Journal: SOM and the Evolution of Skyscraper Construction
With its 80 years of experience in bringing together architecture and structural engineering the designs of the Chicago-based firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) remain groundbreaking to this day, particularly in the construction of gigantic skyscrapers, the so-called „supertalls". The fourth volume of the DETAIL engineering series presents the approaches, the roots and the theoretical background of the SOM Structural Group. One central question is how far architecture can go - in terms of height. The publication offers a detail view of topics of efficiency and economy and their significant role for the planning and construction of such buildings. Typical structural concepts and individual details from numerous projects across the world serve to illustrate processes of solution finding. The results illustrate the firm's vision: simplicity, clarity, principles of order as basis of structural ideas, efficiency and advancement. One of the featured buildings is the Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building (ill. A). Its design concept is based on an organic form with a tri-axial, y-shaped geometry that winds upward in spirals (ill. B) and that serves to optimize the 155 storey tall reinforced concrete structure with regards to wind loads. The presented buildings are classified according to the firm's complete oeuvre, including the John Hancock Center (ill. C) or the Sears Tower, both in Chicago. The innovative use of materials and the new structural solutions presented here indicate how SOM enables the creation of a new generation of architecture.
