RICHARD L. TOMASETTI, P.E., HON. AIA

Founding Principal; Chairman, Thornton Tomasetti Foundation

Mr. Richard L. Tomasetti’s 40 years of experience as a structural engineer includes numerous major projects — from the design of the World Financial Center in New York, to Plaza 66 in Shanghai, the tallest all concrete building in China. He worked on the design of the 2000-foot Chicago Spire with architect and engineer, Santiago Calatrava, which will be the world’s tallest all-residential building. The firm he co-founded is also the consulting structural engineer for some of the world’s tallest buildings: Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Taipei 101 in Taiwan and, currently under design, Shanghai Tower in China and 151 Incheon in South Korea.

Richard was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2004. Other honors and awards include the Eugene M. Smith Technical Writing Award, 2006, the AIA NY Chapter 2006 award, the New York Association of Consulting Engineers 2002 “Engineer of the Year Award,” the 1999 Concrete Industry Board “Leader of Industry Award” and citation by Engineering News-Record in “Those Who Made Marks” for developing the “stressed’ skin” tube structure for high-rise buildings.

Richard is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and New York University and an active author and lecturer. He has co-authored the book, “Exposed Structures in Building Design” (McGraw Hill, 1993) and in the Handbook for Architectural Planning and Design (McGraw Hill, 2004), the chapter on protective design of structures in building security. He was the 2008 Fazlur Kahn Lecture Series speaker, “Engineering of Major Architecture, Then and Now” at Lehigh University.

He is a member of advisory boards to Manhattan College, Columbia University, New York University and The Cooper Union, 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 is chairman of the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation, and advisor to the Thornton Tomasetti, Inc. board of directors. Richard received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and an honorary doctorate from Manhattan College and a master’s degree in civil engineering from New York University.