The SOM Foundation supports individuals with the highest aspirations to enhance the design of the built environment.
2026 Researcher-in-Residence
Sixth Street Viaduct as Next Generation Infrastructure
Linda C. Samuels
Sixth Street Viaduct, Los Angeles. Photograph by Iwan Baan, Courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture.
2026 Structural Engineering Fellowship
Critical Connectors: Regenerating Structures and Community Through Short-span Bridges
Lili Boenigk
Double living root bridge in East Khasi, India, 2011. CC BY 2.0 Arshiya Urveeja Bose.
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.
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
Research Prize Applications Open in September 2026
European Research Prize Applications Open in September 2026
Robert L. Wesley Award Applications Open in September 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 and MAK Center for Art and Architecture Announce Winner of the 2026 Researcher-in-Residence
The MAK Center for Art and Architecture and the SOM Foundation are pleased to announce that Linda C. Samuels has been awarded the 2026 Researcher-in-Residence. Linda C. Samuels is Professor and Chair of urban design at the Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. Louis and the inaugural Director of Sustainable Design and Environmental Justice. Samuels will receive a $5,000 stipend and a five-week summer residency in Los Angeles at the MAK Center’s Mackey Apartments designed by R.M. Schindler for work related to her research proposal, “Sixth Street Viaduct as Next Generation Infrastructure.”
SOM Foundation Announces Winner of 2026 Structural Engineering Fellowship
The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the winner of the 2026 Structural Engineering Fellowship. Lili Boenigk, a graduate student in the Building Technology program in the Department of Architecture at MIT, will receive $20,000 to conduct original research related to her proposal, “Critical Connectors: Regenerating Structures and Community Through Short-span Bridges.” During her fellowship, Lili Boenigk will document understudied bridge-building practices, emphasizing the role of collective participation and culture in infrastructure siting, design, and maintenance.
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.