Jorge Rovira bridges design and technical delivery, working closely with clients to bring ambitious visions to life. From supertall towers and advanced manufacturing campuses to luxury residences integrated into historic neighborhoods, his work combines a humanistic perspective with strategic thinking and rigorous attention to materials and detail.
Jorge explores how intelligent systems and digital tools can expand design possibilities and improve building performance. He led the development of an AI-assisted design optimization process for Shanghai’s West Bund Convention Center, a permanent venue for major AI exhibitions, and the design of Alibaba’s Xuhui headquarters, which leverages a digital twin and smart facade systems. His work extends to digital methods for reclaimed-timber structures, realized in Re-SPLAM, a pavilion for the 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial, and bespoke smart venetian blind spanning a continuous, 50-foot-tall facade at the Mulva Cultural Center.
Design and tectonics are not two phases of a project; they are a single intelligence. In the best buildings, the idea and the engineering are indistinguishable.
Jorge co-leads SOM’s global Advanced Manufacturing practice, delivering exceptionally large and complex facilities on accelerated schedules, including Rivian’s 1.2-million-square-foot NN2 expansion in Illinois and its Stanton Springs plant in Georgia.
Tall buildings are a core area of Jorge’s global expertise, with projects including Jinqiao Tower in Shanghai, Nanjing Pukou, and Xi’an Silk Road supertalls. He mentors the next generation of designers at SOM and at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he teaches the Master of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism studio.
