design Merit Award. Created to “increase awareness of outstanding architecture,” the annual awards program honors projects that significantly improve the built environment. Earning the Merit Award in the Unbuilt/Other category, SOM’s Master Plan will be recognized at an … Continued
The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has unveiled a futuristic prototype that unites home and vehicle, and we don’t mean they’ve designed a nuclear RV. Rather, they’ve created a small shelter and a vehicle — one elegantly modern, the other comically utilitarian — that are built in the same factory and share … Continued
The National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA) has honored SOM’s renovation of the Strand Theater with its 2015 award for Excellence in Structural Engineering in the category of Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures over $20 Million. The honor recognizes creative achievement and innovation in structural engineering. Representing the project team, SOM Structural Engineering Associates Jeffrey Keileh and Joanna … Continued
The architectural mega-firm SOM and Department of Energy-managed Oak Ridge National Laboratory teamed up on AMIE, a high-tech building that’s as cutting edge with its construction techniques as it is with its energy systems. The project was borne from an astute observation: buildings, transportation, and manufacturing consume the most energy. Would it be possible to, … Continued
A cross-disciplinary team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have designed an innovative single-room building module to demonstrate new manufacturing and building technology pathways. The research project, named Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy (AMIE), leverages rapid innovation through additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3d printing,’ to connect a natural-gas-powered hybrid electric vehicle to a high-performance building … Continued
Sensing that the development of skyscrapers is entering a new phase in its existence, and inspired by the desire to let skyscrapers be more than just the expression of engineering prowess and the symbols of national pride of emerging economies, the practice Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, possibly the foremost innovator of the skyscraper, invited nine … Continued
Logical, opulent, and poignant, Baccarat Hotel & Residences successfully dialogues a vertical transition from its lively street frontage near the Museum of Modern Art to the amenity-clad aerial domain of luxurious Midtown skyscrapers. The tower is notable for its structural system, which is showcased through diametrically opposed cladding systems; east-west elevations consist of jet-black paneling … Continued
There’s a lot to get excited about in the next few years. Research at the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories is poised to transform science and energy. From the most efficient solar panels ever to answers to questions about the origins of the universe, major breakthroughs are on the horizon. How do you top a … Continued