Appelquist-Architect is an interdisciplinary practice engaging in architecture and design through an inclusive methodology of research, expansive collaboration and extensive experimentation. The work develops through research ranging from typology, digital production, structure, material, program and use, to larger networks of social, cultural, and environmental consideration. The scope of Appelquist-Architect ' research constantly shifts and expands as each individual project has the potential to engage a unique set of parameters, specific to its condition. This process of "radical inclusion" allows Appelquist-Architect to participate in design at different scales - from product design, to private residences, to cultural institutions to large scale urban infrastructure.

Claes-Henric Appelquist, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, received his Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2003. Claes joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill(SOM) in New York in December 2004 and he worked as an associate design director of the interiors department. His has comprehensive experience of innovative workplace models for large corporate headquarters, luxury hotels and product designs. The list of clients is extensive including firms such as Morgan Stanley, BBVA, JP Morgan Chase, The James Hotel in New York and Miami, W Hotels, The Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts in Mexico City and Bahrain, and The Jumeirah Hotel Group in Kuwait.
Claes was the winner of 2004 SOM Foundation Travel Fellowship where he went to Japan to study the “Concept of Mah”. His works have won numerous awards. The renovation of the Inland Steel tower, a National Historic Landmark where the project aims to make workplace comfort environmentally, economically sustainable and one of the first commercial interiors in the United States to achieve triple LEED Platinum certification. In 2008 the project received the American Institute of Architects Honor Award Preservation and Sustainability for the proposed innovative efforts. It also received Progressive Architecture Award Research & Development as well as Award Building Type in 2008. The project also recently won the 2010 Green GOOD DESIGN Awards from the Chicago Athenaeum. In addition, Claes also collaborated on the design of furnishings and fixtures for manufacturing clients through the SOM Collaborative, including the prestigious Fusital collection of door hardware for Valli & Valli, and furnishings for the Unifor collection. For his collaboration with Valli & Valli, Claes also received several awards. Valli & Valli Hardware, a simple, elegant door handle that provides a visual clue to the overall design. The shape of the handle is a single bold stroke that implies the motion required to operate it. The design was crafted with the help of software used in the automobile industry. In 2007, Chicago Athenaeum issued the International Industrial and Graphic Design Award: Good Design, Hardware. The same year, Interior Design also selected it for Best of Year: Designer’s Choice, Hardware as well as the Spark Award issued Product/Industrial Design Category: Silver Award.

Selected Project Experience
Arcos Retail
Mexico City, Mexico
Interior architectural design for a high-end retail and entertainment center.
BBVA
Headquarters, Madrid, Spain
Offices, New York, NY
BBVA Bancomer Operations Center, Mexico City, Mexico
Interior Fit-Out/ SOM is implementing the new global workplace standards across three new locations in Mexico and Madrid, as well as at an existing location for the BBVA New York office.
BBVA
Global Workplace Standards
Development of international design guidelines for the largest Spanish speaking Financial organization in the world.
Cyrus Capital
New York, New York
Interior design for 20,400 sf project occupying two floors at the top of Lever House. The public/residential zone is a loft-like environment with an interconnecting stair, gym, library and pantry/coffee service areas. Additional features include a raised platform reception and a double-sided two-story fireplace. The private/work zone consists of an open plan with rows of linear desks to accommodate traders and administrative staff.




Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA)
Design of Dining Installation for fundraising event and exhibition in New York City: 2004 - 2008.
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences
City Santa Fé, Mexico City, Mexico
Interior Design of 120-key 5-star hotel with 50,000 sf conference center and 322 branded luxury condominiums in two 600-foot tall towers in City Santa Fé, Mexico, 1.1 million gsf
Manama, Bahrain
Interior Design of the 300 room, 450,000 sf luxury hotel and resort within a 300 meter tower.

Goldman, Sachs and Co.
200 West Street, New York, New York
Interior design & fit-out of 850,000 sf corporate headquarters offices
Grey Group
New York, New York
On the roof of the Grey Group’s Flatiron office building, SOM has designed an alternative work and entertainment space.
Harbinger Capital
New York, New York
Interior Design for financial services firm, 18,000 sf spread over 2 floors.



Inland Steel Building Restoration
Chicago, Illinois
Interior architectural design and renovation of the historic 240,000 sf Chicago landmark office building. The design adds modern amenities such as a conference center, fitness center and an auditorium. Designed for Triple LEED Platinum Certificatiom
Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
New York, New York
Design competition for the remodeling and expansion of one of the country’s most prestigious schools for art history, archeology and conservation; project includes the connecting of the original historic building on Fifth Avenue to a donated space next door for use as an advanced research center.
Japanese Tobacco Company, Headquarters
Geneva, Switzerland
For this 260,000 sf headquarters project. SOM is designing the building and developing the workplace model. Through strategic analysis, research and the definition of design criteria SOM has defined a workplace that breaks down corporate silos and contributes to the creation of a seamless network.
Specifically, this resulted in the workplace experiencing an 85% increase in collaborative area seats per person (from 0.33 seats/person to 0.61 seats/person). Additionally, the design provides for an interior landscape that maximizes the role of interconnecting stairs, and provides increased opportunities for spontaneous casual interaction.
Jinao Tower Hotel
Nanjing, China
Fairmount Hotel

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Interior design for 400,000 sf, 250-room, five-star hotel, including spa, 90 service departments, retail mall, wedding hall for 1,000 people, beach facility, and 150-boat marina.
Luxury Apartment
Denver, Clorado
Interior Design of a 4,000 sf penthouse apartment with rooftop for a developer.
Morgan Stanley
Master Plan for New York City Campus
Master plan evaluation of Morgan Stanley’s NY Metro region real estate (17 buildings in total), as well as restack and renovation of Morgan Stanley’s headquarters facility at 1585 Broadway. SOM recently completed the workplace standards inclusive of 4 trading floors and 10 office floors with the fast-track design implementation for one trading floor, 400,000 sf., 2012



Mercury Tower Penthouse
Moscow, Russia
9000 sf Private Residence for a develper
Silverstein Properties Offices
New York, New York
Interior design for the real estate developer’s new headquarters on the 38th floor of Seven World Trade Center.
The James Hotel
New York, New York
Interior design for 174 room hotel with amenities and James Club, meeting center, fitness, spa, and restaurant, 130,000 gsf
Miami, Florida
The renovation and conversion of a building in the Miami Beach Art Deco District into a 160-room luxury boutique hotel, 115,000 sf.

Tiffany Roof Garden
New York, New York
On the roof of the Tiffany’s Headquarters in Flatiron office building, SOM has designed an alternative
work and entertainment space in the form of a Labyrinth.

Unifor Collection
Office Furniture System and Flexible Partition System development for the Inland Stell Building Restoration
Valli & Valli Door Hardware
Design a line of door levers, knobs and bathroom fixtures.
8 Washington
San Fransisco, California
A full service luxury condominium development in downtown San Fransisco with 12,100 sf of Residential Amenity Space in Base and 244 Units over 8 Floors.
Waldorf Astoria
New York
In 2009, SOM worked with the Waldorf Astoria to analyze and investigate some of the key hotel components in order to uncover important areas that required further development and attention. SOM began by mapping out a very initial range of potential solutions and a look & feel for any future renovation.
W Union Center Hotel and Residences
Denver, Colorado
Master planning and concept design for the hotel and adjacent properties.
Young & Rubicam Inc.
New York, New York
An Efficiency analysis for this leading Media conglomerate on 285 Madison Ave location, including an occupancy and Infrastructural upgrade feasibility study.