New York, NY: Time Magazine named Al Hamra Tower one of the best inventions of 2011 in its November 28, 2011 Inventions issue, which includes the “50 most inspired ideas, innovations and revolutions, from the microscopic to the stratospheric.” Al Hamra Tower, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), is the only completed building to be included in the round-up. The magazine made particular mention of the building’s iconic form, which was designed with the aim of maximizing views and minimizing solar heat gain on the office floors; a quarter of each floor plate is chiseled out of the south side, shifting from west to east over the height of the tower. The result reveals rich, monolithic stone at the south wall framed by the graceful, twisting ribbons of torqued walls. Al Hamra Firdous Tower will be complete in early 2012.
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 1,400 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, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi.
