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
| Aug 19, 2011
Enhanced acoustical design
Ambient noise levels in some facility types are trending up and becoming a barrier to clear communication between building occupants.
| Jul 22, 2011
The Right Platform for IPD
Workstations for successful integrated project delivery, a white paper by Dell and BD+C.
| Jul 22, 2011
High-performance windows and doors
Learning objectives After reading this article, you should be able to: Understand issues of thermal performance and energy efficiency in relation to window and door systems; describe optimal detailing of the window-wall interface and how it contributes to building performance, sustainability, and occupant well-being; understand how durability contributes to sustainable windows/doors; and list sustainable O&M requirements for window and door systems.
| Jul 21, 2011
Falling Architecture Billings Index reflects decrease in design demands
This months Architecture Billings Index (ABI), provided by the American Institute of Architects, is almost a full point lower than last month’s reported score. June’s reading of 47.2 was short of the required 50 to achieve billings increases, making July’s reading of 46.3 an unwelcome sign of market tidings.
| Jun 29, 2011
New leadership role for architects in net-zero design
BD+C Editorial Director Rob Cassidy talks with RNL Design's Tom Hootman, AIA, about the changing role of architects in net-zero designs.
