Now, both SOM and Adrian Smith are vying for the Kingdom Tower project in Riyadh, which if built, would rise higher than the Burj Khalifa. 'There's been quite an exodus over the years from SOM.' Mr Smith said he had poached some of SOM's best talents, including the former chief technical director of the Burj Khalifa, he said. It was the culmination of many years of work and one of the most thrilling moments of my. Burj Khalifa’s is 828 metres / 2,716.5 feet high. Architect Adrian Smith, who designed Burj Khalifa while at the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), attended the opening ceremonies. It would seem like there isn't room in Chicago for two high concept architectural firms. The world’s tallest building opened on Jan 4 2010. 'They don't want to give me any credibility in terms of being my competitor.'Īt the opening ceremonies of the tower, the two groups could hardly be in the same room. 'Because I am in competition with them, they won't say that I designed this building or six other buildings I did while I was there,' Mr Smith said. The skyscraper holds a number of impressive records, including the world’s highest occupied floor, the highest outdoor observation deck and the longest.

Now he has designed the next world’s tallest, the Jeddah Tower. The Burj Khalifa was designed by legendary US architect Adrian Smith with help from engineering firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), who were also behind Manhattan House and Willis Tower. SOM, on the other hand, has confidently taken credit for the project and received wide media attention around the world. The man leading the upward push is Adrian Smith, the legendary Chicago architect who designed the Burj Khalifa, completed in 2010. Mr Smith said in an interview last week that SOM refuses to give him credit for the work he did on the Burj Khalifa, which he claims was the entire design of the building. SOM and Adrian Smith's firms are fierce competitors in the small world of extremely lucrative super tall building design and engineering. But in 2006, he left the company to start his own firm with Gordon Gill - called, rather simply, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.įast forward to the inauguration of the Burj Khalifa - and you'll find these two groups are barely on speaking terms. He was the architect in charge of design for the Burj Dubai, which was eventually renamed the Burj Khalifa. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architectureįirst a bit of background: For years, Adrian Smith was one of the most senior architects at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago - having served as the chief executive at one point and the designer of many of the company's prestigious contracts. Architect Adrian Smith, a partner in Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

Adrian smith architect burj khalifa