The Partners of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) are pleased to announce the election of the following individuals as Partners, effective October 1, 2014: C. Keith Boswell, Brant E. Coletta, Laura Ettelman, Kenneth A. Lewis, and Jonathan Stein. These talented new leaders bolster an already strong and diverse partnership, which will now total 21.
SOM’s Executive Committee issued the following statement: “All five of these new partners are world-renowned leaders in their respective fields. As design, management, and technical experts, together they reflect the firm’s holistic design approach. We are deeply confident each will help lead the firm into the future, while upholding SOM’s core ethos and values.”
C. Keith Boswell, FAIA Boswell has extensive experience overseeing the detailed design and construction documentation for some of SOM’s most technically challenging projects. A specialist in designing and executing complex building systems such as curtain walls, elevator systems, and special construction, Boswell is actively engaged in the research and application of materials. He is the author of the book “Exterior Building Enclosures”, which addresses the design and execution of sophisticated envelopes. His broad portfolio includes office buildings, higher education, government facilities, and airports. His expertise is demonstrated in projects such as the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and Huawei Corporate Headquarters in Shanghai.
Brant E. Coletta, AIA Coletta has brought his management expertise to a diverse array of typologies domestically and abroad, including commercial office buildings, large-scale master plans, mixed-use complexes, residential condominiums, and financial trading floors. Recently, Coletta has coordinated several notable projects in China, Korea, and the United States, including the highly sustainable Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank Headquarters and Baccarat Hotel & Residences in New York City.
Laura Ettelman, AIA Ettelman is an expert at leading large multidisciplinary teams from planning and design through construction administration. Drawing upon her deep design and technical experience, Ettelman has skillfully managed a wide variety of aviation, healthcare, and education projects with complex programmatic and technological requirements. Notable completed facilities include Terminal 1 at the Toronto Pearson International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2 in Mumbai.
Kenneth A. Lewis, AIA Lewis has managed some of the firm’s most complex and demanding projects in urban centers. His expertise is particularly focused on the built environment in the city of New York, where he has led several projects of enormous scale and visibility, including the award-winning Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle and 7 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Lewis is currently managing Brookfield Office Properties’ Manhattan West, a five-million-square-foot mixed-use development on Manhattan’s Far West Side, the establishment of Citigroup’s global headquarters in TriBeCa, and One World Trade Center, which is now in the final stages of construction.
Jonathan Stein, AIA A respected leader in management, Stein has orchestrated an impressive array of projects throughout the world. His diverse portfolio spans in scale and typology from supertall towers and expansive master plans to residences, hotels, retail spaces, and corporate interiors. Recent work includes the 1.7 million square-foot Tanjong Pagar Centre in Singapore and Pertamina Energy Tower in Jakarta, the world’s first supertall tower for which energy is the primary design driver.
NEW DIRECTORS
In addition to the five new Partners, four new SOM Directors have been named:
Javier Arizmendi, AIA, LEED® AP Arizmendi is a senior designer in the San Francisco office. His portfolio includes work in the United States, Asia and Latin America. Since joining SOM in 1994, Arizmendi has worked on a variety of project types, from academic, science and technology buildings, to public and civic institutions, mixed-use high-rises and transportation facilities. Arizmendi’s interests reside in an architecture where the integration of building systems, tech-nology and a sense of place are clearly expressed, as exemplified in projects such as Poly Real Estate Headquarters in Guangzhou, the San Diego Central Courthouse, the University of California Los Angeles Teaching and Learning Center for Health Sciences, and Transbay Block 9 in San Francisco.
Larry Chien, AIA Chien is a senior project manager in the San Francisco office and one of the firm’s key links to China, where he has established strong relationships with clients, design institutes, and consultants. His knowledge of China’s design and building industry helps expedite every facet of a project. Chien has also been responsible for the coordination and management of all professional disciplines involved in his projects. His most notable work includes the headquarters and museum for China Poly Corporation, COFCO Andingmen, Agile Corporation Headquarters in Guangzhou, Nanjing Jinao Fairmont Hotel Tower, and Huawei Technologies Corporate Campus in Shanghai.
Peter Kindel, AIA, ASLA Kindel is an architect in the Chicago office focused on the design of cities, communities, and districts, and their complementary relationship to environmental and transportation systems. A specialist in large-scale, mixed-use development projects, Kindel’s portfolio includes a national plan and development strategy for the Kingdom of Bahrain and award-winning master plans in Asia and the U.S. Guided by a deep appreciation for ecological forms and processes, Kindel is dedicated to incorporating sustainable concepts in practice.
Derek A.R. Moore, AIA, Ph.D. Moore is a senior designer and planner in the New York office. Moore specializes in the strategic planning, architectural layout, and spatial design of airport terminals, other transportation facilities, and urban environments. Recent projects include Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2 and Denver Union Station. Moore holds advanced degrees in the history of art and architecture and wrote his PhD dissertation as a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome.
About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,700 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Abu Dhabi.