Ideas shaping the cities of tomorrow.

SOM-led design studio, “Tall Buildings: From Archetype to Prototype,” where students examined how emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence, robotic manufacturing, high-performance materials, and next-generation elevator systems—could influence the design of tall buildings.

This semester-long studio explored alternative design approaches to create high-rise buildings that are inspired by the cultural, physical, and environmental aspects of place.

In the second year of MTBVU studios convened by colleagues at Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM), this cutting-edge studio explored in depth the impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having in the field of architecture and building design.

In the Spring 2024 MTBVU studio, students developed adaptive reuse strategies for existing skyscrapers, pairing architectural design with business cases to reimagine the future of downtown buildings.

Nova Pro Forma, marked the first design studio under the newly launched Master of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism (MTBVU) program at Illinois Institute of Technology. Led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).

This was the first studio of the world’s first “Masters of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism” program (MTBVU), building on the investigations of the Towards 2050 / “staring-again-with-cities” studios of a few years previously