Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the legendary architecture firm behind Chicago's Sears Tower and John Hancock Center, has been creating innovative and iconic achievements for six decades. The firm, which was featured as one of 2009's Fast Company 50, won 54 awards in 2008 and is currently engaged in more than 1,000 projects worldwide. SOM: Architecture of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 1997-2008, is one edition in a five-volume monograph showcasing the firm's most prominent works.

Oakland, California, 2008
The view from the altar toward the baptismal font and aluminum-paneled Alpha Window. The 106-foot-tall sanctuary features concrete walls with Douglas fir louvers above.

San Francisco, California, 2000
The west facade showcases the building's distinctive roof formed by double cantilever steel trusses.

New York, New York, 2006
The fifty-two-story, 1.7-million-square-foot glass tower was the first structure built at Ground Zero after September 11, 2001.

Chicago, Illinois, 2002
The 17-acre park includes a great lawn, pedestrian bridge, and concert pavilion, as well as an underground complex that serves as a multimodal transit center. The space provides a venue for performance, athletics and public art, incorporating major elements designed by Frank O. Gehry Associates.

Beijing, China, 2008
A view of the consular pavilion, the mid-rise office building behind it, and Jeff Koons' Tulips set in the lotus pool outside.

New York, New York, 2004
The shape of the towers corresponds to the city grid, the curve of Columbus Circle, and the diagonal angle of Broadway.

Tel Aviv, Israel, 2002
The view of the arrivals hall from the mezzanine level shows the juxtaposition of the structure's modern metal-and-glass palette with the light-reflecting natural stone. The international terminal complex is set in a terraced garden drawing upon Israel's climate and natural resources.

Suitland, Maryland, 2007
The exterior facade of the 1.5-million-square-foot low-rise building is softened by a brise-soleil of white oak fins.

Tokyo, Japan, 2007
The Midtown Tower, Midtown East and Midtown West surrounds the central plaza of the 25-acre complex which includes apartments, hotels, offices, a museum and a five-acre park.