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Somf hauts de france mining basin david schalliol

Bringing together the brightest design minds to undertake interdisciplinary research that can help shape our future

Hauts-de-France Mining Basin. © David Schalliol.

Somf 2021 research prize davis gursoy oghazian ghazvinian west pecchia proposal 01

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.

Somf 2021 research prize lokko dyson proposal 01

2021 Research Prize
Soil Sisters: An Intersectoral Material Design Framework for Soil Health

Anna Dyson
Mae-ling Lokko

Grounds for Return. © Selma Gurbuz.

Somf 2021 european research prize islam gormley proposal 06

Summer Islam and Paloma Gormley. © Material Cultures.

Paloma Gormley
Summer Islam

2021 European Research Prize
Constructive Land

Somf 2022 structural engineering luis berg arboskin itke

2022 Structural Engineering Fellowship
An Ontological Study of Structures and Their Materiality

Luis Berg

ArboSkin, Stuttgart, 2013. © ITKE University of Stuttgart.

The SOM Foundation supports individuals with the highest design aspirations to achieve excellence.

Upcoming Deadlines
China Fellowship
Postponed to 2023

Featured Fellow
Architecture, Infrastructure, and Urban Design and the Emerging Role of Infrastructure Design in the Modern City

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2017 China Prize
Yue Wu
Tongji University

Somf china prize yue wu usb 2017

Umeda Sky Building. © Yue Wu.

Somf china prize yue wu kyoto housing 2017

Guest House at Kyoto. © Yue Wu.

Somf china prize yue wu spec 01 2017

Speculation of Mega Infrastructure. © Yue Wu.

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

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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


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