The SOM Foundation supports individuals with the highest aspirations to enhance the design of the built environment.
2025 Research Prize
Visioning Eco-Connectivity with Youth in the Rio Grande Valley
Maggie Hansen
Miriam Solis
Cyclists enjoy the bike trail at Estrero Grande State Park, one regional precedent for our work. © Maggie Hansen.
Ali Fard
2025 Research Prize
Through the Cloud: Remapping Mobility in the Technical Landscapes of Northern Virginia
Development timeline along the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. © Ali Fard.
2025 European Research Prize
Coastal Register: Disrupting the Corridor: Water/Ground Mobilities Across the Adriatic
Water stories. © Simonetta Armondi.
Simonetta Armondi
Agim Kërçuku
2025 Robert L. Wesley Award
Jenae Edwards
“Siren City.” © Jenae Edwards.
2025 Robert L. Wesley Award
Israel Jimenez
Braced Communal Platform. © Israel Jimenez.
2025 Robert L. Wesley Award
Nekelle Thomas
Examine the Existing. © Nekelle Thomas.
2025 China Fellowship
Rising Tides, Resilient Lives: Reimagining Vulnerable Communities in the River Deltas of Kampung Melayu, Jakarta
Hao Chang
Reclaiming the Negative Space. © Hao Chang.
2025 China Fellowship
Reconstructing the Power Order of the “Human-Water Relationship” Along China’s Grand Canal
Lu Ming
Axonometric drawing of the inner part of the city wall in the waterfront area. © Lu Ming.
2025 China Fellowship
Four Dimensions of Water Security: Availability, Accessibility, Resilience, and Sustainability
Zhang Nan
Scene of the transformation of the space under the viaduct in the Discover Eco-corridors project. © Zhang Nan.
2025 Researcher-in-Residence
A Permeable Atlas
Pablo Castillo Luna
A Tent for Lovers, A Garden for Pollinators, 2022. © Pablo Castillo Luna.
2025 Structural Engineering Fellowship
Reef Resilience: Designing Modular Solutions for Coastal Protection
Rebecca Henig
Coral Rubble at Moore Reef after MARRS star installation. Courtesy of Mars Incorporated and GBR Biology.
Supporting Lafayette International High School Students Interested in Architecture
Gordon Bunshaft. © SOM.
Robert L. Wesley (1937–2026)
Robert L. Wesley, Chicago, 1996. © SOM.
Call for Applications
China Fellowship Applications Now Open. Deadline: April 24, 2026
Featured Fellow
A Taxonomy of Vacancy: Are Underutilized Commercial Strips the Answer to San Antonio’s Housing Shortage?
“A Taxonomy of Vacancy” demonstrates that multifamily infill housing along VIA Metropolitan Transit’s proposed rapid transit corridors can meet San Antonio’s 25-year housing demand without greenfield expansion or residential displacement. Using spatial analysis, data visualization, and prototype design, the research reimagines underutilized commercial corridors as compact, transit-oriented, walkable neighborhoods.
2023 Research Prize
Ian Caine
Esteban López Ochoa
Rudy Niño, Jr.
Christine Quattro
Wei Zhai
University of Texas at San Antonio
School of Architecture + Planning
City of San Antonio
Planning Department
Appalachian State University
College of Arts and Sciences
There are 3,938 developable parcels covering 2,720 acres along the proposed rapid transit routes. © Ian Caine.
Aerial rendering of Transit-Oriented Development in Perrin Beitel Corridor along Nacogdoches Road. © Ian Caine.
Past
Block by Block: Decoding New American Dreams of Housing
Organized by De Peter Yi, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Cincinnati DAAP and director of Rebuild Collective, Block by Block is an exhibition that explores the design potential of accessory dwelling units, upzoning, lot splitting, single stair exits, and mass timber construction in housing. Read
Recent News
SOM Foundation Launches Search for Executive Director
In collaboration with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will provide strategic and visionary leadership and will be responsible for advancing the mission of the SOM Foundation. The Executive Director will set priorities to advance and amplify the impact of its core awards program, operations, and long-term financial security.
SOM Foundation Archive Opens
Established in 2026, the SOM Foundation Archive is a collection and research initiative located within the SOM Chicago office. The SOM Foundation Archive makes the records of the Foundation accessible to researchers interested in the work supported by the SOM Foundation since its founding in 1979.
2026 China Fellowship Opens
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2026 China Fellowship. The $15,000 China Fellowship is awarded annually to one student in the last two years of either an undergraduate or graduate program in architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, or urban design in the People’s Republic of China to conduct independent travel and research that contributes to the SOM Foundation’s current topic, “Exploring the Potential of Mobility Corridors.” The China Fellowship was created in 2006 to support emerging design leaders to broaden their education and contribute to their future professional and academic careers.