Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, announces that Founding Principal Charles H. Thornton, Ph.D., P.E., Hon. AIA, Hon. ASCE, NAE is among five individuals being honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) program for their lifetime achievements. The award will be presented at a black-tie gala at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, Arlington, Va. on March 21.
The OPAL Lifetime Achievement Award is given to civil engineers who “represent a model of achievement to which future generations of engineers aspire to match or exceed.”
Thornton is being honored for his numerous contributions to the field of design. Regarded as one of the world’s preeminent structural engineers and educators, Thornton has been involved in the design, construction and analysis of projects around the world, many of which have set industry standards for innovation and creativity.
His signature projects include the Northwestern Atrium Center (now the Citigroup Center), United Airlines Terminal One at O’Hare Airport and United Center/Bulls and Blackhawks Arena, all in Chicago, Ill.; the Chifley Tower in Sydney, Australia; Tampa City Center in Tampa, Florida;; American Airlines superbay hangars in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif.; and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Thornton, currently chairman of Charles H. Thornton & Company LLC, Straam Inc. and AECOS, Ltd., is a founding principal and former co-chairman of Thornton Tomasetti. He currently serves as a consultant to Thornton Tomasetti.
Thornton is the founder of the ACE Mentor Program, which he established in 1993. ACE has offered guidance to more than 40,000 inner-city high school students in 106 cities around the country and has acquainted these students with the challenges and rewards offered by careers in architecture, engineering and construction. Thus far it has awarded more than $6 million in scholarships. In 2011, the program received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Thornton’s numerous career accolades include the Civil Engineer of the Year Award from ASCE’s Metropolitan Section in 1990, the Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in 2012, Hoover Medal in 2002, the Leonardo da Vinci Award for Leadership and Management Excellence from the Professional Services Management Association in 2003, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Civil Engineering from the Franklin Institute in 2003 and the Golden Eagle Award from the Society of American Military Engineers in 2003.
Thornton earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Manhattan College in 1961, a master’s degree, also in civil engineering, from New York University in 1963 and a doctorate in structural engineering and engineering mechanics from New York University in 1966. +
Related Stories
Contractors | Aug 1, 2024
Nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in June
National nonresidential construction spending declined 0.2% in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.21 trillion. Nonresidential construction has expanded 5.3% from a year ago.
Student Housing | Jul 31, 2024
The University of Michigan addresses a decades-long student housing shortage with a new housing-dining facility
The University of Michigan has faced a decades-long shortage of on-campus student housing. In a couple of years, the situation should significantly improve with the addition of a new residential community on Central Campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. The University of Michigan has engaged American Campus Communities in a public-private partnership to lead the development of the environmentally sustainable living-learning student community.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jul 31, 2024
Shipping containers converted into attractive, affordable multifamily housing in L.A.
In the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles, a new affordable multifamily housing project using shipping containers resulted in 24 micro-units for formerly unhoused residents. The containers were acquired from a nearby port and converted into housing units at a factory.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 30, 2024
Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park
UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.
Geothermal Technology | Jul 29, 2024
Rochester, Minn., plans extensive geothermal network
The city of Rochester, Minn., home of the famed Mayo Clinic, is going big on geothermal networks. The city is constructing Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) that consist of ambient pipe loops connecting multiple buildings and delivering thermal heating and cooling energy via water-source heat pumps.
High-rise Construction | Jul 29, 2024
Safdie Architects’ Shanghai office tower features glass-enclosed corner garden that ascends the 35-story structure
Safdie Architects has announced the completion of LuOne Mixed-Use Complex—a business, retail, and entertainment development in the Luwan district of Shanghai, China. The mixed-use complex consists of an eight-level retail galleria, which opened in 2018, and a 35-story office tower, which recently reached completion.
Casinos | Jul 26, 2024
New luxury resort casino will be regional draw for Shreveport, Louisiana area
Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana, the first land-based casino in the Shreveport-Bossier market, recently topped off. The $270+ project will serve as a regional destination for world-class gaming, dining, entertainment, and hotel amenities.
Smart Buildings | Jul 25, 2024
A Swiss startup devises an intelligent photovoltaic façade that tracks and moves with the sun
Zurich Soft Robotics says Solskin can reduce building energy consumption by up to 80% while producing up to 40% more electricity than comparable façade systems.
Codes and Standards | Jul 25, 2024
GSA and DOE select technologies to evaluate for commercial building decarbonization
The General Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy have selected 17 innovative building technologies to evaluate in real-world settings throughout GSA’s real estate portfolio.
Great Solutions | Jul 23, 2024
41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.
