In 2000, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, a leading architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and graphics firm, created SOM Collaborative. A subsidiary of SOM, the Collaborative draws from the resources of the entire firm, including colleagues from SOM’s offices around the world. It often pairs with other professions such as technology consultants, business consultants, and even cultural anthropologists, to design innovative products that are missing from the marketplace. SOM Interior Design Partner Stephen A. Apking and Director of Strategic Innovation Christian P. Arkay-Leliever, lead the SOM Collaborative. What follows is a discussion of the Collaborative’s purpose.