CTBUH Platinum Member

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

About

Member Since: 1977

Member Offices: Chicago, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Washington D.C.

Website: http://www.som.com/

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world. Since its founding more than 80 years ago, SOM has earned a reputation for design excellence with a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries, and has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment.

The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with nearly 2,000 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996.

Fields of Expertise

Architecture; Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Interior Design; Landscape Architecture; Marketing / Sales; Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing; Structural Engineering; Transportation / Urban Infrastructure; Urban Design

Buildings

RANK
Name
Status

Completed

Architecturally Topped Out

Structurally Topped Out

Under Construction

On Hold

Proposed

Vision

Never Completed

Demolished

Competition Entry

Canceled

Proposed Renovation

Under Renovation

Renovated

Under Demolition

Height
1 Burj Khalifa
828 m / 2,717  ft
2 One World Trade Center
541.3 m / 1,776  ft
3 Tianjin CTF Finance Centre
530 m / 1,739  ft
4 Zifeng Tower
450 m / 1,476  ft
5 Willis Tower
442.1 m / 1,451  ft
6 Trump International Hotel & Tower
423.2 m / 1,389  ft
7 Jin Mao Tower
420.5 m / 1,380  ft
8 Al Hamra Tower
412.6 m / 1,354  ft
9 Greenland Group Suzhou Center
358 m / 1,175  ft
10 OKO - Residential Tower
354.2 m / 1,162  ft

Awards

Responsive Tendon Patterns - PT Optimization

Award of Excellence: Responsive Tendon Patterns - PT Optimization

Innovation Award 2022

Ctbuh Leaders

Luke Leung

Luke Leung

CTBUH Expert Peer Review Committee, 2014 – Present

Chicago

Aaron Mazeika

Aaron Mazeika

CTBUH Skybridges Research Project Steering Committee, 2019 – Present

Chicago

Scott Duncan

Scott Duncan

CTBUH Board of Trustees, 2020 – Present

Chicago

Building Completions Timeline

Videos

23 May 2022

Two Public Buildings, California: Using Steel & Timber To Achieve Weight Savings

The lightweight benefits of steel timber-hybrids are explored in this presentation through two projects; Billie Jean King Library, Long Beach, reuses existing foundations on-site to...

View all

Research

05 July 2023

We All Love to Get High: Optimizing Observation Deck Design

Height is aspirational, and having the best view from that height has become a driver in contemporary tall building design. Likewise, observation decks are a...

View all

Global News

26 September 2023

New Antenna Installed Atop Willis Tower

ABC7 Chicago successfully installed a brand new antenna on the Willis Tower on a Sunday morning. The process was captured by Chopper 7. A helicopter...

View all
RANK
Name
Height
1 Burj Khalifa

828 m / 2,717 ft

2 One World Trade Center

541 m / 1,776 ft

3 Tianjin CTF Finance Centre

530 m / 1,739 ft

4 Zifeng Tower

450 m / 1,476 ft

5 Willis Tower

442 m / 1,451 ft

6 Trump International Hotel & Tower

423 m / 1,389 ft

7 Jin Mao Tower

421 m / 1,380 ft

8 Al Hamra Tower

413 m / 1,354 ft

9 Greenland Group Suzhou Center

358 m / 1,175 ft

10 OKO - Residential Tower

354 m / 1,162 ft

11 875 North Michigan Avenue

344 m / 1,128 ft

12 Tianjin World Financial Center

337 m / 1,105 ft

Statistics

Average Building Age*

20 Years

Most Common Function*

Office (60%)

Most Common Material*

Composite (36%)

* Based on 150 m+ buildings currently in the database

Based on 245 buildings over 150 m height with a function
 
Based on 198 buildings over 150 m height with a material
 

Building Completions Timeline

Building Map

Construction Time Chart

NOTE: Construction start time is not available for all buildings. The average construction time is only displayed if there is three or more buildings with construction start and complete data in that year.

Designated Experts

Ctbuh Leaders At Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

CTBUH Expert Peer Review Committee, 2014 – Present

Luke Leung

CTBUH Skybridges Research Project Steering Committee, 2019 – Present

Aaron Mazeika

Structural Engineering Principal, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

CTBUH Board of Trustees, 2020 – Present

Scott Duncan

CTBUH Hong Kong Chapter, 2023 – Present

Joyce Lam

CTBUH United Kingdom Chapter, 2023 – Present

Sukriye (Rae) Robinson

Associate Architect, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

CTBUH College of Fellows, 2023 – Present

Mark Sarkisian

Partner of Structural and Seismic Engineering, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

CTBUH College of Fellows, 2023 – Present

John Zils

CTBUH Chicago Chapter, 2023 – Present

Yue Zhu

CTBUH Regional Hub, Asia Steering Committee, 2024 – Present

Peter Brannan

Asia Practice Leader, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

CTBUH Awards Façade Engineering Jury, 2024

Julia Skeete

Senior Associate Principal, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

23 May 2022

Two Public Buildings, California: Using Steel & Timber To Achieve Weight Savings

The lightweight benefits of steel timber-hybrids are explored in this presentation through two projects; Billie Jean King Library, Long Beach, reuses existing foundations on-site to...

06 November 2020

10° Convegno Internazionale Tall Buildings

CTBUH coordinates with Università Iuav di Venezia and Politecnico di Milano for the 10° Convegno Internazionale Tall Buildings (10th International Tall Buildings Conference). With the...

22 October 2018

The Future of Tall Building Technology

Since their earliest form, tall buildings have stood as technological marvels, reflecting the latest advancements in materials, methodologies, and tools. These two technologies continue to...

09 July 2018

Five Minutes With: Carla Swickerath

Carla Swickerath, Partner, Studio Libeskind, sat down with CTBUH to discuss the design approach and urban impact of the World Trade Center complex in New...

31 May 2018

A Diagrid of Distinction Enables a Sun-Lit, Social Skyscraper

Poly International Plaza is the first structure of its kind – incorporating a four-story, pure-axial load, super-diagrid frame without perimeter columns. Through its technical and...

30 May 2018

Bringing Office Space Up into the Light

Poly International Plaza is an office and trade center development consisting of two towers, each coupled with a low-rise podium that accommodates exhibition and retail...

28 March 2018

Building Tall Skyscraper Lecture Series: Naturalizing the Vertical Realm

Thursday, February 1, 2018. Chicago, United States of America. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) held...

31 October 2017

New Net-Zero Matrix – Including Nature in Tall Buildings

In the building design community, the most common definition of “Net-Zero Building” is a building that generates an amount of energy on-site that is equal...

31 October 2017

CTBUH 2017 Australia Conference - Session 7B: Greening the Vertical Realm Q&A

Liz Westgarth, Principal, HASSELL, chairs the question and answer session with Alfredo Ramirez, Codes and Advisory Services Manager, Underwriters Laboratories; Luke Leung, Director, Skidmore, Owings...

30 October 2017

Quay Quarter Tower: Humanizing the High-Rise

Quay Quarter Tower (QQT) will create a stunning new building on the Sydney skyline that sets new benchmarks in office tower design globally and creates...

05 July 2023

We All Love to Get High: Optimizing Observation Deck Design

Terri Meyer Boake

Height is aspirational, and having the best view from that height has become a driver in contemporary tall building design. Likewise, observation decks are a...

16 May 2023

The Economics of Record-Breaking Height

Jason Barr & Peter A. Weismantle

This paper reviews the development history of record-breaking skyscrapers to better understand their economics. Given how tall they are, the supposed reason for their construction...

22 August 2022

The World’s Highest Pools: A Deep Dive

S. Isaac Work & Shawn Ursini, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

Tall building design has diversified and adapted to accommodate increased demand for distinctive amenities at a range of heights. Swimming pools are a classic feature...

25 June 2020

Curtain Wall Façades on the New Generation of Supertall Buildings Present and Future Directions

Sae Hwang Oh, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Beginning in the late 19th century, construction of skyscrapers spread throughout Chicago, New York City, and then the world as demand of space in buildings...

20 March 2020

Interactive Study on The Tallest 20 in 2020: Then and Now

CTBUH Research

This research paper undertakes a review of the 2012 report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, “Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the...

20 March 2020

Tall + Urban Innovation 2020: Dominant Trends

CTBUH Research

Providing a global overview of tall building development, design and construction, the CTBUH Awards Program and related Tall + Urban Innovation Conference annually survey projects,...

30 January 2020

Determinism, Integration, and Articulation Lead Up to a Landmark

Brian Lee, Thomas Kinzl, Inho Rhee & Ronald Johnson, SOM

Completed in 2019, the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook (CTF) Finance Centre is currently the seventh-tallest building in the world, tied with the Guangzhou CTF Finance...

12 December 2019

Interactive Study on Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2019

CTBUH Research

The year 2019 was remarkable for the tall building industry, with 26 supertall buildings (300 meters or taller) completed, the most in any year. This...

26 September 2023

New Antenna Installed Atop Willis Tower

ABC7 Chicago successfully installed a brand new antenna on the Willis Tower on a Sunday morning. The process was captured by Chopper 7. A helicopter...

22 June 2022

Laboratory Company Opening Office in Chicago's Tallest Building

Abbott Laboratories is opening a big new office at Willis Tower that could bring as many as 450 jobs downtown, a move meant to provide...

23 April 2021

Skydeck at Chicago's Tallest Building Reopens Featuring a New Interactive Museum

EQ Office announced the exciting reopening of Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower to the public on 23 April, 2021 after completing an extensive redevelopment. The...

12 January 2021

New Art Installation Revealed at Chicago's Tallest Tower

EQ Office revealed Atmospheric wave wall, a new cultural landmark and the first public art installation in Chicago by globally acclaimed artist Olafur Eliasson. Prominently...

30 July 2020

CTBUH In The Media: The Future of Skyscrapers: A Mile High, Slimmer Than Ever and Made from Wood

History does not want for dizzying fantasies of tall buildings. From the Tower of Babel onwards, humanity has dreamed of ever-more wondrous skyscrapers, whether we...

15 April 2019

New Architects Brought in for Manchester’s St. Michael’s Tower

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has been brought in to deliver Hodder + Partners’ controversial Saint Michael’s tower in Manchester, with the local practice kept...

01 March 2019

As One Chicago Lakefront Project Gets a New Deadline, Another is Announced

The owner of the Chicago Spire site could have another year to begin developing the lakefront site, four months after a downtown alderman rejected a...

21 January 2019

“Tower Fifth” Could Become New York City’s Second-Tallest

For decades, the New York City skyline was dominated by one building, the 1,250-foot-tall (381-meter) Empire State Building. But 17 “supertall” skyscrapers — defined as...

CTBUH Initiatives Involving Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

ETEM Façade Conference

16 November 2019

Supported by CTBUH, the ETEM Façade Conference is a global forum for the latest façade technologies designed for creative architecture.

CTBUH NY Chapter Holds Demolition Seminar

25 September 2019

Over 50 attendees enjoyed a networking reception followed by engaging presentations and Q&A with panelists, discussing demolition strategies in New York City.

In Their Own Words: The Story of the John Hancock Building

12 September 2019

Members of the original architecture and engineering team behind Chicago’s John Hancock Center shared the story of the creation of one of the city’s best-known landmarks.

IIT Final Reviews and Annual Open House

03 May 2019

Final reviews were held for the “Sustainable Vertical Urbanism: Towards Net-Zero Carbon Skyscrapers”, undertaken by the IIT College of Architecture, with assistance from CTBUH and SOM.

IIT-CTBUH High Rise Studio Trip in China

21 January 2019

IIT-CTBUH High Rise Studio, led by CTBUH China Office Director and Academic Coordinator, Dr. Peng Du, visited various high-rises throughout Shenzen.

CTBUH Earmarks $85,000 to Support Research & Academic Programs

06 November 2018

During the CTBUH 2018 Middle East Conference, awards were conferred in relation to five CTBUH Research and Academic programs that will produce a number of important future outputs.