Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

We're thrilled to announce that Lincoln Common has been honored as part of the 2024 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Americas Awards for Excellence! Located in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Lincoln Common has transformed the former site of Children’s Memorial Hospital into a vibrant, 1.1 million-square-foot, mixed-use community. This LEED Silver master-planned development blends new construction with adaptive reuse across a six-acre site, introducing new high-rise density to an otherwise low-rise neighborhood. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our partners, co-developers McCaffery and Hines, our design collaborators Antunovich Associates, and W.E. O'Neil Construction. Our San Francisco project 49 South Van Ness & 1550 Mission also gained recognition in the ULI Americas Awards program—it was named as a finalist. Learn about the winning projects below. MORE → bit.ly/4dmyxBP 📷: Dave Burk © SOM

Fast Company said it best: “Bengaluru’s new airport is so nice you’ll want to hang out there even if you’re not flying.” As part of its annual Innovation by Design Awards, Fast Co identifies the top projects and ideas that shape the world we live in for the better. And we made the list. Elissaveta Brandon writes about our Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru — Terminal 2 design, “A typical airport exists to serve one very specific purpose: usher you to your gate in the most efficient way possible. But for one airport in Bengaluru, India, efficiency is the bare minimum… The architects have made sure that on top of getting to your gate efficiently, you can also relish moments of calm and delight.” The new Terminal, which radically reimagines the airport experience by connecting passengers to nature, joins a robust list of Fast Company’s recognized projects and ideas that showcase a spark of ingenuity, including our High Line – Moynihan Connector project, which earned an honorable mention for urban design. Read the full story below. MORE → bit.ly/3YkEwTs

Recently, exhibition space Wrightwood 659 in Chicago held a documentary screening and panel discussion on artist Chryssa’s largest sculpture, which she produced, engineered, and constructed in collaboration with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The first office building post-energy crisis to include multi-story stacked atria, SOM’s Bruce Graham envisioned Chryssa’s neon work at 33 West Monroe in Chicago as a lantern to illuminate the space. In the documentary—and preview here—Graham’s former Executive Secretary Sonia Cooke, SHRM-SCP and exhibition Assistant Curator Ashley Janke speak about her impact and talent. Closing July 27, Chryssa’s work is on view in “Chryssa & New York,” at Wrightwood 659, Chicago. Learn about the event and see the documentary below. MORE → bit.ly/3WAmPOc 📽: Cheyenne Tobias

Introducing Shanghai Zhenru China Overseas Center, a new mixed-use project complete with two office towers, the Huanyu Max shopping mall, a theater, and cultural amenities. With a focus on wellness in the workplace, the towers feature ample green space, terraces, and operable windows where the facade modules overlap. Its design also touts column-free interiors, which can flex to accommodate a wide range of office layouts. With generous shading, landscaping, and permeable paving, the master plan put a special emphasis on ecology, livability, and cultural heritage. The former village has been transformed into a contemporary business district, yet a 500-year-old gingko tree remains for what has become the centerpiece of the project and a nod to its past. MORE → bit.ly/46ggtqy 📷: Songkai Liu © TraceImage

This weekend, Chicago's Millennium Park celebrates its 20th anniversary! The transformation of the 17-acre park was a multiyear effort made possible by the City of Chicago and the talents of collaborators worldwide. As its master planners and engineers, we’re proud to have contributed to the conversion of a once-blighted site into a dynamic public realm for the entire city to enjoy. In 2004, the park marked the completion of Daniel Burnham’s 100-year vision for the site, referencing Beaux-Arts-style public spaces with its central promenade, great lawn, and monumental limestone peristyle. These historic elements within the master plan were paired with contemporary additions from renowned artists and architects, including Frank Gehry’s stainless-steel bandshell, Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain, and Anish Kapoor’s captivating Cloud Gate sculpture. Join us in recognizing one of Chicago’s most cherished public spaces—more on the celebration below. MORE → bit.ly/3SeiRs6 📷 : Dave Burk © SOM

What if a building could act like a tree—capturing carbon dioxide, purifying the air, and restoring the environment? That was the question posed to readers in today’s issue of The Times newspaper by Design Partner Kent Jackson. In the op-ed, he describes how innovations in design and materials can make this concept a reality with Urban Sequoia, a radical systems-based approach to constructing resilient cities. Yet in order to realize this idea—which is buildable today—he asserts that we need consensus among funders, municipalities, and clients on the value of reducing our carbon footprint. Read the full op-ed in The Times below. MORE → bit.ly/3ycyDwJ 📷: © SOM | Miysis

From Singapore to San Francisco, our university sciences projects foster innovation and positive outcomes for learning. Have a look at some of our favorite designs over the years that help put institutions at the forefront of scientific research. See our higher ed work → bit.ly/somhighered See our science work → bit.ly/somscience 📷 Pictured: 1. Rice University - Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, Dave Burk © SOM 2. Rice University - Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, Dave Burk © SOM 3. Wellesley College - Science Complex, Dave Burk © SOM 4. Wellesley College - Science Complex, Dave Burk © SOM 5. University of California, San Francisco - Pride Hall, Dave Burk © SOM 6. University of California, San Francisco - Pride Hall, Dave Burk © SOM 7. University of Connecticut - Innovation Partnership Building © Magda Biernat Photography 8. University of Connecticut - Innovation Partnership Building © Magda Biernat Photography 9. University of California, Berkeley – Engineering Center, BEN-CG

Wallpaper* magazine has launched its esteemed USA 400 list honoring creatives, and we are thrilled to be named as a top visionary for the second year in a row. Building on 2023’s list of 300 names shaping the country’s creative landscape, 2024’s Wallpaper* USA 400 celebrates creative America from design business leaders to celebrity shapeshifters. Our firm—described as a “heavyweight architectural practice pioneering modernism and sustainability”—is once again honored in the Legends and Trailblazers category, the “no introduction needed” of artists, architects, and designers who have helped shape the landscape. We are one of 41 honorees and only seven architects to make the category this year. See the full USA 400 list below. MORE → bit.ly/3VXkZW7 #wallpapermagazine #wallpaperusa400 📷: Lever House, Lucas Blair Simpson © SOM

From seismic to civil and sustainable engineering, our award-winning engineers have not only worked on some of the most prominent buildings in the world—including the Burj Khalifa—but also, we lead the way when it comes to innovation. And we’re hiring. Across the U.S., we have several opportunities to join our Structural Engineering team. Learn more below. CHICAGO Intermediate Designer / Structural Engineer → bit.ly/4eYAINE Project Engineer → bit.ly/3y1tHdY SAN FRANCISCO Designer / Structural Engineer → bit.ly/3LdPpi9 Project Engineer → bit.ly/3Wdql10 NEW YORK Intermediate Designer / Structural Engineer → bit.ly/4cW2R5N Designer / Structural Engineer → bit.ly/3LBU3qt ALL JOBS → bit.ly/4cawGQ4 #hiring #engineeringjobs #jobs

We are pleased to have topped the Architizer list of ”100 Best Architecture and Design Firms in the United States.” Naming us No. 1, Architizer writes, “Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an influential collective of architects, designers, engineers and planners, responsible for some of the world’s most technically and environmentally advanced buildings and significant public spaces. From a strategic regional plan to a single piece of furniture, SOM’s designs anticipate change in the way we live, work and communicate and have brought lasting value to communities around the world.” The feature cites Poly International Plaza in Beijing, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, and One World Trade Center in New York among our most prominent projects. See the full list below. MORE → bit.ly/4bzDBRX 📷: 1. Poly International Plaza, © Bruce Damonte 2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Lucas Blair Simpson © SOM 3. One World Trade Center, © James Ewing