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.

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

         
 

Comments on: "SOM launches Los Angeles design studio"

The colorful ribboned flooring at Toronto’s Corus Quay mimics the iconic corkscr
The colorful ribboned flooring at Toronto’s Corus Quay mimics the iconic corkscr
Discussions of commercial flooring tend to focus on the floor covering or finish material. This is hardly surprising, since the covering is the part of the floor that stakeholders see, interact with, and care about most. The...
The use of light load-bearing glass to create transparent stairs, floors, and ot
The use of light load-bearing glass to create transparent stairs, floors, and ot
Glass has taken on new life in recent building years. Long valued for its transparency and lightness, glass is now also being considered for its structural and protective capabilities. Beyond the technique known as...
Building owners must plan ahead for roof replacement to avoid emergency leak rem
Building owners must plan ahead for roof replacement to avoid emergency leak rem
No building owner wants to be caught unprepared by catastrophic roof failure. Emergency roof replacements tend to be more expensive than planned ones, and damage to interiors may mean unrecovered costs and detrimental...
AIA: New Developments in Concrete Construction
AIA: New Developments in Concrete Construction
Concrete has long been a reliable building material for commercial and institutional projects. Yet recent trends, including the growth in hospitality and urban rental project starts, as well as mixed-use towers and transit-...
AIA Rainscreens BD+C DEcember 2011
AIA Rainscreens BD+C DEcember 2011
Until recently, it has been lighting, mechanical, and control system upgrades which have received the most attention in the green building movement. At long last, the industry is now recognizing building enclosures as a long...
Brick and stone masonry have served as reliable and valuable elements of commercial building projects for centuries, gracing urban and rural landscapes since time immemorial. Building Teams have trusted clay brick to bring...
Making the Most of the Reconstruction Boom Reconstruction in its many forms—tenant improvements, retail fitouts, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, gut rehab, and so on—is keeping many design and construction firms...
The topic of water shortages is nothing new, as cities around the globe struggle with drought, water quality, supply constraints, and failing infrastructures. However, the idea of new plumbing codes and design standards...
Guard booths, stations and shelters are defense strategy linchpins, becoming increasingly integral to perimeter defense planning. Before evaluating the efficacy of different guard booth configurations, and before selecting a...
From the company that brought you Construction Computing Magazine’s 2011 BIM Product of the Year ArchiCAD 15, the “Get There Faster with ArchiCAD” whitepaper examines five critical areas to explore before making your final...
Download Complete White Paper Download Introduction Download Chapters 1-4Defining Net-Zero Energy Buildings
Our seventh White Paper on Green Buildings focuses on the role of water in sustainable design and construction. The editors conclude with a set of 21 detailed recommendations for the consideration of the Building Teams, home...