Opening della Mostra “Beyond the Structure” di SOM- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill a Madrid

On Wednesday, April 24th, “Beyond the Structure” (“+ Allá de la Estructura”) opened in Madrid.Presented in collaboration with Fundación COAM, the exhibition spotlights the integration of SOM’s structural engineering practice with architectural design, and explores the idea that engineers and architects practice a spatial poetry of inquiry, experimentation, and ingenuity. 
First displayed in Munich in early 2016, the original concept for the exhibition was based on a special monograph published by Detail magazine in 2015. Since then, different iterations of the exhibition have been displayed in Hamburg and Cologne; in Aalborg, Denmark; at the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial; as a collateral exhibition of the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture; and, most recently, as a part of MEXTRÓPOLI in Mexico City. It will be on view in Madrid until June 20th, 2019.

The centerpiece of the current exhibition in Madrid is an installation of structural models at 1:500 scale putting SOM’s groundbreaking projects on display. The model lineup features some of SOM’s most innovative recent work around the world, including JTI Headquarters in Geneva; Exchange House in London and Hotel Arts in Barcelona, alongside influential and pioneering projects designed throughout the firm’s history, including John Hancock Center (now known as 875 North Michigan Avenue), Sears Tower (now known as Willis Tower), and Burj Khalifa.  

New to the traveling exhibition is a 5-by-5-by-3 meters timbrel vault structure. Constructed of overlapping bricks and mortar, the vault’s design incorporates shape optimization to yield an ultra-light and efficient shell form. The piece exemplifies one of the exhibition’s main themes: that the economy of a structure depends on how efficiently it can be constructed. The vault was made in collaboration with the University of Alcalá and the Timbrel Vault Workshop and is the result of joint work developed in recent editions of the workshop. 

Exhibition: “Beyond the Structure”

April 24, 2019 – June 20, 2019 
Monday to Friday
8:00 am to 8:00pm CET
Rooms Gutiérrez-Soto and Mercadal – COAM 
Calle de Hortaleza 63, 
Madrid

About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) LLP Europe

We are a collective of architects, designers, engineers, and planners working together to build a better future. Our firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), is responsible for some of the world’s most technically and environmentally advanced buildings, and significant public spaces. We design spaces that anticipate new ways of living, working, and learning and bring lasting value. Our approach is highly collaborative, and our interdisciplinary team is international. Working from a network of creative studios across the globe, we are able to apply international expertise at a local level.

About COAM

The Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid (COAM) is the public law corporation that represents and defends the professional interests of Madrid’s architects and safeguards the cultural and environmental values of Architecture for the benefit of society. The College undertakes all necessary actions to prevent professional intrusion and to enforce technical standards, competition and intellectual property in the exercise of the profession. At the same time, COAM offers a wide catalogue of services and training to improve the quality of the work of architects, and develops cultural activities aimed at citizens learn to value Architecture and the work of the architect.

Source : SOM