SOM Foundation

We are extremely pleased to announce that Clearfell House has been erected on site in Dalby Forest, Yorkshire. 🥳 Clearfell House is an innovative demonstrator building developed as part of Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, Regenerative Construction unit on the M-Arch Architecture Course and Forest School Programme led by Material Cultures. In 2022, “Constructive Land” examined the potential of resilient forestry practices for the British landscape, exploring materials and building systems for a new model of regenerative land management.     As part of the “Constructive Land” project investigating and testing the production and application of these new biobased materials, a group of 33 M-Arch Architecture students fabricated Clearfell House, an experimental timber structure that will facilitate teaching and community engagement in one of our British woodlands. This new building for Forestry England in Dalby Forest in Yorkshire is both a teaching tool, a place of learning and an exemplary construction demonstrator project. The building will be used as a multifunctional room for learning about woodlands through interpretation, and the thriving wildlife and habitat in Dalby Forest.     Clearfell House is designed using a material palette drawn from British forestry systems. The structural frame is made with Ash and Larch, species that are both compromised by climate change and the spread of disease. The lengths of the Ash and Larch boards are limited by what can be feasibly grown within British woodlands, necessitating a splice joint between the two types of timber. Each timber is employed differently - the Ash sits under the external envelope of the building, protected by the elements, whilst the more resilient Larch protrudes from and buttresses the frame. It is insulated with woodfibre manufactured from timber thinnings, and is clad in thermally modified Brimstone Ash, a process which ensures longevity and demonstrates the potential of lower-grade British construction timber in external cladding applications. Design by Material Cultures 🌱 Collaborators University of the Arts London 🌲🌲 Structural design by Structure Workshop Ltd 🪵 Fabrication by the 2022 Unit 3 Students of @csm_architecture_march 👩🏫 Fabrication and teaching by HSHS 🔨 Construction YORKSHIRE OAK FRAMES LIMITED Frames 🏗️ Programme @forest_school_csm 🌲 CSM MArch Students: Antonio Abreu, Zahra Ghizlene Badaoui, Elise Blackmore, Cameron Carrington, Zhonguang Chen, Can Danisman, Lucy Daw, Samuel Fraquelli, Leo Hui, Eleanor Johnson, Harry Kendall, Emilia Kepista, Irmak Kuzu, Emily Llumigusin, Amadeo Martini, Joy Matashi, Hannah Millett, Michael Parish Dominica Piatek, Hannah Robinson, Leyla Salih, Dilushanan Selvarajah, Sabina Shaybazyan, Rowan St John, Adam Standford, Humzah Uzzaman, and Elliot Wedge   Funded by: SOM Foundation Vastern Timber  Forestry England Forestry Commission’s Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Fund. 

The (Im)material Matters Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Professor Liz Gálvez, presents "Collective Comfort: Airing on Possibilities," an innovative exhibition examining climate resilience in desert cities. The exhibition at the Center for Architecture + Design, San Francisco highlights design-research, full-scale prototypes, and student work that address the urgent need for alternative cooling solutions in regions facing extreme heat. This exhibition has been supported by the SOM Foundation Research Prize and the AIA Upjohn Research Initiative. Liz Gálvez and Dalia Munenzon were the recipients of the 2022 SOM Foundation Research Prize. Exhibition Opening Reception Thursday, November 21, 6-8 pm Free Admission https://lnkd.in/gakfyS6s

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2024 Robert L. Wesley Award. This year’s jury will be led by Robert L. Wesley (Retired Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Chicago) and will include: •  Monica Chadha (Founder and Principal, Civic Projects, Chicago) • Andrew Santa Lucia (Founder, Office Andorus; Associate Professor of Practice, Portland State University’s School of Architecture, Portland) • Stephen Slaughter (Chairperson of Undergraduate Architecture, Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture, New York City) Full bios available on our website. We look forward to working with all of them as part of the 2024 Robert L. Wesley Award. Deadline: November 14, 2024. https://lnkd.in/gxkcDu7K

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2024 Robert L. Wesley Award. The award supports BIPOC undergraduate students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, urban design, or engineering programs in the United States. This year, three students will receive a $10,000 award in addition to a yearlong mentorship program that connects the students with leading BIPOC practitioners and educators. The award is named in honor of Robert L. Wesley, the first Black partner at SOM. In 2023, Lauren Jian, Antonia Pacheco, William Pyle, Noelle Robinson, and Emmelea Schatz were the recipients of the Robert L Wesley Award. Deadline: November 14, 2024. https://lnkd.in/dsTethDE

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2024 Euopean Research Prize. This year’s jury will be led by SOM Foundation Executive Director Iker Gil and will include: • Montserrat Bonvehi Rosich (Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, WashU Sam Fox School in St. Louis; SOM Foundation fellow) • Margarita Jover (Professor in Architecture, Program Co-Director of Landscape + Engineering, Tulane University; cofounder aldayjover, Barcelona and New Orleans) • Henk Ovink (Executive Director and founding Commissioner, Global Commission on the Economics of Water, New York City) • Jane Withers (Director, Jane Withers Studio; Curator, "Water Pressure: Designing for the Future," London) Full bios available on our website. We look forward to working with all of them as part of the 2024 European Research Prize. Deadline: November 11, 2024. https://lnkd.in/gi_avBvf

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2024 European Research Prize. The €20,000 prize will be awarded to a faculty-led interdisciplinary team based in Europe to conduct original research that contributes to this year’s topic, “Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future.” The European Research Prize was created in 2021 to cultivate new ideas and meaningful research that addresses the critical issues of our time. Topic: Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future As shared during the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, two billion people lack access to safe drinking water; 40 percent of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity; agriculture demands alone account for 70 percent of water usage; more than 90 percent of disasters are water-related; and pressure on freshwater is projected to increase by more than 40 percent by 2050. From macro multinational ecosystems to microclimates, there is an urgent need for bold and collaborative solutions to a myriad of existing and future water-related challenges. This year, the SOM Foundation will direct its support toward proposals that address the complex relationship between water, people, and the built environment. Creating a sustainable, equitable, and water-secure future will require innovative and multidisciplinary ideas that shape long-term policies, define comprehensive plans, and identify immediate actions. Deadline: November 11, 2024. https://lnkd.in/ewy-XyS9

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the jury for the 2024 Research Prize. This year’s jury will be led by SOM Foundation Executive Director Iker Gil and will include: • Carson Chan (Director, Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and Natural Environment; Curator, The Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Architecture and Design, New York City) • Carol Coletta (President and CEO, Memphis River Parks Partnership, Memphis) • Alex Krieger (Professor in Practice of Urban Design, Emeritus, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge; SOM Foundation fellow) • Shannon Nichol (Cofounder, GGN, Seattle). Full bios available on our website. We look forward to working with all of them as part of the 2024 Research Prize. Deadline: November 11, 2024 https://lnkd.in/gxXcGzwt

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2024 Research Prize Fellowship. Two $30,000 prizes will be awarded to faculty-led interdisciplinary teams based in the United States to conduct original research that contributes to this year’s topic, “Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future.” The Research Prize was created in 2018 to cultivate new ideas and meaningful research that addresses the critical issues of our time. Topic: Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future As shared during the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, two billion people lack access to safe drinking water; 40 percent of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity; agriculture demands alone account for 70 percent of water usage; more than 90 percent of disasters are water-related; and pressure on freshwater is projected to increase by more than 40 percent by 2050. From macro multinational ecosystems to microclimates, there is an urgent need for bold and collaborative solutions to a myriad of existing and future water-related challenges. This year, the SOM Foundation will direct its support toward proposals that address the complex relationship between water, people, and the built environment. Creating a sustainable, equitable, and water-secure future will require innovative and multidisciplinary ideas that shape long-term policies, define comprehensive plans, and identify immediate actions. Deadline: November 11, 2024. https://lnkd.in/dE4XXYE

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the topic for 2024–2025. This year’s awards will focus on the topic of “Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future.” As shared during the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, two billion people lack access to safe drinking water; 40 percent of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity; agriculture demands alone account for 70 percent of water usage; more than 90 percent of disasters are water-related; and pressure on freshwater is projected to increase by more than 40 percent by 2050. From macro multinational ecosystems to microclimates, there is an urgent need for bold and collaborative solutions to a myriad of existing and future water-related challenges. This year, the SOM Foundation will direct its support toward proposals that address the complex relationship between water, people, and the built environment. Creating a sustainable, equitable, and water-secure future will require innovative and multidisciplinary ideas that shape long-term policies, define comprehensive plans, and identify immediate actions. The call for applications to the Research Prize, European Research Prize, and Robert L. Wesley Award will open in September 2024. The call for applications to the Structural Engineering Fellowship and China Fellowship will open in January 2025. The call for applications to the Researcher-in-Residence will open in February 2025. https://lnkd.in/g8qJ3rhc

The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 SOM Foundation China Fellowship. Zhangxiang Dai, Wenxiao Xiang, and Xiangqing Zheng will each receive $5,000 to conduct independent travel and research. This year’s topic, “Adapting Housing Strategies to Respond to New Realities,” seeks to explore affordable, equitable, and innovative modes of multifamily housing that respond to current and future needs. This year’s jury was led by Peter Duncan (Practice Leader at SOM, Shanghai) and included Wang Lin (Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Researcher, China Urban Governance Institute; Director, Center for Urban Studies, Shanghai) and Sun Yimin (Dean and Professor of School of Architecture, South China University of Technology Guangzhou, Guangzhou). All proposals were evaluated independently by each of the jurors, who then submitted their individual recommendations. Shortlisted proposals were subsequently discussed as a group. Congratulations to the three recipients of the 2024 China Fellowship and we all look forward to seeing the results of their research in the near future. https://lnkd.in/geb--RSE