On July 21st, 2016, the American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC) announced two SOM projects as winners of its 2016 Design Awards, which recognizes innovative design by California-based architects. The Strand and Poly International Plaza were both honored in the Architecture category.
SOM received the Honor Award in Architecture for its renovation of The Strand, a 100-year-old theater on San Francisco’s Market Street that has been transformed into a venue for the city’s preeminent theater company, American Conservatory Theater. The jury selected SOM’s Poly International Plaza, an office complex in Beijing whose main tower features a striking, faceted structural design, as a recipient of the Merit Award in Architecture.
The awards jury, composed of leading international designers, reviewed more than 250 entries, ultimately selecting projects that are “resolute in power” and provide the “ability to both understand and inspire.”