Ross Wimer & Keith Besserud, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, USA

ROSS WIMER
As a design partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Ross Wimer has created innovative architectural projects in over 20 cities on five continents. Although the majority of these designs are for large scale mixed-use programs such as Leamouth Peninsula in London, Infinity Tower in Dubai, and White Magnolia Plaza in China, Mr. Wimer’s projects are dramatically diverse. Examples range from city planning as in the 93 hectare Marina Bay Master Plan, to airport design as in Changi Airport Terminal 3, to industrial design as in the New York Standard Streetlight and door hardware for Valli & Valli SPA. Since joining SOM in 1995, he has worked to integrate the rigour and logic of engineering into his designs. Environmental sustainability and expressive structure typically help define the aesthetic of his architecture, which can be seen in projects such as Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza. His projects have been published widely; exhibited at the Venice Biennale, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York; and have received numerous awards, including three PA awards.


KEITH BESSERUD
Keith Besserud is an architect and the leader of the BlackBox Studio in the Chicago office of Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Keith received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and then his Masters from Georgia Tech. After practicing for 19 years he made the decision to return to school for an engineering degree in the newly created Product Architecture and Engineering program at the Stevens Institute of Technology. The PAE program at Stevens provided the opportunity for an intensive, cross-disciplinary concentration in the application of advanced digital technologies to the practice of Architecture.

To build on this experience Keith was invited to establish the BlackBox Studio at SOM in Chicago. The BlackBox Studio emphasises the use of parametric modeling, performance analysis tools, and computer programming as a means to bridge disciplinary divides in search of novel and "informed" building forms. Their toolbox includes heuristics based on evolutionary computation, swarm theory, emergence, and other stochastic methods to simulate physical and behavior patterns. Some of their recent work deals with solar form optimisation, parametric urban design, sunlight access optimisation, and natural patterns of mall walkers.