Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), founded in 1936 by architects Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings, is known for its innovative architectural designs, including major projects like the Burj Khalifa and One World Trade Center. The firm has received over 1400 awards for quality and innovation, highlighting its influence in modern architecture. Noteworthy designs, such as the Haj Terminal in Jeddah, showcase sustainable and culturally reflective structures, combining functionality with artistic expression.

1. Deepak korrapati
08110006 B.Arh III
Yr
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

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

6. Offices
Chicago (head office)
New york
San Francisco
London
Washington DC
Hong kong
Shanghai
Abudhabi
Dubai
Brussels

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

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.

10. Study
Lever House, Chicago, US
The Haj terminal, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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.

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.

17. Drawings

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

23. The Roof structure

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

25. Passenger Flow

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

27. Tent like Fabric Roof

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.

32. Typical plan
Simple rectangular shaped units

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

34. Thank You