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
Hauts-de-France Mining Basin. © David Schalliol.
Felecia Davis
Ali Ghazvinian
Benay Gürsoy
Farzaneh Oghazian
John Pecchia
Andre West
2021 Research Prize
MycoKnit: Cultivating Mycelium-based Composites on Knitted Textiles for Large-Scale Biodegradable Architectural Structures
Knitted Base Model. © Felecia Davis.
2021 Research Prize
Soil Sisters: An Intersectoral Material Design Framework for Soil Health
Anna Dyson
Mae-ling Lokko
Grounds for Return. © Selma Gurbuz.
Summer Islam and Paloma Gormley. © Material Cultures.
Paloma Gormley
Summer Islam
2021 European Research Prize
Constructive Land
2022 Structural Engineering Fellowship
An Ontological Study of Structures and Their Materiality
Luis Berg
ArboSkin, Stuttgart, 2013. © ITKE University of Stuttgart.
Upcoming Deadlines
China Fellowship Postponed to 2023
Featured Fellow
Architectural Afterlives
2013 SOM Prize for Architecture, Design, and Urban Design
James Leng
Harvard University
Buildings spring up opportunistically where ever the terrain allows. © James Leng.
North Korea. © James Leng.
Past
Rethinking Architectural Standards through a Neuroscientific Perspective
On Wednesday, April 13, 2022, Kristine Mun and Biayna Bogosian, recipients of the 2018 Research Prize, discussed their project “Architectural Standards Guide from a Neurological Perspective.” Read
Recent News
The SOM Foundation Announces Winner of 2022 Structural Engineering Fellowship
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the winner of the 2022 Structural Engineering Fellowship. Luis Berg will receive $20,000 to conduct original research. This year’s topic, “Envisioning Responsible Relationships with Materiality,” encouraged applicants to explore materiality from the micro- to the macroscale in order to envision sustainable, responsible, and ethical relationships with materials and the communities that they come from. Berg’s proposal, “An Ontological Study of Structures and Their Materiality,” aims to study thirty exemplary structures across four continents to understand the connection between community impact, environmental sustainability, and engineering innovation.
2022 China Fellowship Postponed
The SOM Foundation and its Board of Officers have been closely monitoring the ongoing restrictions affecting China created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While we opened the call for submissions in January and extended the deadline for the 2022 China Fellowship, the ongoing restrictions prevent us from moving forward with this year’s edition of the fellowship. For that reason and, after evaluating the current situation, we have decided to postpone the call until 2023. Read
SOM Foundation Announces Winners of the 2021 Research Prize
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Research Prize. Two teams—one from Pennsylvania State University and one from Yale University—will each receive a $40,000 prize to conduct original research that contributes to this year’s topic, “Envisioning Responsible Relationships with Materiality.” The Research Prize was created in 2018 to cultivate new ideas and meaningful research that addresses the critical issues of our time. Read