Skidmore, Owings & Merrill: What This Architecture Firm Is and What You Should Know

When you hear Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (commonly abbreviated as SOM), you're encountering one of the world's largest and most influential architecture and design firms. But understanding what SOM actually is—and whether it matters to you—requires stepping back to see how major architecture firms operate and what role they play in the built world. 🏢

The Basics: What Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Does

SOM is a full-service architecture, engineering, and urban design firm founded in 1936. The firm operates globally with offices across multiple continents and employs thousands of architects, engineers, urban planners, and designers. Unlike a local or regional architecture studio, SOM handles some of the world's most complex, large-scale projects—from supertall buildings to master-planned cities to infrastructure systems.

The firm is organized around several core service lines: architecture and design, structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, urban planning, and interior design. This means SOM can manage nearly every aspect of a major building project under one organizational roof, rather than coordinating multiple separate firms.

The Scale and Scope That Defines SOM

What sets SOM apart in the architecture industry is its size and capacity for complexity. The firm has completed iconic buildings that define major skylines—think of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Heron Tower in London, or the Lever House in New York. These aren't small residential homes or modest commercial buildings. They're typically large-scale, technically demanding projects that require deep expertise in structural engineering, code compliance, and construction coordination.

SOM's work spans:

• High-rise buildings (office towers, residential, mixed-use)
• Transportation infrastructure (airports, transit systems, bridges)
• Master-planned communities (entire neighborhoods or districts)
• Corporate campuses and research facilities
• Institutional buildings (universities, cultural centers)

The firm maintains significant institutional knowledge and research capabilities. It has dedicated teams focused on emerging areas like sustainable design, parametric design, and resilience planning—research areas that feed into their project work.

How SOM Differs From Other Architecture Firms

The architecture industry includes firms of vastly different sizes and specializations. Understanding where SOM sits in that landscape helps clarify what the firm does and doesn't do.

SOM belongs to the large global category. This means:

• Higher capacity for complex, multiphase projects requiring coordination of many disciplines
• Deeper resources for research and innovation
• Experience across many building types and geographies, which can inform design decisions
• Access to specialized expertise (structural innovation, parametric design, climate modeling)
• Higher project costs due to overhead and senior-level involvement

But it also means SOM is typically not the right fit for small, budget-conscious projects. The firm's operating model is built around large institutional and corporate clients with substantial budgets.

The Role of Reputation and Design Philosophy

SOM has a distinctive legacy in modernist design and structural engineering. The firm's historical work helped pioneer the International Style in architecture. Today, SOM's design approach emphasizes:

• Structural expression (where the building's skeleton becomes part of its aesthetic)
• Integration of mechanical and structural systems
• Sustainable and resilient design principles
• Careful material and proportional refinement

This design philosophy isn't inherently "better" than other approaches—it reflects the firm's historical trajectory and the types of clients and projects it attracts. Different architects and firms have different philosophies, and the right choice depends on a specific project's goals and the client's vision.

Why a Firm's Size and Type Matters (If You're Considering Architecture Services)

If you're exploring architecture firms—whether for a commercial project, institutional building, or development—understanding what SOM represents in the broader landscape helps clarify decision-making factors:

When scale like SOM's matters:

• You have a highly complex project requiring multiple specialties under coordinated management
• You're a large corporation or institution with a substantial budget
• The project involves significant technical risk or innovation
• You need a firm with extensive experience across similar project types
• You value institutional continuity across a multi-year effort

When a different firm type might serve you better:

• Your project is smaller in scale or budget
• You need specialized expertise in a particular building type
• You prefer closer collaboration with principal architects (rather than staff teams)
• You want a design approach that emphasizes different values (community-focused design, vernacular aesthetics, etc.)
• You're working at a regional or local level

Accessing SOM's Work and Learning More

If you're curious about SOM's work, the firm maintains a public portfolio of completed projects, case studies, and research publications. You can review specific buildings, understand their design rationale, and see how the firm approaches different project types. This research is useful whether you're evaluating whether the firm fits your needs or simply interested in contemporary architecture.

The firm's research output—white papers on sustainable design, structural innovation, and urban planning—is also publicly available and reflects the firm's thinking on industry-wide challenges.

What You Need to Evaluate on Your Own

If you're considering engaging a major architecture firm like SOM—or deciding between SOM and other firms—here are the variables you'll need to assess based on your specific situation:

• Project budget and scope – Does the project scale justify engaging a large global firm?
• Timeline and complexity – Does the project require the coordinated expertise that large firms provide?
• Design vision – Does the firm's design philosophy align with your goals for the building?
• Geographic fit – Does the firm have appropriate offices and experience in your project location?
• Client relationship model – Are you comfortable with the team structure and access to principals that the firm provides?
• Fee structure – How does the firm's pricing model work relative to your budget?

These are questions best explored through direct conversation with the firm and, ideally, by reviewing their recent comparable work.

The bottom line: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is a premier global architecture firm with deep expertise in large, complex projects and a distinctive design legacy. Whether it's the right partner for your specific situation depends on factors that only you can weigh.