flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

SOM launches Los Angeles design studio

SOM launches Los Angeles design studio

Expert team to join the firm's West Coast practice, focusing on innovative urban and environmentally sustainable design in Southern California.


By By BD+C Staff | January 17, 2012
This article first appeared in the February 2012 issue of BD+C.

The partners of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) announced they are launching a new design studio as part of their West Coast practice. Leading the new studio are three former SOM architects: Michael Mann, FAIA; Paul Danna, AIA; and Jose Luis Palacios, AIA. 

Mann's career began at SOM and he has worked on significant Los Angeles-based projects including SOM's Gas Company Tower. He has directed and managed major domestic and international projects throughout his 30-year career and he will serve as L.A. Practice Leader/Management for SOM's Los Angeles design studio.

Danna's connection to SOM began when he won the SOM Foundation Traveling Fellowship upon graduation from Harvard's GSD program. His two-decade career includes diverse, highly recognized and award-winning projects including numerous LEED Gold-certified buildings. He is a leader in the Los Angeles design community and has served as President of AIA|LA and he is on the Board of the Architectural Guild of the University of Southern California's School of Architecture. 

Palacios' career began at SOM. His work entails a broad range of building types including the design of civic, government and public safety complexes. His work includes the recently completed LAPD Headquarters and he has designed stations for the California High Speed Rail project. Jose has most recently taught at the University of Southern California School of Architecture. He will work as L.A. Practice Leader/Design for SOM's Los Angeles studio.

SOM's presence in Southern California - until recently driven by the firm's San Francisco office - includes significant new commissions such as UCLA's new Medical Education Building which will become a new front door for the campus and the Medical School; a new mixed-use project at UC Santa Barbara and a new courthouse for the Superior Court of California in San Diego which will be the State's largest. These projects are directly in line with the firm's commitment to urban, environmental and social sustainability. BD+C

Related Stories

| Oct 11, 2011

ThyssenKrupp elevator cabs validated by UL Environment

The conclusive and independent third-party validation process is another step toward a green product line.

| Oct 11, 2011

Ballard Spahr launches real estate recovery group

  The new group represents an expansion of the company’s Distressed Real Estate Initiative, which was launched in 2008 to help clients throughout the country plan, adapt and prosper in a challenging economic environment. 

| Oct 11, 2011

Onex completes investment in JELD-WEN

With the completion of the JELD-WEN investment, Onex Partners III is approximately 40% invested.

| Oct 7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011: Demand response partnership program announced at Greenbuild 2011

  Program will use USGBC’s newly revised LEED Demand Response credit as an implementation guideline and leverage its relationships with the building community to foster adoption and participation in existing utility and solution provider demand response offerings. 

| Oct 7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011: Otis Elevator announces new contracts for sustainable building projects

  Wins reinforce Otis’ position as leader in energy-efficient products.

| Oct 7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011: UL Environment releases industry-wide sustainability requirements for doors

  ASSA ABLOY Trio-E door is the first to be certified to these sustainability requirements.

| Oct 7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011: UL Environment clarifies emerging environmental product declaration field

  White paper defines EPD, details development process, and identifies emerging trends for manufacturers, architects, designers, and buyers.

| Oct 7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011: Otis Elevator introduces energy-efficient escalator

The energy-efficient NCE escalator from Otis offers customers substantial “green” benefits.

| Oct 7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011: Schools program receives grant to track student conservation results

To track results, schools will use the newly developed Sustainability Dashboard, a unique web-based service that makes tracking sustainability initiatives affordable and easy.

| Oct 7, 2011

GREENBUILD 2011: Transparent concrete makes its North American debut at Greenbuild

  The panels allow interior lights to filter through, from inside. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021