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Brian Lee (architect)

Brian Lee, FAIA, LEED®AP, is an architect and Design Partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). Lee has described himself “a pragmatist in search of the poetic.” He received his M.Arch. degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design before joining SOM’s San Francisco office in 1979. He was named a Partner in 1999 and moved to the Chicago office in 2007.

Within the collaborative environment of SOM, Lee has directed the design of many notable, award-winning buildings, including the China World Trade Center 3 and Poly Corporation Headquarters (both in Beijing); Poly International Plaza in Guangzhou, China; the Tianjin Global Financial Tower in Tianjin, China; the University of California San Diego Telemedicine Education Building; and the Kia Motors America Research and Development Project Design Center in Irvine, Calif.

Both the China World Trade Center and Tianjin Global Financial Center are the tallest buildings in their respective cities. “(T)here’s something exhilarating about a tall structure that makes a mark for a city and a region,” Lee told Chicago Public Radio in August 2013.

Speaking about Chicago in the same interview, Lee said, “The spirit of can-do here, and the real appreciation of architecture as being an accomplishment of generations of people that live in Chicago, is very strong. So I think that it’s a very beautiful place that can accommodate tall buildings. There’s a natural balance between the built environment and the natural environment.”

Work designed by Brian Lee that is currently under construction includes the New World Tower in Tianjin, China; Ningbo Bank of China Headquarters in Ningbo, China; and the Qingdao Shi Nan District Audit Bureau in Qingdao, China.

Lee is currently designing the Chinatown Branch Library in Chicago, in a design/build collaboration between SOM and Wight & Company.

Significant projects China World Trade Center 3, Beijing, China Poly Corporation Headquarters; Beijing, China Poly International Plaza; Guangzhou, China Tianjin Global Financial Tower; Tianjin, China University of California San Diego Telemedicine Education Building; San Diego, Calif. Kia Motors America Research and Development Project Design Center; Irvine, Calif.

References SOM.com, https://www.som.com/brian-lee Chicago Tribune, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-10-06/news/ct-met-libraries-kamin-1003-20131006_1_chicago-public-library-branches-commissioner-mary-dempsey Architectural Record, http://archrecord.construction.com/features/GDGB/2012/KIA-Motors-America.asp Crain’s Chicago Business, http://www.chicagobusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/dcce?Site=CG&Date=20120822&Module=15&Category=crainevents-archived&Class=151&Type=1530&ID=2762478&Selected=11 Chicago Public Radio, http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city/next-supertall-building-chicago-108531 AIA Chicago, http://www.aiachicago.org/special_features/2012DEA/awards.asp?appId=681 AIA San Francisco, http://www.aiasf.org/programs/competition/design-awards/2010/poly-international-plaza/

External Links www.som.com – The official website of Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP http://www.cwtc.com/cwtc/world/eworld_third.html - China World Trade center