Residential – SOM

Architectural Record Spotlights SOM’s Sany iROOTECH Headquarters

F.LopezdeArenosa@som.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 10:27:26 +0000

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Aurelia Residences

Admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:19:26 +0000

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Taiwan Power Nangang CR1

Admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:06:11 +0000

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SOM Reveals Landmark Towers for Kazakhstan’s Alatau City

Ayesha Kapila — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 19:57:24 +0000

The Alatau Iconic Complex and Gateway District is designed to support long-term growth and opportunity in the Almaty region through a resilient, site-specific, and transit-oriented approach.
Positioned within the new city of Alatau—a flagship project for Kazakhstan set to become a Central Asian international hub—the SOM-designed Iconic Complex and Gateway District will serve as the city’s economic and administrative nucleus.
Located along the Almaty-Qonaev highway, a key section of the Western Europe-Western China transport corridor, Alatau is planned to span 88,000 hectares across four districts. Strategically positioned to enhance regional connectivity, economic development, and innovation, the new city will link Almaty with Central Asia and beyond.
At the centre of this vision, SOM’s Iconic Complex forms a 276,800-square-meter vertical district defined by a pair of gateway towers. Integrating office, residential, hospitality, retail, and cultural programmes, the development establishes a dense, mixed-use urban core for the emerging city. Inspired by the surrounding Trans-Ili Alatau—a 350-kilometre range of valleys, glaciers, and stratified terrain—the design translates these local natural formations into architecture, creating a unique identity rooted in the Kazakh landscape.
Rising 272 meters, the primary tower will accommodate office space and premium residences, becoming the tallest structure in the Almaty region and southern Kazakhstan upon completion. An adjacent 80-metre tower with a luxury hotel and branded residences reinforces the district’s mixed-use intensity. Both buildings feature high-performance façades and integrated shading strategies to reduce solar gain, while central atria draw natural light deep into the floorplates and frame panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
At the base, a three-level podium of 58,000 square meters anchors the complex. Echoing the local foothills of the Alatau, it terraces toward the public realm, accommodating retail, cultural venues, and event spaces while fostering active pedestrian engagement.
The project draws on SOM’s global expertise in designing landmark tall buildings—including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, One World Trade Center in New York, and Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai— towers that redefine skylines while advancing structural and environmental innovation. This experience informs both the design and engineering of the Iconic Complex, ensuring it becomes a defining symbol of Alatau City.
The region’s high seismic conditions drive the project’s integrated architectural and structural design. Structural resilience is embedded in the architecture, with seismically resilient framing and damping systems—proven in high-seismic regions such as Japan and Taiwan—that dissipate earthquake energy and ensure long-term safety and post-disaster functionality.
The surrounding Gateway District leverages SOM’s international planning expertise, prioritizing walkability, density, and multimodal transportation. Planned express rail and Light Rail Transit (LRT) corridors position the district as a regional transit hub, while green boulevards, shaded streets, and public plazas foster a human-scaled urban experience. The project also integrates advanced micromobility infrastructure, including provisions for Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, alongside pedestrian and transit networks, to ensure the city is connected at every scale.
The project is led by the Alatau City Development Group LLP alongside long-term investors and government partners supporting Alatau as a strategic national initiative. Once complete, the Iconic Complex and Gateway District will form a vertically integrated, mobility-oriented, and culturally attuned urban heart of Alatau, setting a new benchmark for city-making in Kazakhstan and across Central Asia.
About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is a global practice of architects, designers, engineers, and planners, responsible for some of the world’s most technically and environmentally advanced buildings and significant public spaces. The firm’s approach is highly collaborative, and its interdisciplinary team is engaged in a wide range of international projects, with creative studios based across the globe. The firm’s portfolio includes numerous innovative landmark towers, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, One World Trade Center in New York, and Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, as well as large-scale urban planning initiatives that integrate density, mobility, and sustainability—including the award-winning Sultan Haitham City in Muscat, Oman, and the recently unveiled masterplan for Bradfield City, Australia’s first new city in more than a century.

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SOM-Designed 32-Story Mixed-Use Project Advances in Australia

Jade Leslie — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:25:29 +0000

In Sydney’s North Shore in Australia, a proposal for a 32-story mixed-use development in Chatswood has been submitted to the New South Wales Government for planning approval. Located approximately 11 kilometers north of Sydney’s central business district and within walking distance of Chatswood’s rail and metro interchange, the project reimagines the long-standing Mandarin Centre site as a residential-led precinct integrated with retail and public life. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) for Capitel Group and managed by Metis Group, the proposal includes 325 apartments arranged across two towers above a four-level retail podium of approximately 9,250 square meters.
The design reshapes the ground plane as a more open and connected extension of the district, strengthening pedestrian links to surrounding streets, transit, and an expanded retail precinct. Above, the two residential towers rise with carefully stepped massing and subtle curvature, enabling density while protecting solar access to nearby public spaces, including Chatswood Oval, and maintaining a comfortable scale at street level. The project balances housing delivery with public realm improvements, contributing a measured and contemporary addition to Chatswood’s evolving skyline.

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Jorge Rovira, Benton Johnson on Reuse at the Chicago Architecture Biennial

Jade Leslie — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:47:38 +0000

On February 9, 2026, SOM’s Jorge Rovira and Benton Johnson joined the Chicago Architecture Biennial for “Replacement and Reuse, Reconsidered,” a public program examining demolition, adaptation, and the evolving value of materials in post-industrial cities. The discussion was framed by the Biennial’s presentation of Re-SPLAM (Reclaimed Spatial Laminated Timber), on view in Millennium Park.
Developed by SOM in collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis, Norcon, and the Missouri Alliance for Construction Recycling, Re-SPLAM proposes an alternative to extractive construction by transforming reclaimed dimensional lumber into a high-performance structural system. Rather than treating demolition as an endpoint, the pavilion positions existing material as an active resource—capable of renewed structural, environmental, and cultural performance. The conversation underscored how buildings and their components can drive urban transformation when understood as long-term assets, particularly as demand for mass timber outpaces the rate of forest regeneration and challenges assumptions about renewability.
The event was moderated by Stewart Hicks and featured journalist and critic Anjulie Rao, who situated demolition within broader material, environmental, and social systems. Rovira and Johnson shared the research and testing behind Re-SPLAM, demonstrating how architecture and engineering—through advanced computation, structural analysis, and digital fabrication—can extend the life of existing materials and chart a viable path toward lower-carbon construction.

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Waldorf Astoria New York Wins Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award

Julia.Pollak@som.com — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:17:18 +0000

How do you honor the 90-year history and cultural legacy of a New York City icon while planning its next chapter?
At the Waldorf Astoria New York, we approached this question through a comprehensive transformation, a methodical work of preservation, and a meticulous restoration. The interplay between all three approaches informed thousands of decisions over the course of design and construction.
While 96 percent of the building was converted from a 1,400-room hotel into a 372-unit luxury residence and a 375-key hotel, the remaining 62,000 square feet—encompassing the iconic lobbies, corridors, ballroom, and event spaces—was carefully restored in collaboration with Higgins Quasebarth & Partners and Building Conservation Associates to recapture the hotel’s original 1931 splendor.
The result is a rejuvenation: the Waldorf Astoria New York serves a new role in the city, while remaining true to its history as one of the finest examples of Art Deco design. This work has been recognized with a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, the highest honors for outstanding preservation excellence in New York City.

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Milano Cortina Olympic Village Welcomes Athletes as the 2026 Winter Games Begin

Julia.Pollak@som.com — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:30:57 +0000

With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics underway, we are excited to welcome athletes from around the world to our Olympic Village in Porta Romana—one of our 2026 Projects to Watch.
The Village encompasses public green spaces, the transformation of two historic structures, and six new residential buildings housing athletes during the Olympic Games. Following the Games, the Village will be permanently converted to affordable student housing—the largest such development in Italy—addressing Milan’s critical shortage of student beds. While the athlete’s home will be used as affordable housing, the Olympic Village Plaza will become a neighborhood square, with shops, bars, restaurants, and cafes planned at street level, along with outdoor space for community events.
The project represents a new model for sustainable Olympic development that continues to serve communities long after the Games conclude. Learn more about the Milano Cortina Olympic Village in Bloomberg below.

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Dennis Ho

Admin — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:33:08 +0000

Dennis Ho drives strategic business development in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, cultivating client relationships and promoting SOM’s expertise in design, engineering, sustainability, and planning. His project work encompasses a wide range of scales and sectors, from urban master plans, transit-oriented developments, and research campuses to hotels, commercial buildings, and residential projects. Throughout his career, he has brought this comprehensive expertise to countries across APAC including Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam—developing extensive knowledge of the diverse cultures that comprise the region.
An adjunct professor of architecture and urban design at the City University of Hong Kong, Dennis teaches students how human-centric and regenerative design can create a positive impact culturally, socially, economically, and environmentally. This mindset guides his approach to his work, as well as his leadership as Chair of the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Hong Kong Chapter, where he prioritizes education and collaboration among more than 1,000 members.

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The Springs District

Admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:32:19 +0000

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