The SOM Foundation supports individuals with the highest design aspirations to achieve excellence.
Bringing together the brightest design minds to undertake interdisciplinary research that can help shape our future
© David Schalliol.
© Daniel Kelleghan.
Creating New Architecture Through Research
September 6, 2019
2019 Research Prize
Hot Farms: How Emails Grow Tomatoes
Clare Lyster
Aerial image of Greenhouses, Westland, The Netherlands. © Google.
2017 China Prize
Architecture, Infrastructure, and Urban Design and the Emerging Role of Infrastructure Design in the Modern City
Yue Wu
Upcoming Deadlines
March 15, 2021 Structural Engineering Fellowship
April 2021 China Fellowship
Featured Fellow
SEED of Havana: Dissolving Condensers
2019 Research Prize
Sun Yen Yee
University of Westminster, London
© Sun Yen Yee.
Featured Events
Towards an Agrarian Urbanism: Progressive Potentials for Contemporary Practice
On October 14, 2020, architect and urbanist Charles Waldheim, juror of the 2019 Research Prize, discussed his work as it relates to the topic of the Research Prize: “Shrinking our Agricultural Footprint.” The lecture was organized in collaboration with the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Watch
Recent News
2021 Structural Engineering Fellowship Application Opens
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2021 SOM Foundation Structural Engineering Fellowship. The $20,000 fellowship is
awarded annually to a graduating student who specializes in structural
engineering to conduct independent travel and research that contributes
to the SOM Foundation’s current topic and has the potential to influence
the practice and teaching of how structures can positively impact our
built environment. Apply
SOM Foundation Announces Winners of 2020 Research Prize
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 SOM Foundation Research Prize. Two teams—one from the University of Texas at Arlington and one from Tulane University—will each receive a grant of $40,000 to conduct original research. This year’s topic, “Examining Social Justice in Urban Contexts,” encouraged applicants to explore and identify long-term policies, immediate actions, and comprehensive plans have the potential to shape a more equitable and sustainable future. Read
Robert L. Wesley, Convocation Speaker of the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture
Robert L. Wesley, retired SOM Partner and eponym of the SOM Foundation's newest award, was the convocation speaker for the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture on Friday, December 18, 2020. Watch
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