Two Projects Receive International Architecture Awards

Two Thornton Tomasetti projects–the Solar Canopy/EV Dock in Chicago, Ill. and Palazzo Lombardia in Milan, Italy–received the prestigious International Architecture Awards. The awards, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, the European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd., recognize excellence in architecture and urban planning. We provided structural design and detailing of steel and connections to Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture for the prototype canopy structure, which is designed to harvest solar energy and power electric/hybrid vehicles. The canopy is located on Northerly Island, where it is being used by the City of Chicago to charge its fleet of cars. The 11-ft-tall structure with a steel superstructure and concrete foundation features a 300-sf canopy with photovoltaic panels that can provide shade for two cars. It is designed to function as a single unit or linked with multiple canopies. All connections were coordinated with an emphasis on architectural aesthetic and ease of constructability. The Palazzo Lombardia features a 40-story tower, with three stories below grade, which was the tallest building in Italy when completed in 2011. The multi-building complex serves as the new home of the Lombardy Regional Government. It includes a nine-story curvilinear podium composed of six independent buildings separated by expansion joints and a large public plaza enclosed by an arched tubular lamella roof clad with an ETFE pillow membrane. Thornton Tomasetti provided structural design to Pei Cobb Freed and Partners.