Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

We’re honored to return to one of SOM’s most defining projects, the John Hancock Center (now 875 N. Michigan Avenue), where we’ve been entrusted with the redesign of its iconic 95th and 96th floors. This collaboration with Magnicity, the parent company of 360 CHICAGO, presents a unique opportunity to refresh and elevate this historic space—known to many as the former Signature Room—enhancing its role in Chicago’s architectural and cultural fabric. “The John Hancock Center is a revolutionary project—the world’s first tall mixed-use tower that forever changed how we approach urban architecture,” said SOM Partner Scott Duncan. “The experience at the top is extraordinary, with expansive views of Lake Michigan and the Magnificent Mile. It’s not just an observation point; it’s an opportunity to rethink its role as a premier destination in the city’s cultural and architectural narrative.” Learn about the undertaking of this iconic space below as the Chicago Sun-Times reports. MORE → bit.ly/4eHUBYb 📷: Dave Burk © SOM

Last year, we completed the largest single infrastructure project in Kansas City’s history—a 1.1 million-square-foot airport that the city endeavored to be “the most accessible in the world.” Today, we took that accolade a step further, with Prix Versailles recognizing Kansas City International Airport among a list of 2024’s “Most Beautiful Airports” in the world. The awards program, organized in association with UNESCO, honors projects across the globe that have left extraordinary imprints on their environments. Through a collaboration with Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, Clark Construction Group, Clarkson Construction Company and The Weitz Company (CWC), and the Kansas City Aviation Department, we replaced the existing overcrowded terminals, originally built in 1972, with a highly sustainable building that reimagines inclusivity and accessibility for air travel. See the full list below. MORE → bit.ly/3Y6l4Jz 📷: Lucas Blair Simpson © SOM

The Octagon in Birmingham, UK, has topped out, marking the highest point of construction. At 155 meters tall and 49 floors, the residential building is the city's first official tall building and also its tallest. Helping to realize its ambitious, pure octagonal design, SOM's London-based structures team attended a ceremony last week to mark this important milestone and participated in a vertical-mile challenge to raise money for charity. MORE → bit.ly/3ZC8hzJ

We took home not one, but three awards during the International Conference of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) in London and Paris this week. Winning the coveted 10-Year Award, One World Trade Center reclaimed the New York City skyline, reasserted downtown Manhattan’s presence as a business center, and established a new civic icon for the United States. And named the Best Tall Building in the Asia region, the Greenland Hangzhou Century Center serves as a prominent gateway to the city center. Built for the 2023 Asian Games, the building is the tallest in Hangzhou, creating a dynamic landmark that illuminates the city’s skyline. Last but not least, we are honored to recognize the achievements of John Zils, recipient of the Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Award. An SOM structural engineer for more than 40 years, he was instrumental in the realization of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah. The award recognizes an individual for proven excellence in technical design and/or research that makes a significant contribution to the design of tall buildings and the built urban environment. See all 2024 CTBUH award winners below. MORE → bit.ly/4dDArhf 📷: © James Ewing Photography and © Hangzhou Greenland

What does the future of travel look like at Chicago O’Hare International Airport? The leading architects behind O'Hare's new Satellite One discussed all that and more during a panel discussion hosted by the Chicago Architecture Center, which highlighted the vision to redefine the passenger experience. SOM Design Principal Ryan Culligan, AIA; Barrett Peterson, RA, LEED AP of Ross Barney Architects; and JGMA’s Juan Gabriel M. joined Related Midwest’s Executive Vice President and panel moderator Ann Thompson to discuss the site's origins as an orchard field and how it influenced the concourse's tree-like structural design. They explored how its modern architecture is specifically adapted to the Midwest climate, focusing on both passenger wellbeing and enhanced environmental performance. Satellite One—which we designed along with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup—was recently featured in Passenger Terminal World magazine. Read on as Design Partner Scott Duncan and Principal Derek A. R. Moore shed light on the design. MORE → bit.ly/4dtxKPe 📷: Francisco Lopez de Arenosa © SOM

Good design withstands the test of time, and case in point is our design of the Miami University Art Museum, completed in 1979. The 24,000-square-foot museum was conceived as an active art center, with a wish list of integrating surrounding woodlands and flexibility to house many art genres. The result: a single-story, barrier-free structure containing both intimate exhibition areas and large skylit spaces plus an auditorium. A reflecting pool and exterior areas accommodate outdoor sculptures, and through large windows and clerestories, nature, too, becomes a work of art. Learn about the project below. MORE → bit.ly/3XBlKVW © Abby Sadin | Barbara Karant Photography, Inc.

At SOM, we support professional development opportunities, community connection, and mentorship while enriching the architecture profession through our diverse perspectives. One of our mentors, Maria Sofia Garcia, also serves as Global Leader of the Arquitectos employee resource group, and we caught up with her to learn about her involvement. As part of National Hispanic American Heritage Month, are producing a series of spotlights getting to know the unique individuals represented in SOM’s history along with the next generation of design professionals. Read on as we explore Garcia's perspectives, ideas, and experiences below. MORE → bit.ly/3XEJFn4

This week in Melbourne, Australia, we celebrated the construction start on a Victorian landmark redevelopment at 189 Toorak Road, alongside V-Leader Group and IRONSIDE. This project will transform the historic South Yarra Coffee Palace into a modern, mixed-use development, honoring its 137-year legacy while introducing a contemporary expansion. The design will restore the building’s original 19th-century façade, rising 26 meters, and integrate a modern 12-story addition. The new structure will feature an expressive concrete lattice—framing floor-to-ceiling glass bays—merging historic preservation with contemporary design to foster meaningful connections between the building’s past and its surroundings. "Designing 189 Toorak Road was as much an exercise in reduction as it was in addition," said SOM Partner Scott Duncan. "The undulating forms that float above the historic building reflect a sustainable approach, made possible through cutting-edge structural engineering, where materials are reduced to the bare essentials." Learn about the development below. MORE → bit.ly/4decdcX 📷: NORVISKA © SOM

Two recent completions have been recognized with Merit Awards by the AIA California 2024 Design Awards program as projects that “celebrate the value exceptional design has on the fabric of society.” The Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, the largest research facility on Rice University’s historic core campus, provides students with technology-rich facilities that embody the University’s goal to stay at the forefront of scientific discovery. The jury admired our "attention to access to daylight and fresh air and selection of healthy and resilient materials aimed at reducing carbon emissions ...” Also winning a Merit Award is our 600,000-square-foot, LEED Silver International Arrivals Facility at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, which integrates terminal concourses to create a welcoming gateway to the United States that doubles international flight capacity. Said the jury, "The bridge—to have a structure that airplanes can scoot around and under—was a very a bold move.” Learn about both projects and the awards below. MORE → bit.ly/4d7XcJO 📷: Dave Burk © SOM

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s (NJPAC) commitment to downtown Newark is central to its mission, and today, construction began on a major neighborhood revitalization. Building on our master plan from 1988, NJPAC’s campus will bring affordable housing, new pedestrian paths, and inclusive cultural spaces to the neighborhood—with the arts at the core of it all. Working with NJPAC, Center Street Owners, L+M Development Partners LLC, and Prudential Impact & Responsible Development, we are designing 17 residential buildings of different scales for people at all income levels, with a food hall and outdoor spaces for visual and performing arts. A renovation of NJPAC and Chambers Plaza will connect the arts center to a newly restored Mulberry Street, as well as the new Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center designed by WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism. Altogether, the new residential buildings—from 15 townhomes to a 22-story tower and a 153,000-square-foot, mid-rise building—will create 350 new rental units, of which 20 percent will be dedicated to affordable housing. On pace for completion in 2027, this comprehensive, 12-acre project will bring new life to downtown Newark and expand the NJPAC’s cultural legacy. Learn about the project below. MORE → bit.ly/4e69FyN 📷: © SOM