Skidmore Owings & Merrill

We are a collective of architects, designers, engineers and planners working together to build a better future. Our firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), is responsible for some of the world's most technically and environmentally advanced buildings and significant public spaces. Our approach is highly collaborative, and our interdisciplinary team is international. Working from a network of creative studios across the globe, we are able to apply international expertise at a local level. We believe that design is about more than meeting people's needs-it is the art of realizing their aspirations and changing the way they experience the world.

On October 14, 2020, architect and urbanist Charles Waldheim, juror of the 2019 Research Prize, discussed his work as it relates to the topic of the Research Prize: "Shrinking our Agricultural Footprint." The lecture was organized in collaboration with the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Created in 2020, the Robert L. Wesley Award supports BIPOC undergraduate students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, or structural engineering programs across the US.

The world has changed radically since we opened our doors 85 years ago. While the architecture, design, and engineering industry has seen great disruption over this period, most workplaces and practices, including our own, haven't seen enough change. The continued underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our industry and our offices is a clear sign that we haven't done enough to create a truly equitable and diverse culture at SOM. We have spent time listening and learning, reflecting on our priorities, design practices, and internal policies.

We are driven to answer the most urgent challenge of our time-to protect the Earth's resources and support the transition to a zero-carbon economy. We must take responsibility, individually and collectively, for the future of our planet. As architects, engineers, and planners, we are positioned to lead the charge by shaping buildings and cities to advance sustainable development. One of our strengths is the ability to channel our collective expertise to innovate and inspire change. We have formed a Climate Action Committee that brings together representatives from every discipline and office to guide a holistic approach to environmental leadership.

When you join SOM, you're part of something bigger. Our global collective is committed to improving the built environment and enhancing people's lives. We assemble creative, interdisciplinary teams that work as small, dynamic studios, with all the resources and diversity of a global firm. Here, you'll collaborate with industry experts on some of the most exciting and transformative architecture, engineering, and planning projects in the world. A career at SOM will expand your thinking. Here, emerging designers work alongside the world's leading experts, architects partner with engineers, and all of us learn from each other.