PERTAMINA ENERGY TOWER BY SOM

The dramatic centerpiece of a new consolidated headquarters created for the Indonesian state-owned energy company, the Pertamina Energy Tower will rise more than 500 meters above Jakarta as a stunning new landmark on the capital’s skyline.

Complemented by a performing arts and exhibition pavilion, a mosque, and a central energy plant, the 99-story "beacon of energy" will represent a new standard for sustainable development, bringing together 20,000 employees on its innovative, dynamic campus.

Following SOM's holistic design approach that integrates architectural design, structural engineering, and sustainable engineering services, Pertamina Energy Tower is the world’s first supertall tower for which energy is the primary design driver. Sustainable strategies at the core of its design are exposed in its simple profile yet sophisticated architectural expression.

Gently tapering towards a rounded top, the tower opens up at the crown, revealing a ‘wind funnel’ that will take advantage of the prevailing winds and increased wind speeds at the upper floors to generate energy. Precisely calibrated for Jakarta’s proximity to the equator, the tower’s curved facade will mitigate solar heat gain throughout the year.

Exterior sun shades will dramatically improve the workplace environment and save energy by reducing the need for artificial lighting in the office interiors. Overall, the development will reduce water demand and target zero discharge while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 26% by the year 2020 and generating 25% energy from renewable resources by the year 2020.

Located in Jakarta’s Rasuna Epicentrum neighborhood, the iconic campus will serve as a city within a city, blending together living, working and playing while serving as a model of sustainability, efficiency, and collaborative workplace design.

A 2,000-seat auditorium for lectures and performances and a public mosque offer vibrant public spaces and communal meeting areas, while a central energy plant will serve as the energy production hub for the campus—a literal and figurative “heart” from which energy and services will be distributed.

The "Energy Ribbon", a covered walkway that provides sun and rain protection and generates energy through photovoltaics along its roof surface, links the campus, spanning across land bridges and gardens to create an array of accessible public spaces.

Location: Rasuna Epicentrum, Jakarta, Indonesia

Architects: SOM

Design Partner: Mustafa K. Abadan, FAIA

Managing Partner: T.J. Gottesdiener, FAIA

Design Director: Scott Duncan, AIA

Managing Director: Jonathan Stein, AIA

Regional Coordinator: Ame Engelhart, AIA

Design Architect: Justin Chen

Structural / Mep Engineers: SOM

Site Area: 57,512 m2

Project Area: 495,000 m2

Building Height: 530 m

Project Completion Year: 2020

PLANS FOR PENN STATION BY SOM

Penn Station is the most heavily trafficked train depot in the United States, a cultural icon, and sorely in need of a makeover. But upgrading this century-old station has been difficult because it’s underneath another thriving landmark, Madison Square Garden (MSG).

However, a recent city ruling would end MSG’s lease on the land in 2023, so the Municipal Art Society of New York commissioned four prominent architecture firms to provide a vision for what the station could be without consideration for the Knick’s games and Phish concerts that are usually happening overhead.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), which has ambitious projects with iconic structures like the Freedom Tower and Burj Khalifa to its credit, was one of the firms selected to reimagine the station. True to form, its proposal would transform this piece of civic infrastructure by expanding the scope to include a new park, commercial district, cultural buildings, and residences spread over two city blocks.

“We imagined the site as vertically layered — mixing places to live, to work, and to play, but most importantly, the public space has to take priority over all other uses,” says Roger Duffy, FAIA and partner at SOM. “These spaces cannot be publicly accessible, privately owned. This site would be the gateway to the city for generations to come.”

 

 

TANJONG PAGAR CENTRE BY SOM

The proposed integrated development at Tanjong Pagar, a prime location within the Central Business District, is set to be a world-class icon that will redefine the Singapore skyline. Located above the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, the 1.7 million square feet development will feature premier Grade A office and retail space, an international hotel and exclusive residential apartments.

 

Upon completion, the iconic integrated development will stand at a height of 290 metres and be amongst the tallest buildings in Singapore with panoramic views of the city skyline and across the CBD to the Marina Bay area.

World-renowned architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (“SOM”) and Architect 6 will design the project, which currently does not have a name. SOM’s impressive portfolio of works include the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the upcoming One World Trade Center in New York.

Location: Peck Seah Street/Choon Guan Street, Singapore

Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Site Area: 15,023 sqm

Completion:2016

Tenure: 99 years leasehold

Components: Residential, commercial, office and hotel

Residential Unit Types: 1, 2, 3, 4 bedroom, Penthouses

OPEN THE CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BY SOM

These days it is inaugurated Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2, the stunning new air hub designed by Skidmore, Owings &Merrill. Located in the heart of India’s financial capital, the new hub adds 4.4 million square feet of space to accommodate 40 million passengers per year.

By orchestrating the complex web of passengers and planes into a design that feels intuitive and responds to the region’s rocketing growth, the new Terminal 2 asserts the airport’s place as a preeminent gateway to India and underscores the country’s status as an international economic power.

The new terminal combines international and domestic passenger services under one roof, optimizing terminal operations and reducing passenger walking distances. Inspired by the form of traditional Indian pavilions, the four-story terminal stacks a grand “headhouse,” or central processing podium, on top of highly adaptable and modular concourses below.

Rather than compartmentalizing terminal functions, three symmetrical concourses radiate outwards from a central processing core and are therefore easily reconfigured to “swing” between serving domestic flights or international flights. Just as the terminal celebrates a new global, high-tech identity for Mumbai, the structure is imbued with responses to the local setting, history, and culture.

From the articulated coffered treatment on the headhouse columns and roof surfaces to the intricate jali window screens that filter dappled light into the concourses, Terminal 2 demonstrates the potential for a modern airport to view tradition anew. All international and domestic passengers enter the terminal headhouse on the fourth floor, accessed from a sweeping elevated road.

At the entrance, the lanes split, making room for wide drop-off curbs with ample space for traditional Indian departure ceremonies. From the moment of arrival, the terminal embraces travelers. Above, the headhouse roof extends to cover the entire arrivals roadway, protecting passengers and their guests from Mumbai’s heat and unpredictable monsoon weather.

A 50-foot-tall glass cable-stayed wall—the longest in the world—opens to the soaring space of the check-in hall. The transparent façade also allows accompanying well-wishers, who must remain outside of the terminal due to Indian aviation regulations, to watch as their friends and family depart.

Once inside, travelers enter a warm, light-filled chamber, sheltered underneath a long-span roof supported by an array of multi-story columns. The monumental spaces created beneath the thirty mushrooming columns call to mind the airy pavilions and interior courtyards of traditional regional architecture.

Small disks of colorful glass recessed within the canopy’s coffers speckle the hall below with light. The constellation of colors makes reference to the peacock, the national bird of India, and the symbol of the airport. Terminal 2 uses a high-performance glazing system with a custom frit pattern to achieve optimal thermal performance and mitigate glare.

Perforated metal panels on the terminal’s curtain wall filter the low western and eastern sun angles, creating a comfortable day-lit space for waiting passengers, and responsive daylight controls balance outdoor and indoor light levels for optimal energy savings. Strategically-placed skylights throughout the check-in hall will reduce the terminal’s energy usage by 23%.

Location: Mumbai, India 
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 
Site Area: 105 hectares 
Project Area: 4,843,759 ft2 
Number of Stories: 4 
Building Height: 45 m 
Design Completion Year: 2010 
Project Completion Year: 2014

MOSCONE CENTER EXPANSION BY SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL

The Moscone Center consists of three components that were developed every eleven years over the last 30 years. The first was Moscone South, completed in 1981. The second included the Esplanade Ballroom and Moscone North, completed in 1991 and 1992 respectively. The third, Moscone West, opened in 2003.

Today, the Moscone Center is San Francisco's premier meeting and exhibition facility. There are more than 2 million square feet of building area that includes over 700,000 square feet of exhibit space, up to 106 meeting rooms, and nearly 123,000 square feet of prefunction lobbies.

Although, as the city and the convention landscape continue to grow, the Moscone Expansion Project plans to meet that need by expanding contiguous exhibition space as well as increasing the amount of flexible meeting and ballroom spaces.

In addition to adding new rentable square footage, the project architects – Skidmore, Owings and Merrill– seek to create an iconic sense of arrival that enhances Moscone’s civic presence on Howard Street and reconnects it to the surrounding neighborhood through the creation of reintroduced lost mid-block passageways.

As such, the project proposes two new, enclosed pedestrian bridges connecting the upper levels of the new Moscone North and Moscone South as well as an upgrade to the existing pedestrian bridge across Howard Street.

This would help to frame the main public arrival space between the two new buildings, provide enhanced circulation for Moscone convention attendees, and reduce on-street congestion all while maintaining full-time elevated public access across Howard Street from Yerba Buena Gardens to the cultural facilities.