Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, SOM New York office
14 Wall Street, Financial District, Manhattan
April 1, 2008
Interview and text by Vladimir Belogolovsky
The tallest towers in the world are not built in America, but many of the skyscrapers that define the new face of the cities of Southeast Asia and the Middle East are still conceived and designed in the United States, their homeland. A well-established firm in high-rise construction - Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, SOM, was founded in 1936 in Chicago. Today, SOM employs 1,200 architects - half in New York and the rest in Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. For 72 years of practice, the company has implemented about ten thousand projects and earned more than a thousand prestigious awards. The list of significant SOM projects is impressive: Lever House (1952), Manufacturer's Hanover Trust Bank (1954), One Chase Manhattan Plaza (1961) in Manhattan, US Military Academy Chapel in Colorado (1958), Beinecke Library at Yale University (1963), John Hancock Tower (1969) and Sears Tower (1973) in Chicago and Jin Mao Building (1998) in Shanghai. Burj Dubai, designed by the Chicago bureau of SOM, became the tallest in the world even before construction was completed. Next year, the height of this 160-story record holder is expected to reach 700 meters. The firm has always attracted talented designers. Gordon Bunschaft (1909-1990), responsible for many of the company's projects, worked at SOM for almost half a century (1937-1983) and in 1988 was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize.
Peter Ruggiero, 49, is a partner at SOM's Chicago bureau. He has designed airports in Toronto, New York and Washington DC, commercial buildings, mixed use complexes, housing estates, university laboratories and office towers in Europe, America and the Middle East. He currently manages several projects in Russia, including Plot 16, a 430,000 sq. m. in the new business center Moscow City for Capital Group.
We met with Ruggiero at SOM's New York office on Wall Street, the playground of SOM's most significant clients. The mesmerizing views of the surrounding slender towers of Manhattan's Downtown added visual definition to our conversation. Among them is the Seventh World Trade Center on the edge of the Ground Zero - Ruggiero developed its design in collaboration with David Childs, co-creator of the towering Freedom Tower.
Is the height of Burj Dubai still a closed topic?
- This is really confidential information and I cannot disclose it. Despite all sorts of guesses published in the press, I can only confirm that this tower will exceed the 600-meter mark.
Do you think that American architects and engineers are still ahead of the competition in the design of skyscrapers?
- That was 20 or 30 years ago. But the companies we compete with today are no longer exclusively American. European practitioners like Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano create very beautiful and daring skyscrapers.
In the 1980s and 90s, SOM evolved into a corporate factory, producing uninteresting buildings dressed in primitive postmodern costumes. How and thanks to whom did you manage to modernize the company?
- In the 1980s, architects blindly adhered to the idea of a historical continuation. It was a time of searching for historical references, and not only for the SOM, but for the profession as a whole. The recession of the early 1990s contributed to the exit from this period. By the time developers started building again, much of what had been built in the previous construction cycle had been overvalued. A new generation of young partners has joined SOM. These were 30 and 40 year old architects - Roger Duffy, Brian Lee, Gary Haney, Mustafa Abadan and others. They began to redefine the company's modernist roots. After all, SOM is known for the architecture of its time.
“Based on a diversified portfolio of projects in recent years, SOM is rightfully considered a true laboratory for architectural innovation. How does such a large company manage to remain modern and innovative?
- This is a collaborative process of interaction between partners, heads of studios and design studios. Our projects grow from studios - from the bottom up. Partners set directions and studios develop them. We work side by side. Therefore, every young architect has a chance to contribute something of his own. There is an old anecdote - oh, I worked at SOM for five years and all they trusted me was to design toilets. There is some truth in this, but in my experience, I have met very young architects who were fully involved in the creation of large projects. Another tool that helped restore the firm's reputation is the SOM Journal. This magazine is introspective and self-critical, guiding the design process with a focus on our own projects today. The magazine appeared ten years ago and to date we have released five editions. Projects for publication are selected by an independent multidisciplinary jury of architects, engineers, artists, urbanists, sociologists, and so on, who critically examine our projects. We distribute these magazines to customers and it helps them understand what we do. We also host lectures where renowned architects and artists are invited to present and discuss their innovative projects.
Did you come to SOM right after university?
- I graduated from Harvard University in 1984 with a degree in urbanism and returned to New York, where I was born and raised. For a year, I worked for a tiny company. But I have always dreamed of working on large projects. In those years there was a construction upsurge and I wanted to participate in it. It seemed to me that SOM should be a good choice, and I was not mistaken.
What do you remember about Harvard?
“Harvard is a great place to study. I am particularly impressed by the pluralistic approach of this school. It allows you to express different points of view. I was interested in investigating the role of individual buildings in urban development and in studying the social and economic dynamics of urban planning. I was especially interested in reading books by Aldo Rossi. My professors were Fumiko Maki, George Silvetti, Rudolph Machado, Moshe Safdie and Fred Kotter, who wrote the famous book Collage City with Colin Rove. My Ph. D. was a project to use the High-Line Railroad Overpass as a catalyst for the new development of Manhattan's West Side. From my youth I was attracted by the urban infrastructure - bridges, highways, piers, and of course, such an amazing and strange urban relic as the High-Line. So many years later, the area is finally experiencing a long-awaited renaissance.
At SOM, did you immediately start working on the projects of your dreams?
“The first couple of years I worked on not very exciting hospital projects in New York. And then I was called to work on a wonderful expansion project for the Dulles International Airport in Washington, built by Eero Saarinen. This was a natural progression of my interest in infrastructure. Airports can be great public spaces. Since then I have been involved in the creation of many airports around the world, and so many years later I am again engaged in a project at Dulles Airport.
Do you think that working in a large corporate firm, you can have an individual voice?
- Of course! What has always attracted me to SOM is that we do not promote a certain recognizable style. Our true commitment is great design and technical innovation. You cannot define SOM's work stylistically because our projects are the result of collaboration of many people. We currently have 30 partners. We are all individual, but we draw on the company's vast experience and resources to enable every generation of designers to leave their mark.
What region of the world would you mark as the most interesting for design and why?
“From my own experience, China is a very interesting place. What is curious about China is that we are now starting construction in cities that no one in the West has heard of. Also in the Middle East, cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi are now entering a new phase of development, i.e. creation of entertainment, cultural and social institutions. India and Russia are also exciting centers with phenomenal growth in development. In our office, a huge number of projects are scattered throughout India, and in Russia we start new projects not only in Moscow, but also in St. Petersburg.
What is the image of a new modern city in the eyes of your customers?
- It seems to me that the main thing that makes cities interesting is their peculiar districts and unique qualities. I would not want to reproduce, for example, New York around the world. But it is obvious that the symbol of a successful western city is a high-rise building. This is what new cities want to import, but the challenge for architects is to find a connection to the local architecture and expressive ways of weaving a high-rise building into the local urban fabric. For example, in the Middle East, the climate creates great difficulties for the construction of glass towers, and Moscow also has a unique cultural history, which makes the construction of high-rise modern buildings a challenge. Nevertheless, I think that the Russia Tower, designed by Norman Foster, will be a new successful symbol in the sky.
Can you name the most successful examples of high-rise construction in the world today?
- There are many beautiful buildings. For example, Room 7 of the World Trade Center was the first skyscraper built in New York after September 11th. Therefore, it was an opportunity for us to reconsider many security issues. The building is distinguished by the unusual thickness of the walls of the reinforced concrete core, very wide and connected at different heights by fire escapes that go directly to the street. And for various energy-saving innovations, the project has earned the LEED Gold Certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The building set the tone for high quality design for the new towers around. For example, the glass façade, designed in collaboration with sculptor James Carpenter, allows for maximum natural light to pass through. We have received many inquiries from all over the world regarding the aesthetic and technical innovations of this building.
Let's talk about your projects in Russia
- We have implemented a number of Russian projects, including the master plan of the Moscow Sugar Factory, the Ducat Place III business center, commercial projects for Forum Management and a number of competitive projects. However, the project in which I am most involved is plot 16 in Moscow City for Capital Group. They contacted us based on our experience in Moscow.
What is your experience with Russian customers?
- Our customers are very different, but Capital Group is a very knowledgeable and experienced team of developers. They are familiar with the global market and are very familiar with our recent projects in the world. We speak the same language and it is easy for us to work together.
How much do you manage to be involved in projects in Russia and how well did you get to know Moscow?
- I manage a design team and visit Moscow one to two times every two months. The first time I went there was a few years ago in December, during a record low temperature in many years. Of course, I would like to know the city better, but I know perfectly well the area where our project is being built (Peter easily juggles Russian street names that are difficult for foreigners, long names of local developers and demonstrates a good understanding of the exact prospects that will open from different heights of his project in Moscow -City). From what I have seen, I like some of the modern small scale buildings and areas where classicism buildings of the 19th century and early 20th century are concentrated. They form a very cozy street. On the other hand, I have not come across interesting modern high-rises. I think Moscow deserves the best buildings, especially given such a successful and fast growing economy. It is a city of great potential. I like the very distinctive and recognizable radial urban plan. I love the city's metro system, which is far more spectacular than any I've ever visited in person. It is a grand, fast and convenient metro. I do not understand people who do not want to change from cars to the metro so as not to spend many hours in traffic jams.
How do local conditions influence your architectural strategies?
- Moscow is interesting to me not only for its visual character, but also for its astronomical breadth and environmental context. On one of my first visits, I was there on December 21, and the very fact that the sun rises at 8:30 in the morning and sets at 3:15 in the afternoon is very entertaining. And in summer the days get very long again. I am interested in responding to these local conditions. How to design a building that captures the maximum sunlight, which is so rare in winter in Moscow? No matter where I am in the world, I always pay attention to the specific climatic features of the place. For example, in the Middle East, the climate is completely opposite and there it is necessary to minimize the penetration of sunlight inside with the help of sun blinds and so on.
How will your project react to the historical fabric of the city and the existing culture?
- You need to be very sensitive to such manifestations, but you should always create the buildings of your time. It is a real tragedy when architects fall ill with nostalgia, trying to give their works the features of another time. It is important to find a balance in being a good neighbor, organically interacting with the line of the street. A good analogy for this is a family gathering for a family portrait. It includes representatives of many generations and they all prefer different styles of clothing, reflecting their tastes and times. But somehow, when everyone is lining up for a common family portrait, everything is organically combined. Another good analogy when designing a city is a large symphony orchestra. All members of this orchestra are great musicians and strong personalities, but on stage they understand that their role is to act as a single team. And sometimes, one of these musicians is asked to show a virtuoso playing. Therefore, in order to build a good area, the architect must have a good understanding of the history of the place, the nature, development trends, transport conditions, existing flows of people, the movement of the sun, etc. Therefore, every time I visit Moscow, I go to study all our sites. In our project for Forum Management, we worked a lot with the historical context, which implies a very detailed study of the place. But in the case of Moscow City, it is important to have an idea of how this place looks at different times of the day and year.
Your project in Moscow City is practically comparable to Tabula Rasa, in the sense that it is completely devoid of historical context and is a new city within the city
- Yes, it was the desire of the city authorities to build an international financial center. Therefore, immediately in the minds there are certain canonical images of what is expected to be erected here for the business community. On our site, the idea was to create a crystal object to maximize the use of natural light and take its rightful place in the sky of the new business center. Our complex consists of four facilities and is located between the Federation and Russia towers. When we were designing this project, the orchestra analogy came in very handy. We knew how the buildings around us would look like - many of them tend to play the role of the first violin. Therefore, we have proposed a very calm and elegant building. It is these austere and tranquil buildings that help cities function properly. And the symbols are created for tourists. It's just one dimension, a distant view of the city. Often visiting Moscow and learning about the buildings that are being built around, we were very surprised that many of them would grow out of impregnable stylobates six or seven stories high. They will leave very little room for public space. We proposed a composition of four structures - office and residential high-rise buildings, a hotel block and a low building for parking, placing them around a spacious square open to everyone. This is what the Seagram Building has proposed for New York.
Do you see any changes in the orders of your clients?
“In recent years, customers have been attaching more importance to design. They realized that a good design can create that iconic status that greatly enhances the value of their property. Renters want to be in buildings with an iconic design and a prestigious address. The visual characteristics of buildings and environments are becoming as important as other aspects of the business. Also, customers are more likely to pay attention to energy savings and the very fact that thoughtful design can significantly improve the quality of working conditions inside buildings. For example, we recently developed a master plan for the Kingdom of Bahrain, where our customers were concerned about creating such planning conditions in which dependence on energy resources would be noticeably reduced for the country as a whole.
What do you think is the most exciting in the profession of an architect nowadays?
- I think the opportunity to work on a global scale in itself is very exciting. Currently, there are many concerns about the American economy. They talk about a drop in the rate of its development. But for many architects practicing on a global scale, work comes and comes from regions where the economy, on the contrary, is picking up the pace of growth. Today we design on virtually every continent. The population of the earth is growing very quickly and more and more people are moving to cities. There is a great shortage of architects and many of the projects we are building today will be rebuilt in 30 years or less, so the scale of construction that awaits us in the near future is mesmerizing. Taking part in such an unprecedented building around the world is very exciting. It seems to me that Moscow is only taking initial steps to really play an important role on the world architectural scene. Just as in China, a serious and distinctive community of artists and architects is emerging, finding more and more recognition in the world, too, I think, Russia is expected. The time has come and the Venice Biennale is a great chance for Russian architects to present their architecture to the whole world.
