Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM is one of the largest architectural firms in the world. Their primary expertise is in high-end commercial buildings, as it was SOM that led the way to the widespread use of the modern international-style or "glass box" skyscraper. They have built several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the John Hancock Center (1969, second tallest in the world when built), Willis Tower (1973, tallest in the world for over twenty years), and Burj Khalifa (2010, current world's tallest building). SOM provides services in Architecture, Building Services/MEP Engineering, Digital Design, Graphics, Interior Design, Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Sustainable Design and Urban Design & Planning.
2. Louis Skidmore
April 8,1897 – September 27, 1962
American architect
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Founder in 1936
Bradley Polytechnic Institute, 1917
3. Nathaniel Alexander Owings
February 5, 1903 - June 13, 1984
American architect
Indianapolis, Indiana
Founder in 1936
Cornell University, 1927
4. John Ogden Merrill Sr.
1896—13 June 1975
American architect & structural engineer
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Joined in 1939
MIT, 1921
5. The Team
Gordon Bunshaft
Natalie de Blois
Myron Goldsmith
Bruce Graham
Gertrude Kerbis
Walter Netsch
Pietro Belluschi
Adrian Smith
Ferdinand Gottlieb
Larry Oltmanns
Fazlur Rahman Khan
David Childs
Architects Engineers
• Fazlur Khan
• Bill Baker
Interior Designers
• Davis Allen
7. Major Projects
Project Location year
ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER New York city, US Ongoing
BURJ KHALIFA Dubai, Saudi 2010
7 WORLD TRADE CENTER New York City, US 2006
JIN MAO BUILDING Shanghai, China 1998
GEORGIA-PACIFIC TOWER Atlanta, Georgia 1982
HAJ TERMINAL Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1980
WILLIS TOWER Chicago, US 1973
LEVER HOUSE New York city 1952
8.
9. Awards
SOM has been recognized with more than 1400 awards for
quality and innovation.
More than 580 of these awards have been received since
1998.
In 1996 and 1962, SOM received the Architecture Firm
Award from the American Institute of Architects,
which recognizes the design work of an entire firm.
SOM is the only firm to have received this honor twice.
12. Project
Location : 390 Park Avenue,
New York,
10022 USA
Construction : 1951-1952
Project Area : 289,500 ft2
Number of Stories : 24
Building Type : corporate, commercial office tower
Structure : steel frame, glass curtain wall
Chief Architect : Gordon Bunshaft
13. Awards
YEAR AWARDS
1982 • Landmarks Preservation Commission • Landmark Designation
1980 • AIA • National 25 Year Award
1958 • American Association of Nurserymen • National Plant America Award
1954 • Fifth Avenue Association • Best Building Award
1952 • Administrative Management Magazine • Office of the Year Award
1952 • AIA • First Honor Award
1952 • Architectural League of New York • Gold Medal
1951 • University of Miami • Oscar Dooley Award
14. Design
Glass box International style skyscraper
Design principles of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
It is the pioneer curtain wall skyscraper in New York City.
The building features an innovative courtyard and public
space.
Most of the headquarters of the corporations on and around
Park Avenue adopted this style of building.
pushed SOM toward a new level of architectural recognition
Led to a series of similar developments by SOM for
corporate offices.
15.
16. Details
comprises two counterposed rectangular volumes, sheathed
in a thin curtain wall of stainless steel and glass, floating on
pilotis
The lower volume carrying a roof garden and enclosing a
garden-atrium retreat.
20. The Project
Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud
Building Type : Airport Terminal
Location : jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Construction : 1974-1980
Site Area : 120 acres
Project Area : 2,800,000 ft2
Building Height : 150 ft
Number of Stories : 3
Structure : Tensile Fabric roofs
21. Project Awards
YEAR AWARDS
2010 • AIA • National 25 Year Award
1983 • AIA • National Honor Award for Architecture
1983 • World Architecture • Aga Khan Award for Architecture
1982 • AIA - New York City Chapter • Distinguished Architecture Award
1982 • Industrial Fabrics Association • International President's Award of Merit
1981 • Progressive Architecture • P/A Award: Architectural Design
22. Hajj
The airport stands for one feature in particular: the Hajj
Terminal
Built to handle foreign pilgrims destined for Makkah to take
part in the rituals associated with the annual Hajj.
The terminal handles the movement of over 10 millon
passengers and 75,000 aircrafts every year.
Facilities of the Royal Saudi Air Force and housing for the
airport staff
Plans are being made for the expansion of the project to
meet the future needs
24. planning
It takes as many as 18 hours for the pilgrim to conclude the
necessary preparations for the Haj
great care has been taken in the design of the support area to
make the pilgrim's time in the area as pleasant as possible
facilities are located for the pilgrim to rest, sleep and prepare
food
Provision of shopping malls and well organised circulation of
the huge passenger flow
Has a huge passenger flow for about 6 weeks during Haj
26. Details
The project is world famous for its fabric roof structure
The engineer for the project was Fazlur Rahman Khan, an
Aga Kahn award winner
For its Hajj Terminal design, SOM utilized the highly
identifiable form of the Bedouin tent to create the marvel
The world’s largest cable-stayed, fabric-roofed structure.
The Hajj Terminal serves as the culturally symbolic, and
structurally innovative portal
28. Construction
The construction of the structure was challenging in many
aspects like the availability of skilled labour, materials etc.
29. The structure represents the culture of the locality by the use
of Bedouin tents, which also suit the climate
A single module contains 21 semi-conical fabric roof units
stretched and formed by 32 radial cables. The modules are
supported by 45-meter-high steel pylons located on a square
45-meter grid.
30. Design
This project exemplifies the power of a clear idea.
A very simple bay repeated quite beautifully, Representing
the style of SOM
A highly sustainable project well before the knowledge of
green movement
SOM created a series of tent-like structures beneath which
up to 80,000 pilgrims can rest at a time
The terminal consists of two identical roofed halves
separated by a landscape.
33. Inferences
Use of simple geometric shapes and symmetry
Form consists of repetition of a small blocks
Importance given to the utility in derivation of form.
Massive structures requiring high quality structural work
Elements are used such that they stand as a landmark of the
immediate locality
Designs criticized to be consuming more energy than the
conventional buildings of the same type
All the modern buildings and cities designed by them after
the late 1990’s were environmental friendly and economical
to some extent wherever possible