Phil Wessell leads large, integrated projects and teams across civic, government, transportation, and aviation markets. With a career grounded in technical practice and project delivery, he brings a firsthand understanding of how ambitious design becomes built work. His experience spans design-build, public-private partnerships, and other evolving delivery models, giving him a broad perspective that bridges design, construction, business, and regulation.
Phil began his career in the field, spending his first decade moving between the jobsite and the studio as he worked closely with builders and engineers to bring projects to life. That experience continues to shape his approach to leadership: bringing together diverse teams, translating across disciplines, and finding common ground among the perspectives and motivations that shape a complex project.
The best projects happen at the intersection of innovative design ideas and strong technical excellence. Understanding how something gets built – and finding better ways to build it – creates the highest performing projects.
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in central Pennsylvania, Phil has spent his professional career in SOM’s D.C. studio. He joined SOM as a summer intern in 2007, beginning with a major design-build project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Since then, his work has included Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Montgomery County Justice Center in Pennsylvania, and the redevelopment of William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, where he has led the project since the pursuit phase and played an integral role in navigating the complexities of a major public-private partnership.
Today, Phil focuses on management, project delivery, and strategic growth. He works across the East Coast and holds a firmwide role as co-leader of SOM’s rail transportation practice and expert in collaborative project delivery. Across his work, he mentors teams, sharing technical and practical knowledge built over nearly two decades of practice.
