Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has commenced construction on the global headquarters for China International Marine Containers Group (CIMC) in Shenzhen's Qianhai district. The 270-meter-tall structure, designed by SOM after winning an international competition, will stand as a 53-story tower. The project aims to serve as a corporate hub while also incorporating sustainable practices. The development is scheduled for completion by 2029.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has announced a three-year redevelopment of its 2-acre downtown Newark campus. The project, designed by architectural firms Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and Weiss/Manfredi, has recently broken ground and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2027. It integrates 350 mixed-income residential units, retail spaces, and a dynamic education and community center, in addition to rehearsal spaces, a new headquarters for jazz public radio station WBGO, and various outdoor gathering areas.
Water architecture has always been important throughout human history. From the aqueducts in ancient Rome to the grand canals of Venice, water has not only sustained life but also played an important role in shaping the urban environment. It has facilitated trade, nourished agricultural lands, and provided a sense of place and identity to different communities. Despite water's historical role, during the 20th century, many cities chose to bury their waterways underground, primarily for safety and hygiene reasons, as these channels often served as open sewers.
In today's rapidly urbanizing world, where cities dominate the landscape, water is being rediscovered as a means of ecological regeneration. There is a growing movement to reopen and re-naturalize urban waterways to restore them as vital ecological corridors within the city. More and more cities are now looking towards the water in an attempt to reconnect with nature and create spaces where urban life and natural ecosystems can coexist harmoniously. This growing trend reflects a deeper understanding of water not just as a resource, but as a bridge to a more sustainable and resilient future for our cities.
The King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism Award is an initiative designed to recognize and celebrate architectural excellence aligned with the values of the King Salman Charter in Saudi Arabia. Established to honor King Salman’s vision, the Award promotes high-quality design by encouraging architects and designers to integrate the Charter’s principles into their work.
Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) has announced the International High-Rise Award 2024/25. Selected from more than 1,000 new high-rises worldwide dating from the past two years, the nominated projects are located in 13 counties from 5 continents. In autumn, the five finalists will be announced, followed by the winner announcement scheduled for November 12, 2024. The main objective of the award is to highlight good practices in the ongoing trend of mixed-use high-rises.
With the increase in the construction of high-rises, special features such as the introduction of greenery in the design, unusual shapes, or the construction of clusters of towers, have become the new normal. DAM’s research this year also shows a growing eco-awareness, as the focus in high-rise construction is increasingly on the use of existing buildings. While the majority of tall buildings continue to be erected in China, followed by the USA, Australia, and Singapore have emerged as new hubs of high-rise architecture.
The Skidmore Owings & Merril (SOM) two-tower development in Downtown Chicago has just started construction. Situated at the intersection of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, the new residential development seeks to redefine Chicago’s skyline. Composed of 635 residential units in its first phase, 20% of which are designated as affordable housing, the scheme also outlines the design of DuSable Park. Phase one of the project has officially commenced, occupying the last undeveloped waterfront parcel in the Streeterville neighborhood.
Brutalist buildings are a significant component of Washington, D.C.’s architectural identity. In the National Building Museum’s new exhibition, Capital Brutalism, this identity is explored further. Co-organized with the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Capital Brutalism is a comprehensive exhibition of Brutalist architecture in Washington, D.C., to date, running until February 17th, 2025.
American architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), in collaboration with Mexico City-based Estudio AMA and interior designer Esrawe Studio, has revealed a new 190-meter-tall mixed-use tower in Guadalajara, Mexico. The new addition, which broke ground on May 24, is slanted to become the tallest building in the Andares Zapopan district of the city, offering residential units, hotel rooms, and various amenities.
The City of Chicago has just unveiled the design for the first phase of the transformation of O’Hare International Airport. Designed by Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill (SOM), the terminal represents the largest concourse area expansion and revitalization in the airport’s 68-year history. Designed in collaboration with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects, and Arup, “Satellite One” seeks to become a landmark in the state.
Delving into the realm of unbuilt architectural projects by renowned offices offers a peak into the design principles and ethos of the studios. The curated list of unbuilt projects submitted by established architecture practices has the potential to reveal new perspectives on the socio-cultural and environmental factors shaping contemporary architecture. These designs often respond to complex challenges such as sustainability, urbanization, and cultural preservation, reflecting architects' efforts to navigate and contribute meaningfully to the built environment.
Within this curated selection, one standout project is Rafael Viñoly Architects' Médano El Pinar, marking the late architect's last contribution to the architectural landscape. Other projects such as Aedas' Ellinikon Commercial Hub explore the opportunities of new developments, such as the disused airport transformed into Europe's largest coastal park in the periphery of Athens, while others are highlighting natural landscapes or offering spaces for creative and innovative programs. Featuring internationally recognized offices like SOM, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Gensler, or GAD Architecture, the selection showcases the unrealized concepts and architectural experimentations of renowned offices.
“Constitution Gardens will become a biodiversity hotspot on the National Mall,” said Adam Greenspan, FASLA, design partner at PWP Landscape Architecture. “We will create a garden, based in nature, while respecting the historic design.” Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C. opened in 1976 to commemorate the bicentennial of the American revolution. Concepts outlined in the McMillan Plan and designs by Dan Kiley and SOM shaped the landscape.
But over the past forty years, the gardens fell into disrepair and became a pass-through site on the way to other more popular destinations on the mall. Now, the second phase of a three-phase plan to revitalize the garden has been approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and National Capital Planning Commission. The design by PWP Landscape Architecture and Rogers Partners Architects will create a “new ecological landscape” designed for people and hundreds of plant and animal species.
This month, Skidmore, Owings, and Merril's (SOM) $550 million William H. Gray III 30th Street Station broke ground in Philidelphia. Initially proposed in 2016, the scheme involves a new mixed-use urban district with an emphasis on transit for the 30th Street Station Precinct. Boasting a vibrant public realm, the initial phase of the plan focuses extensively on renovating the historic station. Designed in collaboration with Gilbane, Amtrak, Plenary, Vantage, and Johnson Controls, the overarching goal is to position the station for sustained growth over the next five decades and enhance the travel experience for millions of annual visitors.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has completed the restoration works for Lever House, one of New York’s Modernist landmarks. The building was completed in 1952, following SOM’s design. At that time, architecture critic Reyner Banham said of the building “it gave architectural expression to an age just as the age was being born.” Since then, SOM has retained a level of stewardship, revisiting the building and ensuring that the restoration works preserve the original image without compromising contemporary standards of performance.
The terms resiliency and sustainability, although similar in meaning, refer to different design approaches in the context of architecture and cities. Sustainability involves the preservation of natural resources to uphold ecological equilibrium, while resiliency entails the ability to rebound, adapt, and persist in moments of adversity. These concepts greatly influence and complement each other, especially in cases of designing disaster-resilient buildings. Conventional design processes relating to resilient infrastructure have been based on principles of structural robustness and integrity as a measure against anticipated natural disasters. However, sustainable resiliency points at the opportunity of reinforcing buildings by embedding them in biological and ecological systems.
For the opening of CAB 5, the 5th edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) presented an eco-friendly alternative to traditional concrete. Named the “Bio-Block Spiral,” the installation is at The Mews in Fulton Market in Chicago. The creation was developed with Prometheus Material, a materials company that provides sustainable building materials for a carbon-negative future.
In parallel to this year's Venice Architecture Biennale, The European Cultural Centre (ECC) presented the sixth edition of its extensive architecture exhibition titled Time Space Existence. The 2023 iteration of the group show draws attention to expressions of sustainability in its numerous forms, ranging from a focus on the environment and urban landscape to the unfolding conversations on innovation, reuse, community, and inclusion. A total of 217 projects by established participants like Snøhetta or MADWORKSHOP and emerging players such as Urban Radicals or ACTA are currently on show through the 26th of November, 2023, at Venice's Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora, and Marinaressa Gardens.
In response to climate change, the installations on show investigate new technologies and construction methods that reduce energy consumption through circular design and develop innovative, organic, and recycled building materials. Participants also address social justice by presenting living solutions envisioned for displaced communities and minorities, while others examine the tensions between the built urban environment and the nature surrounding it to identify opportunities for coexistence.
The First Islamic Arts Biennale, artistically directed by Sumayya Vally, opened on January 2023 and is still ongoing until May 23, 2023, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The inaugural event was commissioned and produced by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and was curated by Vally alongside Dr. Julian Raby, Dr. Omniya Abdel Barr, and Dr. Saad Al-Rashid. The biennale re-imagines the Western Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and winner of the 1983 Aga Khan Award, as a cultural space to redefine Islamic Arts from "within, in a way, that connects some of these art forms and forms of artistic expression to the experience and rituals" of those that live it.
Sumayya Vally is a South African architect, founder, and director of the Johannesburg-based collaborative architectural studio Counterspace. Designer of the Serpentine Pavilion in 2020/2021, she was the youngest architect to get this commission. Part of Time’s 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future, in 2021, the only architect to make the list at that time, Sumayya started her career as a curator and teacher, and recently she was appointed as artistic director of the first Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah. ArchDaily had the chance to talk with Vally about her contribution to this biennale, her vision of the exhibition, the venue, the scenography, and the participating architects. Sumayya also shared some exclusive info about her entry for the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, starting on May 20th, in Venice, Italy.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have been selected to design the New York Climate Exchange in partnership with Stony Brook University, a public research institute in New York. The new net-zero campus, located on Governors Island, New York, is planned to serve as an anchor institution for the development of new climate solutions. As a first-of-its-kind international center, “The Exchange” will also act as a regional hub for the green economy.
