Thornton Tomasetti
Encyclopedia
Thornton Tomasetti is a 550+ person structural engineering
consulting firm headquartered in New York City
. Founded in 1956 as Lev Zetlin & Associates, the 50-year old company has office locations throughout the world.
With practices in building structure, building skin, building performance, construction support services and property loss consulting, Thornton Tomasetti addresses the full life cycle of a structure. The engineering firm provided the structural design for several of the world's tallest building structures, including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia and Taipei 101
in Taiwan
. Other recognizable structures designed by the firm include Soldier Field
in Chicago
, PETCO Park
in San Diego, and the Minneapolis Public Library
in Minneapolis. Thornton Tomasetti has collaborated with several high profile architects including Cesar Pelli
, Santiago Calatrava
, Renzo Piano
, and Rafael Vinoly
.
Thornton Tomasetti is also committed to advancing sustainable design and construction practices. Approximately one third of Thornton Tomasetti’s staff are LEED
accredited professionals (LEED AP) and the firm is currently involved with more than 70 sustainable building projects. Thornton Tomasetti is also the first engineering company to sign the AIA 2030 commitment.
The Chicago office was created in 1993 when Cohen-Barreto-Marchertas (CBM) was acquired by Thornton Tomasetti. CBM was created in 1965 by Eli Cohen. Under his leadership, CBM pioneered the use of the now common composite steel structural system. This involved the integration of a reinforced concrete core wall, to resist lateral loads, with a light steel floor framing. The development of 50 to 60-story buildings became more feasible and efficient because the lighter framing reduced construction time and expense, and allowed for large, column-free spans, giving architects greater freedom in exterior expression.
In the early 1960s his adaptation of the concrete cooling tower design to high rise offices required a change in the way the unions worked. Until that time ironworker contracts forbid members of other trades to work at higher elevations at job sites. But the proposed system was reviewed with them and they agreed to let concrete workers work above them.
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from the National Building Museum
for his work with this program.
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
consulting firm headquartered in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Founded in 1956 as Lev Zetlin & Associates, the 50-year old company has office locations throughout the world.
With practices in building structure, building skin, building performance, construction support services and property loss consulting, Thornton Tomasetti addresses the full life cycle of a structure. The engineering firm provided the structural design for several of the world's tallest building structures, including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia and Taipei 101
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 , formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Other recognizable structures designed by the firm include Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, PETCO Park
PETCO Park
Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
in San Diego, and the Minneapolis Public Library
Minneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
in Minneapolis. Thornton Tomasetti has collaborated with several high profile architects including Cesar Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
, Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City....
, Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
, and Rafael Vinoly
Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly is an Uruguayan architect living in the United States.-Biography:He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to Román Viñoly Barreto, and Maria Beceiro ....
.
Thornton Tomasetti is also committed to advancing sustainable design and construction practices. Approximately one third of Thornton Tomasetti’s staff are LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
accredited professionals (LEED AP) and the firm is currently involved with more than 70 sustainable building projects. Thornton Tomasetti is also the first engineering company to sign the AIA 2030 commitment.
History
The company began using the name Thornton Tomasetti in 1975 when Charlie Thornton and Richard Tomasetti purchased Lev Zetlin & Associates (LZA) from Gable Industries, to which Lev Zetlin had sold LZA in 1973. Thornton Tomasetti immediately began to branch out and enter the highrise market with several innovative designs.New York office
The New York office essentially began in 1956 as Lev Zetlin & Associates (LZA) by Lev Zetlin upon the completion of his PhD at Cornell University. Lev Zetlin pioneered the use of the double layer bicycle wheel roof system used in the Utica Civic Auditorium, as well as the hyperbolic (hypar) roofs utilized in American Airlines 747 super-hangers at airports in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Lev Zetlin also embraced the creative use of materials, most notably demonstrated in a bridge design made entirely of paper products for an International Paper ad.Chicago office
In the early 1960s his adaptation of the concrete cooling tower design to high rise offices required a change in the way the unions worked. Until that time ironworker contracts forbid members of other trades to work at higher elevations at job sites. But the proposed system was reviewed with them and they agreed to let concrete workers work above them.
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Notable projects
Skyscrapers and buildings
- 1111 South Wabash, Chicago, IL, USA
- 181 West Madison (as CBM ENGINEERS), Chicago, IL, USA
- 191 North Wacker, Chicago, IL, USA
- 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ, USA
- 30 West Oak, Chicago, IL, USA
- 401 East Ontario (as CBM ENGINEERS), Chicago, IL, USA
- 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, USA
- 5 Times Square, New York, NY, USA
- 546 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, USA
- 55 East Erie, Chicago, IL, USA
- 550 West Jackson, Chicago, IL, USA
- 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, USA
- 717 Texas Avenue, Houston, TX, USA
- 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY, USA
- 840 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, USA
- ABN AMRO Plaza, Chicago, IL, USA
- AMA Building (as CBM ENGINEERS), Chicago, IL, USA
- Americas Tower, New York, NY, USA
- Block A, MGM CityCenter – "Project CityCenter", Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Bloomberg TowerBloomberg TowerBloomberg Tower is a glass skyscraper on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It houses the headquarters of Bloomberg L.P., retail outlets, restaurants and 105 luxury condominiums. The residences are known as One Beacon Court and are served by a separate entrance. The tower is the...
, 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, USA - Chase Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Chifley Tower, Sydney, Australia
- Children's Museum of Los AngelesChildren's Museum of Los AngelesThe Children's Museum of Los Angeles was a museum specifically catered to children whose purpose is to educate, entertain and enrich children's lives in the greater Los Angeles area. It was modeled from the children's museums in Boston, Indianapolis and Brooklyn...
, Los Angeles, CA, USA - Citicorp Center (as CBM ENGINEERS), Chicago, IL, USA
- City View Tower, Chicago, IL, USA
- Conrad Chicago Hotel, Chicago, IL, USA
- Comcast Tower, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Continental Center, New York, NY, USA
- Embassy Suites New York, New York, NY, USA
- Erie on the Park, Chicago, IL, USA
- Fifty South Sixth, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Furman Hall, New York, NY, USA
- Harborside Financial Center Plaza 5 & Plaza 10, Jersey City, NJ, USA
- Hilton New Orleans Riverside, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Kingsbury on the Park, Chicago, IL, USA
- Lehman Brothers Building, New York, NY, USA
- Leo Burnett BuildingLeo Burnett BuildingThe Leo Burnett Building, located on 35 West Wacker Drive at North Dearborn Street in the Chicago Loop, is a 46 story, 635 foot tall skyscraper above the Chicago River's west bank. When built in 1989, it was the 12th tallest structure in Chicago. It was designed by Kevin Roche-John Dinkeloo and...
(as CBM ENGINEERS), Chicago, IL, USA - McMahon Hall of Fordham University, New York, NY, USA
- Menara Maxis, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Minneapolis Central Library, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Miranova Condominiums, Columbus, OH, USA
- Modern Art Museum of Fort WorthModern Art Museum of Fort WorthThe Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was first granted a Charter from the State of Texas in 1892 as the "Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery", evolving through several name changes and different facilities in Fort Worth...
, Fort Worth, TX, USA - New York Times BuildingNew York Times BuildingThe New York Times Building is a skyscraper on the west side of Midtown Manhattan that was completed in 2007. Its chief tenant is The New York Times Company, publisher of The New York Times as well as The Boston Globe, the International Herald Tribune, and other newspapers...
, New York, NY, USA - One Indiana Square, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- One Liberty Place, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- One Mellon Bank Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- One Pennsylvania Plaza, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Optima Horizons, Evanston, IL, USA
- Optima Towers, Evanston, IL, USA
- Overture CenterOverture CenterOverture Center for the Arts is a performing arts center and art gallery in Madison, Wisconsin, which replaced the Civic Center. The center was commissioned by Jerome Frautschi, designed by Cesar Pelli, and built by J.H. Findorff and Son. Flad Architects and Potter Lawson led the project as...
, Madison, WI, USA - Park Alexandria, Chicago, IL, USA
- Plaza 66, Shanghai, PRC
- Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- R R Donnely Building (as CBM ENGINEERS), Chicago, IL, USA
- Random House World Headquarters, New York, NY, USA
- Taipei 101Taipei 101Taipei 101 , formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010...
, Taipei, Taiwan - The Westport, New York, NY, USA
- The Plaza at PPL Center, Allentown, PA, USA
- Times Square TowerTimes Square TowerTimes Square Tower is a 47-story, 726-foot office tower in Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, standing at West 41st Street.Started in 2002 and completed in 2004, the tower contains Class A office space. Some of the most prominent features of the Times Square Tower are its billboards,...
, New York, NY, USA - UBS TowerUBS TowerOne North Wacker, formerly UBS Tower is a skyscraper located at One North Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois. The 50 story structure, started in 1999 and completed in the spring of 2002, was designed by Lohan Associates with developer the John Buck Company to accommodate the needs of UBS groups...
, Chicago, IL, USA - University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Building, Chicago, IL, USA
- Westin Hotel at Copley Place, Boston, MA, USA
- Winspear Opera House, Dallas Texas
Stadiums and convention centers
- Arrowhead PondArrowhead PondThe Honda Center, previously known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and colloquially called The Pond or The Ponda, is an indoor arena in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks and was home of the former National Lacrosse League's Anaheim Storm, which...
, Anaheim, CA, USA - Arvest Ballpark. Springdale, AR, USA
- AT&T ParkAT&T ParkAT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, San Francisco, CA, USA - BOK CenterBOK CenterThe BOK Center, or Bank of Oklahoma Center, is a 19,100-seat multi-purpose arena and a primary indoor sports and event venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. Designed to accommodate arena football, hockey, basketball, concerts, and similar events, the facility was built at a cost of $178 million...
, Tulsa, OK, USA - CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA USA
- Ford FieldFord FieldFord Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
, Detroit, MI, USA - Gaylord Entertainment CenterGaylord Entertainment CenterBridgestone Arena, is an all-purpose venue in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, that was completed in 1996.-Ownership and usage:...
, Nashville, TN, USA - Livestrong Sporting ParkLivestrong Sporting ParkLivestrong Sporting Park is a soccer-specific stadium in Kansas City, Kansas and is the home of Sporting Kansas City. The stadium opened during the 2011 season of Major League Soccer on June 9, 2011 with a match against the Chicago Fire. The stadium has a seating capacity of 18,467 seats, which can...
, Kansas City, KS - Meadowlands StadiumMeadowlands StadiumMeadowlands Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home venue of Soweto Panthers F.C. in the Vodacom League. It was built in 2008 for the 2010 World Cup....
, East Rutherford, NJ, USA - Nationals Park, Washington D.C., USA
- Nationwide ArenaNationwide ArenaNationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, of the NHL....
, Columbus, OH - Pepsi CenterPepsi CenterPepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...
, Denver, CO - PETCO ParkPETCO ParkPetco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
, San Diego, CA, USA - Philips ArenaPhilips ArenaPhilips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia.Completed in 1999 to replace The Omni, at a cost of $213.5 million, it is home to the Atlanta Hawks, of the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association...
, Atlanta, GA - PNC ParkPNC ParkPNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...
, Pittsburgh, PA, USA - Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, USA
- Soldier FieldSoldier FieldSoldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
, Chicago, IL, USA - United CenterUnited CenterThe United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...
, Chicago, IL, USA - Yankee StadiumYankee StadiumYankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, New York, NY, USA
Rehabilitation
- Chrysler BuildingChrysler BuildingThe Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at , it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State...
– Facade Rehabilitation, New York, NY, USA - United States Capitol domeUnited States Capitol domeThe United States Capitol dome is the massive dome situated above the United States Capitol which reaches upwards to in height and in diameter. The dome was designed by Thomas U...
– Structural Rehabilitation, New York, NY, USA - Winter Garden Reconstruction – Structural Repairs, New York, NY, USA
Notable projects under construction
- 855 Avenue Of The Americas, New York, NY, USA
- Basra sports cityBasra sports cityBasra Sports City is a sports complex in Basra, Southern Iraq.- Overview :Its construction was started on 15 July 2009 and expected to be completed in 2012...
- Block 21, Austin, Texas, USA
- CBS 2 Broadcast Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Diamond of IstanbulDiamond of IstanbulDiamond of Istanbul is the tallest building currently under construction in Istanbul, Turkey, being built in the city's Maslak central business district. It is also the country's first steel skyscraper...
, Istanbul, Turkey - Eurasia Tower, Moscow, Russia
- Federation TowerFederation TowerThe Federation Tower is a skyscraper currently under construction as part of the Moscow International Business Center in Moscow, Russia. Construction of the towers began in 2003. When completed it will be the tallest building in Europe. However, the construction stopped for a long while...
, Moscow, Russia - Ford Center, Evansville, IN, USA
- Kingdom Tower (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Moscow International Business Center Lot 13, Moscow, Russia
- One Broadway PlazaOne Broadway PlazaOne Broadway Plaza is a 37-story office tower expected to be built in downtown Santa Ana, California. The building is to be the tallest in Orange County, at 497 feet tall. Site preparation began in 2005 but the project was stalled until 2010. As of late 2011 it is considered to be under...
, Santa Ana, Cali, USA - Prentice Women's Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA
- San Francisco Transbay TerminalSan Francisco Transbay TerminalSan Francisco Transbay Transit Terminal, or simply Transbay Terminal, was a transportation complex in San Francisco, California, USA, located roughly in the center of the rectangle bounded north–south by Mission Street and Howard Street, and east–west by Beale Street and 2nd Street...
, San Francisco, CA, USA - The Clare at Water Tower, Chicago, IL, USA
- The Edge, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- We've The ZenithWe've the ZenithWe've the Zenith consists of three skyscrapers, with the tallest being a 80-floor, supertall skyscraper that is topped-out in Busan, South Korea. Construction broke ground in December 2007, and is expected to be completed by 2011...
, Busan, South Korea - Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China
Community projects
In addition to founding Thornton Tomasetti, Charlie Thornton founded The ACE Mentor Program, which is a not-for-profit organization, formed to enlighten and motivate students toward architecture, construction, engineering, and related careers by providing mentoring opportunities for future designers and constructors . In 2008 Thornton was awarded the Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction TechnologyHenry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology
The Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology is awarded annually by the National Building Museum to recognize outstanding leadership and innovation in the field of construction methods and processes, including engineering design and construction techniques and practices...
from the National Building Museum
National Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
for his work with this program.