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S T R U C T U R A L
E N G I N E E R I N G
SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL LLP
If the engineer has the sympathy and understanding of architecture and
the architect has the realization of the strength and beauty of structure,
then they will make a good team and design successful structures.
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High-Rise Towers
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Long-Span Structures
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Seismic Systems
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Unique Projects
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Historic Preservation and Retrofit
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Large Urban Projects
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Other Selected Projects
— Dr. Fazlur Rahman Khan
Innovation, creativity, and design excellence are principle aspirations for our structural
engineering practice. We believe that the best engineering solutions result from a close
collaboration with our clients and our multi-disciplinary approach to design. We believe
that a refined science of structural engineering leads to the most efficient solutions,
resulting in least materials, and least cost. Our designs are sensitive to architectural goals
that result in distinctive and timeless structures, while consistently incorporating sustainable
design principles. We believe in constant renewal of our profession and our firm through
intellectual challenges, searching for new ideas with each project — ideas that may
influence structures yet to be conceived.
High-Rise Towers
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The Jinling Tower structural system evolved to meet the requirements of programming that included office, apartment, and hotel
uses, as well as tall-building design. Beginning with ( left-to-right ),
a dense tubular frame and culminating in a diagonal mesh-tube
frame that allowed larger skin openings for increased exterior
views while creating an optimally efficient structure.
Sears Tower
Chicago, Illinois
1973
This towers 110-stories
are a result of a symbiotic
architectural-structural
integration that successfully
implements a bundled-tube
structural system. With its
gross area of 4.4 million sf
(409,000 sm) it accommodates an average daily
population of 16,500.
Vila Olimpica
Barcelona, Spain
1992
Exposed steel 45-story
mixed-use structure
consisting of a hotel,
apartment residences,
retail center, and office
facilities; located on the
Mediterranean coast.
Fundamental principles of structural engineering are used as the basis of our tall building
designs. These fundamentals are refined with the use of advanced analytical techniques
and actual performance data obtained from constructed buildings. We continuously search
for new system solutions that increase performance, while considering specific site
conditions. We carefully study the behavior of these structures in the wind environment
to optimize the shape, orientation, and structural properties considering energy principles.
We embrace sustainable design concepts using advanced computer optimization programs
Jin Mao Tower
Shanghai, China
1998
Multi-use complex consisting of an 88-story tower and
a six-story podium building.
This composite building
utilizes a concrete core,
eight concrete mega-columns, eight steel columns,
and steel floor framing.
to minimize structural materials and integrate the structure with the architectural and
mechanical systems. Our goal is to develop solutions that are readily constructible
and cost-effective.
May 6, 1968 the John Hancock Center ( preceding page)
was topped-off, becoming Chicago’s tallest tower. All this was
made possible by a novel structure — a trussed steel tube
that allowed the Hancock to rise 100 floors at a per-square-foot
structural cost no higher than for a 30-story building.
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Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center, Phase 1
New York, New York
2006
Comprised of R&D labs,
offices, and educational
facilities. Unique features
include the 23 stories that
cantilever over the existing
building and the multi-level
excavation basement that
reaches 80 ft (24.4 m)
below grade.
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Jinling Tower
Nanjing, China
2007
Eighty stories of diagonalmesh structural frames
that naturally express
the changing program of
office, serviced apartments,
and hotel while achieving
unprecedented structural
efficiency.
Al Hamra Firdous Tower
Kuwait City, Kuwait
2009
Anchors a commercial
complex composed of
offices, a health club, and
a high-end shopping mall
with theaters and a food
court. Reaching 74 stories,
this will be the tallest
building in Kuwait.
Pearl River Tower
Guangzhou, China
2009
This 71-story sculpted super
tall tower is the product
of a desire to create a self
sustaining, high performance
office building. From its
form to its location, every
aspect is designed to harvest
wind and solar energy.
Infinity Tower
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2010
Each floor level of the
tower’s 73 stories will step
by one degree and be
anchored to an inner
cylindrical concrete core
spine. This high-strength,
reinforced-concrete
structure will be entirely
cast-in-place.
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Scheduled for completion late 2009,
the Burj Dubai Tower will be the world’s tallest.
The structure incorporates a buttressed core,
a new structural system that interconnects
the central core with perimeter mega-columns.
The tower was shaped in response to wind
tunnel testing to minimize wind forces on
the structure. The building is a statement
of engineering principles, as well as a
sculptural object.
Long-Span Structures
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KAL Operation Center
Kimpo International Airport
Seoul, South Korea
1995
This multi-purpose structure combines
hangar operations with facilities for
airline employees. The main structural
feature is the double-arch steel truss
roof with its 590 ft (180 m) columnfree span that is supported by three
box columns.
Hong Kong Convention and
Exhibition Centre Extension
Hong Kong, China
1997
The project is prominently located
on an island constructed of reclaimed
land overlooking Victoria Harbour. The
distinctive roof form, which resembles
the outspread wings of a bird, creates
a dramatic convention hall with
column-free spans of 263 ft ( 80 m).
Atlantico Pavilion
World’s Fair Expo ’98
Lisbon, Portugal
1998
Inspired by the sailing ships of
Portugal’s golden age, the Pavilion’s
interior is defined by the glu-laminated
timber structural trusses that span
up to 380 ft ( 116 m), making them
among the longest in the world.
Korea World Trade Center
Seoul, South Korea
2000
This extension to the existing Center
included an office building, an expanded convention and exhibition center;
an 800-room luxury hotel, a two-story,
below-grade retail mall and urban
entertainment complex, and three
parking levels to accommodate
5,600 cars and buses.
Suzhou International Expo Center
Suzhou, China
2005
Two levels of exhibition facilities
provide simple and direct access
for visitor and service traffic from
surrounding areas. The column-free
upper-level sub-halls are configured
to provide a contiguous exhibition
area — one of the largest exhibition
spaces in the world.
Virginia Beach Convention Center
Virginia Beach, Virginia
2006
150,000 sf ( 14,000 sm) of exhibition
space subdivided into four halls for
flexible use. The halls, with their 40 ft
(12 m) ceilings and a 255 ft ( 77.7 m),
column-free, clear-span roof, are some
of the tallest in the U.S. The lobby is
defined by a 75 ft ( 23 m) tall, highly
energy-efficient glass curtain wall.
We have found a great deal of flexibility in materials and systems that are appropriate for
structures requiring large spaces absent of vertical support. These systems use lightweight
structural materials with geometries refined to accommodate spans and, in some cases,
incorporate initial pre-stressing to alter initial conditions with an anticipation of future loads.
Special considerations are required for construction — including sequences, temporary
stress states, and final long-term conditions.
International Terminal, San Francisco International Airport
( preceding /facing page) main hall with its exposed steel trusses
supported by columns that are supported by friction-pendulum
“cast-steel” base isolators. Completed in 2000, it is the largest
base-isolated building in the world.
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Since its opening in 1966, the SOM design for the Oakland-Alameda
County Coliseum and Arena has — and continues to be — recognized as
a significant architectural and engineering achievement. Its architectural
beauty lies in its clarity of structure that enables it to resist high
seismic loads, while providing large column-free spaces.
Seismic Systems
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The Cathedral of Christ the Light ( below/preceding page) integrates a tensile
structural system of both steel and glulaminated wood with a friction-pendulum
seismic isolation system. The isolators, positioned at the base of the supporting
columns, allow for a displacement margin of 20 inches. This combination
significantly reduces seismic forces on the structure protecting the structure to
maintain longevity in a high seismic region. Scheduled for completion in 2008.
Our seismic engineering practice considers structures as mechanisms in motion,
rather than static objects. We use performance-based design methods to define
The Pin-Fuse Joint TM allows structures to respond to seismic forces
without permanent plastic deformation. The joint allows the structure
to remain in service for the next major seismic event. SOM has received
a U.S. patent for this seismic-resistant system.
Conventional frame system
structural behavior and provide solutions that exceed code-defined requirements.
We refine the structure’s mass, strength, stiffness, and damping to achieve a favorable
response. The placement of material, detailing, and energy dissipation contribute to safe,
economical, and immediately occupied structures. Where increased performance is
desired to protect contents or ensure continuous operation, we have developed structural
systems that separate structures from ground motions through seismic isolation,
and we have developed special seismic-resistant frame joints that dissipate energy
without permanent deformations. We develop structural systems that protect
the significant financial investments required for each project.
Frame system incorporating the Pin-Fuse Joint TM
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AboveNet
San Francisco, California
2001
This facility houses approximately
250,000 sf ( 23,000 sm) of computer
co-location space. This four-story
reinforced-concrete warehouse
constructed in 1940, required the
building to be lifted and the
installation of friction-pendulum
base isolators to meet “essential
facility” seismic requirements.
Goldfield International Gardens
Beijing, China
2006
Two towers, 45 and 30 stories, linked
by a three-story entry hall /retail
galleria. Structural systems utilized
include reinforced concrete, one- and
two-way slabs, beams, shear walls,
ductile moment-resisting expressed
screen frames and mat foundations,
with structural steel at the long
span entry hall roof.
SOM-designed San Francisco St. Regis Hotel and Residences ( facing page)
was completed in 2005. The structural system of this 42-story tower consists of
a central reinforced-concrete mega-shear wall core combined with a perimeter
ductile-reinforced concrete moment-resisting frame. It is the tallest concrete
structure on the West Coast and in a Seismic Zone 4 area.
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United States Embassy
Beijing, China
2008
Largest and most complex
non-military overseas facility ever
undertaken by the U.S. government.
This 500,000-sf ( 46,500 sm) compound on a 10-acre site will consist
of eight buildings, including two office
buildings, a consular services building,
marine barracks, a parking garage,
and perimeter inspection stations.
Unique Projects
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Architect Frank O. Gehry and Associates originally
favored the familiarity of reinforced concrete for the
complex surfaces of the Guggenheim Museum in
Bilbao, Spain. SOM’s structural engineers proposed a
modular lattice steel grid system ( right /preceding page)
creating repetitive components that could be fabricated
in large quantities and in advance of site construction.
Completed in 1997, the project incorporated one of the
earliest applications of Building Information Modeling
in which digital models were used. This innovative
approach proved to be extremely economical and
allowed for greater tolerance control in the field.
Our developments within the last several years have further enabled complex structures
to be designed and built efficiently. These projects incorporate difficult geometries
and require engineering that integrates sophisticated analytical models. Many of these
models are developed directly from initial study models created in the design studio.
Building Information Modeling techniques allow the fabrication and site construction of
structural members to occur based on digitized model origins, many of which incorporate
repetitive systematically constructed components. Large displacement geometric
Raspberry Island
Schubert Club Band Shell
St. Paul, Minnesota
2002
This glass-covered, anticlastic, latticegrid shell was realized through a collaboration with artist Jamie Carpenter.
Utilizing a unique system of offset
pipes and single-rod diagonals, makes
it both stronger and more economical
than a traditional welded-steel grid.
General Motors
Entrance Pavilion
Detroit, Michigan
2005
A glass clad cable-net Entrance
Pavilion was engineered to identify
the primary tenant and mark the
major public entrance to the office
component of the Renaissance
Center Development.
Al-Rajhi Bank
Headquarters
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2009
The tower is conceived as four piers
shielding an uninterrupted, columnfree central office space. The monolithic concrete piers achieve a unique
monumentality, and respond to the
harsh desert climate by creating
an internalized oasis.
Beijing Poly Plaza
Beijing, China
2006
A mixed-use facility is comprised of offices above grade,
retail below, and a main public space feature — the Poly Museum
of repatriated national treasures. This Museum occupies seven
stories and is attached to one side of the atria, with its weight
suspended by four cables mounted to two rocking cradle
mechanisms. These provide a range of motion, which allows for
the required building drift caused by extreme seismic loads.
Structural steel rocker mechanisms placed at the top of the
featured museum and at the base of large stayed cables relieve
forces imposed by seismic loads, while providing support for
the world’s largest cable-net exterior wall system.
non-linear behavior, as well as material non-linearity, is considered in much of this work
to understand system behavior and create practical solutions.
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Roden Crater
Flagstaff, Arizona
2006
American artist James Turrell envisioned the transformation
of a natural cinder volcano crater into a large-scale artwork
that relates to the universe of the surrounding sky, land,
and culture through the medium of light. SOM engineered
the creation of a series of interconnected tunnels that lead
to view chambers of the crater. Invisible from above ground,
this project will both modify and preserve the volcano’s
natural form and showcase the drama of light, landscape,
and celestial events.
SOM’s long history of collaboration with
contemporary artists has resulted in some
of the world’s most recognized landmarks.
Pablo Picasso in his studio ( facing page)
and the 1967 dedication and unveiling of the
completed sculpture at Daley Plaza in Chicago.
In addition to instigating Picasso’s contribution,
SOM provided structural engineering services
for the steel sculpture.
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Historic Preservation and Retrofit
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Restoration of the landmark Chicago Symphony Center
( right /preceding page), designed by Daniel Burnham
in 1904, required innovative engineering. This involved
strengthening the foundation, structurally encapsulating
the hall within the three new buildings, and redesigning
the HVAC systems — all without disrupting the Symphony’s
performance season. This extensive restoration began in
1990 and was completed in 1997.
Charnley House
Chicago, Illinois
1988
Built in 1891 and generally
acknowledged to be an early work
of Frank Lloyd Wright, this National
Historic Landmark was adapted for
the use of the SOM Foundation.
Extensive engineering was required
to restore the structure to its
original condition and to outfit it
for today’s use.
Palace Hotel
San Francisco, California
1991
This 1909 structure underwent a full
architectural historic restoration and
facility renovation with structural
seismic upgrade. SOM’s engineers
were responsible for the seismic
evaluation, base-isolation feasibility
study, testing program, seismic
strengthening analysis and design,
and architectural renovation.
Martin Theater Renovation
Highland Park, Illinois
1992
The last remaining original building
of this 1904 development was
renovated as a centerpiece of this
performing art facility known as the
Ravinia Festival. The renovation
optimized the theater for chamber
music performance, while preserving
the original architectural character
of both the interior and exterior.
Civic Opera House
Chicago, Illinois
1996
Built in 1928 and home of the
Lyric Opera of Chicago, this building
had remained essentially unchanged
from its original design. SOM was
hired to accommodate a modern
back-of-house program, as well as
the engineering of a new acoustically
sophisticated air-handling system,
a new central plant, and equipment
dedicated to the Lyric.
U.S. Air Force Academy Chapel
Colorado Springs, Colorado
2004
Originally completed by SOM in 1963,
this progressive structure of its day
forged new ground in typical building
convention. After 40 years of repairs
and upgrades, SOM was approached
to update the structure back to its
original design, utilizing the latest
technological advances in materials
and methods.
Williams Building
San Francisco, California
2005
This historic building was part of
the development that included the
St. Regis Tower and Museum of the
African Diaspora. The retrofit consisted
of installing a skin of shotcrete on
the masonry walls, installing a new
mat foundation, and tying aligning
floor diaphragms to that of the new
floors of the tower for primary
lateral support.
We believe it is essential for structures with historic significance to be protected.
Structural engineering science — such as advances in materials, greater understanding
of loading conditions at the site and structural behavior including secondary building
elements — has evolved with the age of these structures. Historic structures in areas of
high seismicity are at significant risk. We use performance-based design techniques,
combined with advanced non-linear computer programs, to consider existing building
materials, building irregularities, and site-specific loading conditions. This results
in a comprehensive understanding of the structural behavior, leading to safe
and sustainable projects.
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In the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake,
the General Services Administration asked SOM to
restore and seismically retrofit its historic 1905 U.S. Court
of Appeals Building in San Francisco. SOM approached
the project collaboratively, integrating advanced structural
engineering, detailed restoration, and inventive architectural
design. The solution included an innovative friction
pendulum base-isolation system, which raised each of
the building’s columns onto steel disks. This approach
preserved the use of the existing basement level, while a
novel installation technique reduced the cost of the project
by over $7 million. At the time of its completion in 1996,
the U.S. Court of Appeals was the largest base-isolated
structure in the world.
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To bring the original building up to contemporary
standards, SOM restored and renovated courtrooms,
chambers, and other interior spaces, unobtrusively adding
new information-technology systems. The most striking
change was the conversion of the building’s interior
courtyard, previously used as a mail-sorting room, into a
new law library ( facing page). The library’s dramatic new
glass roof, which acts in concert with the overall seismic
engineering concept, brings filtered daylight into the
old building, while alluding to the industrial elements
of the structure’s landmark architecture.
Large Urban Projects
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Canary Wharf ( right /preceding page ) occupies a 71-acre site
two miles east of the city of London. Linked to the city by road,
rail, and river, this development is specifically designed to
accommodate the expansion of London’s financial trading floors,
as well as public recreational and retail facilities. SOM master
planned the entire development; designed all infrastructure
including new roads, parks, gardens, and other open spaces;
and provided architectural and engineering services for
two buildings. At the end of 2002, Canary Wharf was able
to accommodate more than 50,000 workers. Upon completion
of the entire estate, the district is slated to accommodate
a working population of 90,000 people and 18.7 million sf
( 1.7 million sm ) of development.
Rowes Wharf
Boston, Massachusetts
1989
Rowes Wharf accommodates a
complex program of offices, condominiums, hotels, health clubs, restaurants,
underground parking, and shops.
This mixed-use complex also includes
facilities for private and commuter
boats in an assemblage of buildings
on a land and water site, two-thirds
of which is devoted to open space.
Broadgate
London, England
1990
Broadgate, a 14-phase air-rights
development, involved creating a
new ground plane of streetscapes,
bridges, plazas, and buildings
throughout the district. SOM was
involved in master planning,
infrastructure, engineering, interior
design, and architectural design.
Millennium Park
Chicago, Illinois
2004
The Millennium Park Master Plan
completes Daniel Burnham’s vision
of Grant Park and provides a range of
activities, vistas, and environments.
Incorporating performance facilities for
Chicago music and dance, the park is
built over existing and expanded rail
lines, bus lanes, and a two-level parking garage, making it a fully functional
multi-modal transit center.
Knowledge and Innovation Community
Shanghai, China
2006
Located in the Yang Pu district with
the largest concentration of research
institutions and universities in the city.
Situated between two major universities, “the hub” is composed of four
mixed-use buildings that feature office,
retail, and a learning-center.
Bejing Finance Street
Beijing, China
2007
Located five blocks west of the
Forbidden City, this 9.15 million sf
( 850,000 sm) mixed-use project is
an urban intervention in the center
of a 35-block development. Class-A
office-spaces, conference and cultural
facilities, two five-star hotels, housing,
and retail/entertainment constitute
the seven block heart of this large,
urban project.
Treasure Island
San Francisco, California
2005 – ongoing
Master plan and preliminary building
concepts to transform a 400-acre
( 1.6 million sm) man-made island
that was originally developed for the
1939 Golden Gate Exposition. The new
plan creates four discrete neighborhoods each with commercial, retail,
and residential components, which
are linked together by generous open
spaces and diverse transit options.
Large urban projects require careful integration of planning, architecture,
and engineering. We have found that our early involvement in the design process
has resulted in economies of site infrastructure, as well as foundation and superstructure
systems. Phasing of the work with solutions adjusted to address contractor and
client needs is important. Our teams are organized to respond to demands of the
design schedule, including development of structural engineering designs for concurrent
multiple structures. Repetitive systems — responding to local contractor expertise
and material availability — are developed for each project.
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Beijing Finance Street consists of the following parcels: two 24-story office towers; four 18-story office
towers; a 16-story office tower; a 18-story hotel; two 14-story residential buildings; a 14-story office tower;
five 6-story residential buildings; a 4-story theater; a 4-story trading hall; a 4-story conference center;
and a 4-story retail center. In addition to the basement areas under the superstructure footprints,
the entire site is excavated to provide underground parking on four basement levels.
Other Selected Projects
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Beckman Conference Center
Irvine, California
1988
The West Coast conference facility
for the National Academies of Science
and Engineering is located on a sevenacre site, with a 50,000 sf ( 4,650 sm)
building distributed in two wings.
Consisting of an auditorium, meeting/
conference rooms, kitchen, and indoor
as well as outdoor dining facilities.
Stockley Park
Uxbridge, England
1990
Situated near Heathrow Airport,
this former landfill of 343 acres
( 1.4 million sm) has been converted
to an office park and recreational area.
The SOM project consists of three
office buildings on an uneven triangular site, bordered by a raised highway
to the east and a canal to the south.
Virginia State Library
Richmond, Virginia
1997
Designed for maximum flexibility,
providing the infrastructure to
support emerging information and
communications technologies, while
preserving the tradition of great
American libraries with a series of
grand reading rooms.
LG Kangnam Art Hall
Seoul, Korea
2000
Composed of three parts:
an audience chamber,
a stage house, and lobby.
Audience chamber and
stage house were designed
as a separate building
resting on a state-of-the-art
structural vibration dampening system that creates
acoustical isolation.
Jianianhua Center
Chongqing, China
2005
This 14-story office and
7-story retail complex was
designed with conventional
reinforced concrete framing.
The retail portion has a
facade comprised of a rotating triad sign segmented
into 148 panels to create
an ever changing graphic
encased behind glass.
University of California
San Francisco
2006
Campus housing of 431
units in four buildings
ranging from 7-15 stories.
Conventional reinforced
concrete is typically used
with post-tensioned concrete
slabs and cast-in-place
superstructure and
foundations.
U.S. Census Bureau HQ
Suitland, Maryland
2006
Designed to achieve a
LEED ® Silver certification,
the building’s form, cladding,
and roofing were all selected
as expressions of sustainable
architecture. The structural
system consists of a steel
superstructure with composite
metal deck slabs and steel
braced frames at the cores.
Poly International Plaza
Guangzhou, China
2006
An expressed structure
of external X-bracings
are featured in these two
mixed-use towers and retail
podiums. The slender form
of the towers bring natural
light into the interior and
allows for column-free
office spaces.
Northwest Science Building
Cambridge, Massachusetts
2007
This Harvard University
laboratory for herbaria
and anthropological collections, required a strict
vibration criteria and a
high-level of integration
for MEP/HVAC, resulting in
a “ladder”— braced frame
lateral structural system.
201 Bishopsgate/Broadgate
London, England
2008
These towers are the latest
phase of unbuilt components
for this multi-phase development. Massing responds to
site constraints and contextual relationships—much of
the construction spans the
British Rail tracks going into
Liverpool Street Station.
NATO
Brussels, Belgium
2012
This headquarters to
accommodate the 26
member countries of the
North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, consists of
2.6 million sf ( 242,000 sm)
of offices, conferencing
and recreational facilities.
Our goal is to provide services that result in the highest quality of design for our clients
with an approach to engineering that embraces creativity and innovation. We aspire to
lead projects successfully through construction, developing and expanding on our original
concepts through working drawings and construction phase services. We perform
international work in conformance with locally defined standards and create bilingual
documentation of our designs. We value the close collaboration with other design disciplines
and embrace the design challenges throughout the process, many of which result in
directions that are refined into future work, and many with the same clients.
UC Merced Central Plant Complex ( preceding page), completed in 2005,
is composed of three elements: a three-story plant building, a thermal storage
tank, and a telecom building. In addition to providing power for the university’s
first-phase buildings, the plant also plays a key role in achieving the ambitious
sustainable design goals outlined by the UC Regents — 20 percent lower than
any existing UC campus and is pending LEED ® Gold certification.
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Structural engineering services
are available through the Chicago,
San Francisco, and London offices.
C HIC AGO
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S AN F RAN C IS C O
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LON D O N
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Los Angeles, CA 90017
HO N G KO N G
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WA S HIN GTO N , D . C .
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Washington, D.C. 20006
S HAN GHA I
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No 8 Jian Guo Zhong Road
Shanghai 200025
For more information,
please visit : www.som.com
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