SOM unveils plans for Lever House renovation in New York

Architecture firm SOM is renovating the glass Lever House skyscraper that it designed in New York in an effort to preserve the modernist office building's "very important legacy".

Completed by SOM in 1952, the 22-storey Lever House is considered one of the first modernist landmarks in New York, helping to popularise glass curtain walls and the International Style architecture movement in the US.

SOM is renovating the Lever House skyscraper that it designed in New York

However, many of the 70-year-old building's original elements and newer additions are ageing and in need of an update.

SOM's aim for the restoration is to reverse this, preserving Lever House's original appearance while also enhancing its sustainability performance to meet modern-day standards.

Lever House "transformed the design of urban towers"

"Lever House introduced the International Style to America and transformed the design of urban towers around the world," explained SOM partner Chris Cooper.

"That is a very important legacy to preserve," he told Dezeen. "It stands out among all the large-scale commercial development underway around the city."

The International Style was a modernist movement defined by simple cubic forms and the use of glass and steel, stripped of any ornamentation.

The renovation aims to preserve the skyscraper's "very important legacy"

But according to Cooper, the building's architectural significance is not the only reason the renovation is important. Its design and location are also particularly unique.

"Its relationship to Park Avenue, with its unique floorplate and the direct access to daylight, nature, and views up and down the avenue, makes this an opportune moment to reinvest in the building," Cooper said.

SOM collaborating with material scientists

Externally, Lever House is characterised by its rectangular form that is surrounded by a glass curtain facade and stainless steel detailing, and elevated over a marble-lined ground floor plaza.

Many of the materials on the ground floor are now deteriorating, while inside, the 21 storeys of offices still rely on its original 20th-century mechanical systems.

SOM is striving to meet LEED Gold through its improvements to the building's environmental performance, which is the second-highest certification attainable by the green building rating system.

The updates to the ground-floor plaza, which are now underway, include the replacement of paving – which is not original to the building – with durable concrete cast in-situ to resemble the 1952 design.

The ground-level plaza will be updated

Overhead, the plaza's water-damaged plaster ceiling will be substituted for a more durable version, while the surrounding stainless steel columns, black limestone and white marble walls will be restored with the help of material scientists.

"This project required a deep exploration into materials science," Cooper explained.

"We worked with specialists to examine all the primary materials that we were working with, and how we could upgrade some of the existing elements."

The glass and steel facade on the ground-level storefront, which is currently cracked and dented in places, will also be rehabilitated, while existing planters are soon to be updated with new birch trees.

Upgrade will "look as close to its original appearance as possible"

Another key element of Lever House's design is the 15,000-square-foot (1,400-square-metre) terrace on the third floor, which is also set to undergo a complete revamp.

The terrace's landscaping will be updated with new shrubs, flowers and birch trees, while the non-original red paving will be swapped out for grey precast concrete to better suit the tower's aesthetic.

As part of the renovation project, the terrazzo flooring and mosaic tile wall inside the tower's lobby will be repaired, while the lighting system will be upgraded to be brighter and more energy-efficient.

The offices will also be given more floor space and higher ceilings, as well as improved ventilation systems that will maximise fresh air.

The third-floor terrace will also be revamped

"Lever House is so important to the history of our firm and modern architecture, and we wanted to upgrade it to look as close to its original appearance as possible," concluded Cooper.

"These are subtle improvements, but they will really renew the arrival experience and help restore the building’s original appearance."

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Another notable modernist building that was recently renovated is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Carried out by British practice David Chipperfield Architects, the project saw the building's ageing structure and exterior restored while its services were modernised.

The studio's founder, David Chipperfield, described the work as "surgical in nature", in an effort to preserve Mies van der Rohe's original vision for the gallery as far as possible.

The renders are byTMRW and the photography is by Ezra Stoller.

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SOM designs Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse informed by classical architecture

Architecture practice Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has received approval for a new 10-storey federal courthouse with a fluted metal and glass exterior in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Recently approved by the US General Services Administration, the new Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse will encompass 252,000 square feet (23,411 square metres) across 10 storeys and will be built to replace an existing nearby courthouse that was constructed in 1979.

Set to be constructed on the southern bank of the Tarpon River in the centre of Fort Lauderdale, the building will include 12 courtrooms, 17 judges chambers, and green spaces for residents of the city.

The new Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse will replace a nearby existing courthouse in the Florida city

SOM explained that the building was informed by the principles of classical architecture. Renders show a vertically emphasised, rectangular tower that rises from a podium.

"The courthouse's exterior will consist of fluted panels of metal and glass that are a contemporary interpretation of Corinthian columns and modulate the bright tropical sunlight," said the firm.

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Landscaping around the podium will provide a collection of green spaces, as well as access to a new riverfront trail that preserves the site's mangroves.

"We wanted to create a building that opens outward to the city," said SOM principal Joseph Ruocco.

"To that end, we composed the courthouse as a symmetrical tower rising above a one-story podium, which lends the building an approachable feel and enables us to add new green spaces throughout the site."

Landscaping around the building will provide the city with green spaces

The interior of the courthouse will be finished with a number of natural materials such as oak and local coral stone, aiming to bring warmth and comfort to the federal building.

Courtrooms will be located on the upper floors and will incorporate light diffusion systems that bring in natural light, while also protecting privacy.

"The Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse embodies the ideals of dignity, transparency, and clarity," said SOM partner Paul Danna.

"Our design emerged from a deep study of the needs of all participants in justice proceedings, as well as a desire to create a building that symbolizes Fort Lauderdale's culture and becomes an integral part of the city's urban fabric."

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On its roof, a system of photovoltaic solar panels will provide the building with energy which will contribute to the courthouse's LEED Gold targets and SITES Silver certification.

The Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse is set to be completed in 2026.

SOM, which was founded in 1939, previously completed a courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles clad in pleats of glass.

Recent projects by the firm include a headquarters that was designed for Shenzhen's Rural Commercial Bank and a UAE diplomacy building in Manhattan that features Middle Easter motifs.

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SOM designs UAE diplomacy building with Middle Eastern motifs in Manhattan

Architecture firm SOM has designed a limestone-clad building patterned with symbolic palm leaves for the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations in Manhattan.

The building represents the United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) diplomacy to the United Nations (UN) and is located in Manhattan's Turtle Bay neighbourhood, close to the UN headquarters.

The building features palm leaf motifs

The Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations is an organisation set up by the UAE to champion the UN and is headed by ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.

Indiana limestone, sourced from the same quarries that provided the facades for the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center, clads the diplomacy building.

It is located in Manhattan's Turtle Bay, close to the UN headquarters

The 10-storey tower was designed to blend with the scale of the rest of the neighbourhood while also representing the UAE.

SOM added palm leaf motifs to the building's canopy and entrance as an international symbol of peace.

The facade's tapering limestone piers echo narrowing palm leaves

As the tower rises, the facade's vertical elements attenuate to cater to privacy and light-related needs within the building, which also echoes the narrowing spine of a palm leaf.

"The palm is represented by the tapering limestone piers extending skywards from the second floor to the roof," SOM design partner Chris Cooper told Dezeen.

Middle Eastern courtyards informed the building's interiors

Visitors enter the building via a 40-foot-tall (13-metre) double-height hallway that was designed to echo a courtyard in a traditional Middle Eastern house.

"On the interior, the concept of hospitality blends Middle Eastern tradition with diplomatic decorum," continued Cooper.

SOM designed the project to be symbolic of international exchange

"The space brings guests and staff together in an environment that is dignified, understated, and symbolic of international exchange."

Split into three zones, the building's first two storeys house the entry hall and event spaces, while floors three to six feature an amenity level and staff offices.

Office spaces are included in the building

Levels seven and eight are reserved for executive areas, and at the top portion of the building, there is a roof terrace with impressive views of the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza below and the East River beyond.

"The layout of each floor of the building is inspired by the principle of the central courtyard, with a central reception and gathering space that is accessible from the elevator lobby," explained Cooper.

"These spaces choreograph the visitor's progression through the building – heeding the hospitable nature of Middle Eastern culture."

Throughout the building, interiors pay tribute to the Middle East. Conference rooms include a traditional geometric pattern known as mashrabiya, which features in every UAE diplomatic office around the world.

Lebanese designer Nada Debs created the interiors for the building's entry hall with a palette of natural materials intended to evoke serenity, such as Northern Canadian limestone.

Neutral interiors are intended to reflect the diplomatic nature of the building

Amenity spaces were designed with flat-cut American walnut and Calacatta marble, while executive spaces house Majlis areas for entertaining guests.

"In designing the mission, we endeavored to integrate Middle Eastern and local motifs, symbolising the power and importance of cross-cultural exchange and rooting the building in New York City's architectural traditions," said Cooper.

Marble features in amenity spaces

SOM is an American firm founded by Louis Skidmore, Nathaniel Owings and John Merrill in 1939. The office was recently chosen to design a mass-timber Olympic village for the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics.

The photography and drawings are courtesy of SOM.

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SOM's inflatable habitats could allow people to "thrive over the long term" on the Moon

Architecture studio SOM and the European Space Agency have created more visuals for Moon Village, a concept for a settlement on the moon made up of inflatable modules.

SOM presented a detailed scale model of Moon Village, which it first announced in 2019, as part of its exhibition Life Beyond Earth at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale.

The proposal is for a collection of individual four-level units located in the moon's south polar region that would provide hubs for scientific research.

The units are designed to be inflatable

SOM said that Moon Village could grow over time, evolving from a settlement for research into thriving communities offering wider opportunities such as tourism.

"For SOM, designing a Moon Village meant creating an environment in which humans will be able to thrive over the long term," senior designer Daniel Inocente told Dezeen.

"This is human-centric design."

Life Beyond Earth is on show at the Venice Architecture Biennale

The modules are designed to be inflatable so that they could be compressed and transported to the moon by rocket, where they would be expanded to full size.

Each of the units would be built around a hybrid structural design that would include a rigid titanium alloy perimeter frame and a soft structural shell.

A scale model and site plan are included in the installation

This shell would feature a layer to protect from micrometeorites and a layer made of open-foam polyurethane and double-aluminised Mylar for insulation.

"Unlike other inflatable designs, which place structural mechanical systems at their centre, this solution creates an open interior that allows for optimised environmental conditions, air distribution and recycling, as well as visibility, efficiency and mobility," said SOM associate director Georgi Petrov.

The units would have four levels

The habitats would be located in the south polar region because it gets a lot of daylight throughout the lunar year, which would allow the units to harness sunlight for energy.

"Its location was also chosen in part to enable access to undisturbed material from the early history of the Solar System," SOM design partner Colin Koop told Dezeen.

"Material that will help scientists better understand the formation of our world."

Life Beyond Earth includes a scale model for an individual inflatable unit, as well as a site model showing a collection of units that would make up the village.

The installation addresses the biennale's theme for this year that looks towards the future and asks, "How will we live together?"

An interior view of an inflatable unit

The project was informed by European Space Agency director-general Jan Wörner's concept of a Moon Village, an international community he defines as one whose members could live and work alongside each other in space.

As a lunar settlement, Moon Village is intended to encourage collaboration between countries and communities rather than competition.

The modules are intended initially for scientific research

Koop explained that while there is no definitive timeline for the project, it is designed to be realised with existing technologies and those emerging in the near future.

"Just as innovation from the mid-century space race brought us beneficial technology that we otherwise would not have, the Moon Village will enable the research and innovation that will help solve pressing problems here on Earth."

As well as providing a liveable habitat in space, Koop suggested that the project would offer insight into how we might build more adaptable settlements on Earth in the future.

"Designing a self-sustaining settlement on the moon in such a hostile environment will teach us invaluable lessons about sustainable and resilient design," said Koop.

"It will help us prepare for a changing climate and pioneer new methods of building for a variety of environments."

A community of units forming a lunar village

SOM, or Skidmore, Owings & Merill, is a global architecture, engineering and urban planning firm headquartered in Chicago and founded in 1963.

Formed in 1975, The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to space exploration.

Other recent designs for the moon include a similarly expandable and self-sustainable lunar habitat by a startup called Instarz and a human lander designed by Elon Musk for a 2024 mission scheduled to carry the first woman to the moon.

All the images are courtesy of SOM.

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