Skidmore, Owens & Merrill

We are a collective of architects, designers, engineers, and planners working together to build a better future.

Interdisciplinary from the start

Long before “interdisciplinary” became a buzzword, it was the bedrock principle on which SOM was founded. For more than 80 years, it has defined the way that we practice design—as a collective endeavor.

In 1936, two architects and an engineer formed a partnership; our founders understood the power of combining their expertise within a single firm. Since then, SOM has grown to include urban designers and planners, interior designers, and more. Our teams are composed of designers with an artistic sensibility, architects and engineers with highly specialized technical knowledge, and planners with a deep understanding of policy and economics. The synthesis of these viewpoints generates design solutions that no single person could have imagined on their own. From sustainable engineering, to healthcare design, to regenerative city planning, none of our areas of expertise stands alone. Each is deeply interwoven with the others, informing and being informed by them.

The merger of architecture and structural engineering has been SOM’s hallmark for decades. From the glass and steel facade of Lever House, completed in 1952 as the first modernist office building in New York City; to the record-breaking skyscrapers, Sears Tower and John Hancock Center, which redefined the Chicago skyline in the 1970s; to the cantilevered trusses of San Francisco International Airport, opening a gateway to the city for the new millennium; and the engineering of Burj Khalifa, which stands as the world’s tallest building, SOM continues to innovate.

Advocates for the environment

As architects, designers, engineers, and urban planners, we are working together to reduce the carbon impact of the building industry. We are delivering on a twofold pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions: in our own operations, and in every project we design. SOM is now a net-zero emissions business, and we are targeting net-zero whole life carbon in 100 percent of our active design work by 2040.

Our Climate Action Group works across our offices and disciplines to share insight and implement best practices. Building partnerships beyond our firm, the group is defining rigorous standards for low-carbon architecture and construction. We are leading industry-wide initiatives including WorldGBC Advancing Net Zero, RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, MEP 2040 Committing to Zero, and the UN Environment Programme Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction.

Research + Innovation

For decades, SOM has invested in research that has transformed the architecture, engineering, and construction industry—from developing some of the earliest collaborative CAD platforms to devising the engineering solution for the world’s tallest building.

Stories

Every project holds more than meets the eye. Explore the stories behind our work, perspectives from our design leaders, highlights from our firm’s 85-year history, and more.

Our studios spark creativity

As architects and workplace strategists, it should come as no surprise that we’re serious about the design of our own offices. Drawing inspiration from the cities where we work, we’ve designed each of our studios to create an unmistakable sense of place.

We have located several of our studios in buildings designed by SOM — 7 World Trade Center in New York, One Maritime Plaza in San Francisco, the Wells Fargo Center in Los Angeles, and the Broadgate Tower in London — where we’ve seized the opportunity to integrate architecture, interiors, and cutting-edge workplace design.

We are worldwide