flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

SOM names winner of One World Trade Center photo contest

SOM names winner of One World Trade Center photo contest

As the contest winner, Gerry Padden will receive a one-of-a-kind scale model of the tower.


By Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill | December 12, 2014
Photo: Gerry Padden, courtesy SOM
Photo: Gerry Padden, courtesy SOM

A striking image of One World Trade Center captured at sunset by photographer Gerry Padden is the winner of a public photo contest hosted by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). Based in New York City, Padden typically photographs urban sites and is "always aiming to capture a special moment that is naturally occurring." His winning image was taken in July from a rooftop in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

SOM held the #WelcomeOneWTC photo contest from November 3 to December 3, 2014, to mark the official opening of One World Trade Center. As the designers of the tower, the firm encouraged both amateur and professional photographers to participate in this historic moment for New York City by submitting their personal images of the skyscraper. Approximately 350 entries were received through Instagram and email.

As the contest winner, Padden will receive a one-of-a-kind scale model of the tower, handcrafted by the firm's model shop in Manhattan, as well as a limited-edition print of One World Trade Center, taken by renowned photographer James Ewing.

The contest jury consisted of key leaders from SOM who worked on the tower: T.J. Gottesdiener, SOM Managing Partner; Kenneth A. Lewis, SOM Managing Partner; Nicole Dosso, SOM Director; and Frank Mahan, SOM Associate Director. In addition, Elizabeth Kubany, PR Consultant for SOM's New York office, and photographer James Ewing served as judges.

One World Trade Center has long captured the imagination of locals and visitors alike, who have watched the building materialize from drawings to a 104-story, crystalline skyscraper that stands boldly in Lower Manhattan. More than 13 years in the making, the 1,776-foot office tower—the tallest in the Western Hemisphere—recaptures the New York skyline, reasserts downtown Manhattan's preeminence as a global business center, and establishes a new civic icon for the country.

SOM will showcase additional entries from the #WelcomeOneWTC photo contest in the coming weeks.

Related Stories

Multifamily Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Habitat starts leasing Cassidy on Canal, a new luxury rental high-rise in Chicago

New 33-story Class A rental tower, designed by SCB, will offer 343 rental units. 

Student Housing | Apr 12, 2024

Construction begins on Auburn University’s new first-year residence hall

The new first-year residence hall along Auburn University's Haley Concourse.

K-12 Schools | Apr 11, 2024

Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK

Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK Architects, Houston.

Construction Costs | Apr 11, 2024

Construction materials prices increase 0.4% in March 2024

Construction input prices increased 0.4% in March compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.4% for the month.

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 11, 2024

The just cause in behavioral health design: Make it right

NAC Architecture shares strategies for approaching behavioral health design collaboratively and thoughtfully, rather than simply applying a set of blanket rules.

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

A San Antonio school will provide early childhood education to a traditionally under-resourced region

In San Antonio, Pre-K 4 SA, which provides preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and HOLT Group, which owns industrial and other companies, recently broke ground on an early childhood education: the South Education Center.

University Buildings | Apr 10, 2024

Columbia University to begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building

Columbia University will soon begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 80,700-sf building for the university’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons will provide eight floors of biomedical research and lab facilities as well as symposium and community engagement spaces. 

K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024

Surprise, surprise: Students excel in modernized K-12 school buildings

Too many of the nation’s school districts are having to make it work with less-than-ideal educational facilities. But at what cost to student performance and staff satisfaction? 

Industrial Facilities | Apr 9, 2024

Confessions of a cold storage architect

Designing energy-efficient cold storage facilities that keep food safe and look beautiful takes special knowledge.

Cultural Facilities | Apr 8, 2024

Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center

When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category



AEC Tech

Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption

Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI. 


Codes and Standards

Updated document details methods of testing fenestration for exterior walls

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a document serving a recommended practice for determining test methodology for laboratory and field testing of exterior wall systems. The document pertains to products covered by an AAMA standard such as curtain walls, storefronts, window walls, and sloped glazing. AAMA 501-24, Methods of Test for Exterior Walls was last updated in 2015. 

halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021