Thornton Tomasetti

Thornton Tomasetti
Name	Thornton Tomasetti
Type	Private
Founded	1956
Founder	Daniel Thornton; David Tomasetti
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
Key people	Michael Burke; Charles Thornton; Daniel Tomasetti
Industry	Structural engineering; building consulting; forensic engineering
Services	Structural engineering; façade engineering; building performance; forensics; resilience

Thornton Tomasetti

Thornton Tomasetti is a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm known for structural engineering, façade design, and building technology services. The firm has contributed to high-profile projects across North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, collaborating with architecture and construction firms, real estate developers, and public agencies. Its work spans skyscrapers, cultural institutions, transportation hubs, and complex adaptive reuses, engaging with leading architects, contractors, and research institutions.

History

Founded in 1956, the firm emerged during a postwar era of rapid urban development, engaging with projects linked to firms and institutions such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, I. M. Pei, Eero Saarinen, Philip Johnson and Robert A. M. Stern. During the 1970s and 1980s Thornton Tomasetti expanded services amid collaborations with clients including Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank. In the 1990s and 2000s the firm grew internationally, aligning with global efforts led by entities such as Mitsubishi Estate, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Nakheel, and Qatar Investment Authority. The company’s evolution reflects interactions with regulatory milestones like the aftermath of September 11 attacks, insurance and forensic inquiries involving parties such as National Institute of Standards and Technology, and procurement frameworks used by organizations including Arup and AECOM.

Services and Practice Areas

Thornton Tomasetti provides structural engineering and consulting services in coordination with architectural teams such as Foster + Partners, Norman Foster, Bjarke Ingels Group, Zaha Hadid Architects and Herzog & de Meuron. Its façade engineering practice engages with contractors and manufacturers including Permasteelisa, Buro Happold, and Skanska. The firm’s building performance and sustainability services interface with certification schemes like LEED, WELL Building Standard, and agencies such as U.S. Green Building Council and International WELL Building Institute. Forensic engineering and litigation support connect the firm to legal firms and courts across jurisdictions including New York State Supreme Court, Court of Appeal of England and Wales, and arbitration bodies like International Chamber of Commerce. Other practice areas include resilient design for clients such as Federal Emergency Management Agency, New York City Department of Buildings, and transit authorities like Transport for London.

Notable Projects

The firm has been involved in landmark projects with architects, owners, and contractors, including collaborations on supertalls like One World Trade Center with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and developer Silverstein Properties, and mixed-use developments such as Hudson Yards in coordination with Related Companies and Oxford Properties. Projects extend to institutional works including concert halls and museums with teams from Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Jean Nouvel; transportation projects such as airports alongside LaGuardia Airport modernization partners and contractors like Turner Construction Company and Bechtel; and international towers for clients like Samsung C&T Corporation, China Communications Construction Company, and Emaar Properties. The firm’s portfolio also includes retrofit and adaptive reuse projects with developers such as Hines and preservation organizations like Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Research, Innovation, and Sustainability

Thornton Tomasetti operates research labs and collaborates with universities and institutes such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Princeton University, ETH Zurich, and National University of Singapore. The firm has developed computational design tools and digital platforms integrating workflows used by teams at Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Dassault Systèmes, and Rhino3D plugin developers. In sustainability and resilience the firm contributes to initiatives with organizations like C40 Cities, World Green Building Council, U.S. Green Building Council, and participates in standards dialogues influenced by bodies such as American Society of Civil Engineers and International Code Council. Research topics include seismic performance linked to studies funded by National Science Foundation, wind engineering collaborations with laboratories like Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory and hurricane resilience work with agencies including NOAA.

Organizational Structure and Global Offices

Thornton Tomasetti maintains a leadership structure involving practice group leads, technical directors, and regional managers coordinating offices across continents with locations in cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, London, Dubai, Doha, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Toronto. The firm partners with global contractors and consultancies, and has allied practices and subsidiaries that interact with entities such as EYP, WSP Global, and boutique firms collaborating on specialty engineering, materials science, and forensic investigations.

Awards and Recognition

Thornton Tomasetti and its project teams have received honors from institutions including the American Institute of Architects, Structural Engineers Association of New York, Engineering News-Record, Royal Institute of British Architects, The Concrete Society, and awards such as the CTBUH Awards and ASCE OPAL Awards. Individual projects and staff have been acknowledged by juries from World Architecture Festival, AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE), and international design competitions sponsored by organizations such as Dubai Municipality and Singapore Building and Construction Authority.

Category:Engineering companies of the United States Category:Structural engineering