Richard Tomasetti

Chairman - Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., New York, NY

Engineering of Major Architecture, Then and Now
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Friday, February 15th, 2008
4:10 P.M.

Sinclair Laboratory Auditorium

Overview:

The nature and process of the contribution that structural engineering has made to architecture has changed over time. This is manifested by the evolution of the master builder into a collaborative team of specialists. This lecture will discuss some of the history of engineering including the integration of architecture, engineering design and materials technology. Comparisons will be made between the major structures of the past, such as domes and cathedrals, and our modern skyscrapers and long span structures. Examples will include some of the tallest buildings in the world , built and under design, as well as major sports facilities.

RICHARD TOMASETTI, P.E., Hon. AIA: Mr. Tomasetti is Chairman of Thornton Tomasetti, Inc. He has extensive and varied experience in the structural design of numerous major commercial, industrial, residential and transportation projects and unique structural systems.

His international firm is renowned for its work on some of the tallest buildings in the world, Cesar Pelli's Petronas Towers (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), C.Y. Lee & Partners' Taipei 101 (Taipei, Taiwan) and Renzo Piano and FX Fowle's NY Times Tower. Thornton Tomasetti has also designed numerous long span sports facilities and is engineer of record for Santiago Calatrava's architectural and engineering designs for the 2,000 ft. high Chicago Spire project.

He has been Chairman of the American Society of Civil Engineers' committee on tall buildings and a member of New York City's Seismic Code Advisory Board. He and his firm were commissioned by New York City to lead the engineering efforts required for the search, rescue, and cleanup at the World Trade Center disaster site.

Mr. Tomasetti's numerous honors and awards include election to the National Academy of Engineering, an honorary doctorate from Manhattan College in 2001, the 2002 ACEC NY Engineer of the Year Award and the 2006 AIA NY Chapter Award. He is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and NYU, an active author, lecturer, and recognized investigator of structures in distress, and has coauthored the book Exposed Structures in Building Design.

Engineering of Major Architecture, Then and Now:

The nature and process of the contribution that structural engineering has made to architecture has changed over time. This is manifested by the evolution of the master builder into a collaborative team of specialists. This lecture will discuss some of the history of engineering including the integration of architecture, engineering design and materials technology. Comparisons will be made between the major structures of the past, such as domes and cathedrals, and our modern skyscrapers and long span structures. Examples will include some of the tallest buildings in the world , built and under design, as well as major sports facilities.

The Fazlur R. Khan Distinguished Lecture Series has been initiated and organized by Dan M. Frangopol, the first holder of Lehigh's Fazlur Rahman Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture.