Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Today Frasers Property Limited opened the expansive public plaza at One Bangkok, welcoming the first phase of a world-class, 17-hectare mixed-use development. We are proud to have master planned the largest private development and the first LEED-certified Neighborhood Development in Thailand. We joined our partners in the grand opening of this new public space for the people of Bangkok, celebrating with the nation’s largest architectural laser mapping show. Designed to flourish in Thailand’s tropical climate, nearly half of One Bangkok is dedicated to green and open spaces, leveraging sustainable strategies and cutting-edge technology to significantly reduce operational energy, water consumption, and carbon emissions. The site’s towers—designed by SOM (Thailand) Limited as well as Architecture49 Inc., KPF, Lead8, and D103I among others—are thoughtfully coordinated within our masterplan to foster community and well-being. The next phase of the development includes our signature tower, which will set a new height record in Thailand when complete. MORE → bit.ly/3A3hoiD

As we look to expand the human footprint beyond Earth, architects and engineers have a major role to play, and at SOM, Senior Associate Principal Georgi Petrov has been leading the way in fostering space architecture as a new profession. Petrov—Chair of the Space Architecture Technical Committee(SATC-AIAA) of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)—sat down with Ellen Eberhardt to talk about the state of the space architecture industry for Dezeen. In the article, Petrov discusses the AIAA’s Space Architecture Symposium, which he organized last week in Milan. Attendees helped develop a “decadal survey”—a plan to formalize the space architecture profession for the next 10 years. "As space architects, we decided to do the same thing as the astronomers and planetary scientists do—to put together a document saying: here's what we think the goals will be for the next 10 years," Petrov told Dezeen. "Nobody's ever done it in space architecture. Now we have enough people that are interested that we feel like we need to help focus energies." Read the story → bit.ly/3YCzNMG Learn more about the survey → bit.ly/40j9Jal 📷 : Moon Village, © SOM | Slashcube GmbH

Join us in our London studio! We’re #hiring for the following positions: ▪ Designer (Architecture) → bit.ly/4hdzWND ▪ Senior Designer (Architecture) → bit.ly/3BPrhkf View all our global opportunities and learn about the culture at SOM below. MORE → bit.ly/4cawGQ4

“Gothenburg has very strict rules about carbon emissions and building energy-efficient housing,” Partner Kent Jackson recently told the Financial Times about SOM’s Karlatornet, a new, 74-story building. “So we had to learn and adapt our building practices to meet these very high standards.” Designed as Scandinavia’s tallest mixed-use building and marking Gothenburg’s 400th anniversary, Karlatornet catalyzes the transformation of the Swedish city’s riverside district. In the article, Jackson explains SOM’s approach to sustainability on the project, shaped by the city’s ambitious environmental credentials. Named the world’s most eco-friendly city for seven years running, Gothenburg aims to be climate neutral by 2030 through measures such as a public transportation system run almost entirely on renewable energy. Read on for the full Financial Times story for insight into how this new mixed-use development, “both a beacon and a provocation,” has shaped the future of the city’s urban development. MORE → bit.ly/3BWpOc7 📷: Kasper Dudzik

SOM is now a Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated organization. SBTi validated SOM's targets to reduce Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 67 percent in absolute terms from 2019 levels by 2033, in line with a 1.5-degree scenario. We have also committed to reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions from use of sold products 64 percent per square meter of building floor area within the same timeframe. With this approach, which aligns with SBTi’s highest ambition level, SOM commits to decarbonizing how we operate and how our projects are realized. This builds upon our firm’s ambitious climate commitments set out in our annual Climate Action Report, spanning both our business operations and our design work. Read the report below to find out how we are delivering on our commitments. MORE → bit.ly/3YbYs9f 📷: Dave Burk © SOM #ScienceBasedTargets #SBTi 

Frisco, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of Kaleidoscope Park, a new public space featuring a dynamic aerial sculpture installation by world-renowned fabric artist Janet Echelman. The 65-foot-tall, 3,400-pound sculpture, “Butterfly Rest Stop,” pays homage to the Monarch butterflies that frequent the area and changes colors based on the time of day. Our team engineered the installation to withstand Texas weather—ice up to an inch and a half thick and winds up to 115 miles per hour. "It has 44-foot deep foundations, but it's soft," said Elchelman. "I think that's the kind of strength that we have here in Texas. It's resilience, this ability to adapt and change and be strong." Learn about the project below. MORE → bit.ly/3Yua3Sg 📷: Payne Wingate and Eric Gavin Austin Commercial, HKS, Inc., OJB Landscape Architecture

Introducing One Century (Wangchao Center), Hangzhou’s second-tallest building, designed to evoke the natural scenery and cultural heritage of its region while blending high-performance design with architectural and structural innovation. As a prominent addition to Hangzhou's new Qianjiang Century Town development—an expansion to the city that has emerged as a bustling center for commerce—the project introduces 125,000 square meters of office space, complemented by an expansive public plaza. As the architect, structural, and MEP engineers, we created a distinctive curving profile that coalesces structural efficiency, sustainability, and resilience into a singular, streamlined design that solves several challenges at once. The tower conceals mechanical systems, brings in fresh air, and reduces material quantities while providing the strength and flexibility to resist seismic forces—key contributors to its LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certifications. At the street level, we designed the tower and its podium to create a porous and welcoming series of open spaces that will become a new gathering place for the district, while above, the unique geometry and structure of the tower serves as a timeless landmark, destined to leave an indelible presence in the city’s expanding skyline. We invite you to learn about the project below. MORE → bit.ly/487wBvB 📷: © Qingyan Zhu 朱清言版权所有

SOM’s competition-winning design for the CIMC Global Headquarters in Shenzhen, China, has officially broken ground. Developed for China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd (CIMC)—a global leader in transportation and energy equipment—the 270-meter, 53-story tower is a mixed-use vertical campus that blends high-performance workspaces with the natural beauty of Shenzhen’s landscape. It includes Class A office space, retail, and conference facilities, supporting more than 60,000 employees. The design features three nature-infused amenity zones: a central sky lobby, a rooftop garden with views of Qianhai Bay, and a tiered podium at the base, creating a seamless connection between the building and its surrounding landscape. Read about the project in designboom below. MORE → bit.ly/3Yokmr0 📷: ATCHAIN © SOM

The Regenerative Architecture Index—benchmarking progress in the move toward regenerative practice and projects—recently launched, naming us as “Ones to Watch.” The inaugural compendium, a partnership between Architecture Today and UK Architects Declare, tracks best practices and offers insight into the challenges and creativity of transitioning to a regenerative and more equitable future. Some 68 organizations—mostly architectural practices but also engineers, charities, and clients—participated in the Index, submitting responses in the following categories: being a good ancestor, co-evolving with nature, and creating a just space for people. Read on to see each practice's submission to the Index. MORE → bit.ly/4dHBP2l 📷: Urban Sequoia, © SOM | Miysis

Over the past month, we’ve been recognizing National Hispanic American Heritage Month through the impacts of our Hispanic/Latinx colleagues worldwide. Here, we catch up with Associate Principal and Latin America Practice Leader Edward Guerra, AIA in Mexico City. Read on as we learn about his global contributions and advice for aspiring architects in our interview below. MORE → bit.ly/3XEJFn4