Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

The latest Fellows of the SEI - Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers have been named—and Structural Engineering Principal Preetam Biswas and Associate Principal Peter L Lee have achieved the distinction. The SEI Fellow grade of membership recognizes accomplished SEI members as leaders and mentors in the structural engineering profession. Biswas has led the design of numerous large and small projects worldwide with an approach to optimize the use of materials. As an architect and structural engineer, he conceptualizes projects with an intent to celebrate the structure within the architecture. From authoring technical publications to university lectures and chairing ASCE/SEI’s Tall Buildings Committee, Biswas has been instrumental in leading the paradigm shift for information exchange and knowledge sharing in the AEC industry. And with 40 years of experience, Lee’s career focus has been a demonstrated commitment to pursuing an integrated design practice of architecture, sustainable systems, and structural engineering achieving reliable, efficient, innovative, and resilient building design. He has been instrumental in advancing performance-based earthquake engineering and application of advanced methods and seismic protection systems including isolation and damping in pursuit of the goals of enhanced performance-based seismic design. Advancing to become an ASCE/SEI Fellow is a prestigious honor that was awarded to just 17 of its 30,000 members this year—help us in congratulating Biswas and Lee below. MORE → bit.ly/4gUmhdV

An inauguration ceremony in Muscat, Oman, yesterday marked the launch of the first neighborhood of the Sultan Haitham City project. Wadi Zaha—designed by SOM for Al Ahly For Real Estate Development—is a sustainable smart city that will accommodate 100,000 residents of Muscat’s growing population. The new Wadi Zaha neighborhood will consist of 760 new residential units of varied sizes across 420,000 square meters. Construction will begin later this year. “Wadi Zaha is envisioned as an urban oasis where nature and modernity coexist,” said Managing Partner Thomas Behr. “Its strategic location in Sultan Haitham City, with views of the central park and tranquil natural landscapes, ensures a vibrant and balanced living environment.” Stay tuned for more details about our design and learn about yesterday’s inauguration below. MORE → bit.ly/4alRfco Image: © SOM | ATCHAIN

This spring, Temple University will break ground on a new building for the Klein College of Media and Communication and the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts—a dynamic structure that brings together two schools under one roof. The new 199,000-square-foot building creates a singular home for media, communications, film, and performing arts programs that are currently spread across several buildings on the North Philadelphia campus. Designed as both an academic building and a performance venue, the project will serve the campus and the broader community—a neighborhood hub for gathering, learning, and entertainment. It’s all part of our Projects to Watch in 2025 below. MORE → bit.ly/projectstowatch25 © SOM | ATCHAIN

We are with you, L.A. 🖤

Continuing to spotlight a selection of projects to watch in 2025, here we take a look at the Shanghai West Bund Convention Center. Sited along the Huangpu River, the center is planned as the venue for the 2025 West Bund World Artificial Intelligence Conference in what was formerly an industrial district turned arts and tech hub. For the now nearly complete project, SOM employed an AI-assisted workflow to develop the building’s faceted design. Through this innovative process, the design team optimized the building’s structure and form, balancing site constraints, curtain wall angles, and programmatic requirements. The result is a compact, vertical layout that maximizes material efficiency, structural integrity, sustainability, and user experience. Check out all of our projects to watch in 2025 below. MORE → bit.ly/projectstowatch25 Images: © SOM

We take pride in our diverse and supportive workplace, where different backgrounds, languages, and perspectives meet. So it is an honor to be recognized for the second year in a row by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in its Corporate Equality Index, the leading benchmarking tool in the U.S. on policies, practices, and benefits related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Specifically, as an “Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion” awardee, we have received top scores in every category as we continue our efforts in the work of inclusion and belonging. See the full Corporate Equality Index 2025 report below. MORE → bit.ly/4a9NO8x@ 📷: © SOM

Is New York City on the cusp of a new era of timber architecture? To imagine how this sustainable material could revolutionize construction in the city, New York Magazine architecture critic Justin Davidson asked SOM to design a building that fully embraces timber’s strength, malleability, and expressive personality. Our conceptual design for a major league soccer stadium weaves timber beams into a self-supporting structure that is as eye-catching as it is efficient. Read the story in Curbed. MORE → bit.ly/3PvDpdX Images: © SOM | ATCHAIN

Did you catch our roundup of Projects to Watch in 2025? Ranging in scale from a modernist workplace in Milan to the urban design and planning for a new city district in Oman’s capital, this selection of work in progress speaks as much to SOM’s integrated design approach as it does to the vision and ambition of our clients. Today, we hone in on one of these featured 2025 projects, the newly expanded Engineering Center at the University of California, Berkeley, opening in spring. Both an adaptive reuse project and a demonstration of cutting-edge engineering, it repurposes the original Bechtel Engineering building as the foundation for the new Center and adds a two-story glass-and-steel pavilion. Full of natural light with a three-level open forum at the center, the structure will flexibly accommodate classrooms, student services, and special events. More on the Berkeley Project → bit.ly/4gHP19K All Projects to Watch → bit.ly/projectstowatch25 Images: BEN-CG and Michael Leung, AIA, LEED © SOM

Celebrating 15 years since the opening of the world’s tallest building, SOM Consulting Partner and Lead Structural Engineer Bill Baker reflects on the Burj Khalifa's inception and the groundbreaking innovations that defined it. In an interview with Khaleej Times, Baker delves into the invention of the buttressed core—sustainability that was ahead of its time—and the phenomenon known as the “Burj Effect.” “We were pushing the boundaries of structural engineering,” said Baker. “The goal was never just to create the tallest building in the world but to design something efficient, sustainable, and deeply responsive to its environment.” Through rigorous wind tunnel testing, the original 518-meter concept transformed into the record-shattering 828-meter tower, which you can read about in the article below. MORE → bit.ly/3DHSbf7 📷: © Nick Merrick | Hedrich Blessing Photographers and © RWDI

In a neighborhood known for its historic bungalows and lush gardens, Carmichael Residences address an increasing demand for high-rise living in Tardeo, Mumbai. Aishwarya Khurana covered the project for Architectural Digest India, highlighting its vertical landscape, flexibility, and inspiration from Vastu principles of design—a tranquil refuge that elegantly befits its surroundings with a western red cedar facade and cascading greenery. “Our approach coalesces comfort and sustainability simultaneously,” SOM Principal Peter Lefkovits told Architectural Digest India. “We replicated the verdure of Carmichael Road into the building itself—creating an experience that is both open and intimate.” Read the story below. MORE → bit.ly/3ZPn88o Photos: Ar. ekansh goel © Studio Recall