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
Architects | Mar 20, 2016
Ars Gratia Artis: A North Carolina architect emphasizes the value of art in its designs
Turan Duda says clients are receptive, but the art must still be integral to the building’s overall vision.
Architects | Mar 16, 2016
PGAL acquires Dallas-based Pro Forma Architecture
The merger adds a firm that has specialized in municipal projects.
Events Facilities | Mar 15, 2016
Bjarke Ingels, Foster+Partners, and Grimshaw all winners in Expo 2020 pavilion design competition
BIG designed the Opportunity Pavilion, Foster+Partners submitted the winning Mobility Pavilion, and Grimshaw created the Sustainability Pavilion.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 14, 2016
Washington Redskins tease new stadium model designed by Bjarke Ingels
The location isn't yet determined, but the new stadium will have a moat for kayaking.
Architects | Mar 11, 2016
German artist recreates Brutalist buildings with LEGO blocks
Arndt Schlaudraff brings the beauty out of the rugged, linear style of buildings most popular a half century ago.
Architects | Mar 11, 2016
Architecture for Humanity rebrands itself as Open Architecture Collaborative
With a new name, logo, and mission, the Open Architecture Collaborative is seeking a fresh start.
Architects | Mar 11, 2016
AIA survey finds many women and minority architects still feeling underrepresented and unfulfilled
Dissatisfaction with “work-life balance” and compensation are cited as reasons why companies’ diversity strategies may be faltering.
University Buildings | Mar 11, 2016
How architects can help community colleges promote community on campus
Even in the face of funding challenges and historic precedent, there are emerging examples of how partnership between two-year academic institutions and designers can further elevate community on campus. CannonDesign's Carisima Koenig has a few key examples.
Architects | Mar 10, 2016
Value engineering: How to manage the process and limit the risk of VE
AEC consultant Steve Whitehorn shares several ways in which architects can be more effective managers of value-engineered change.
Architects | Mar 9, 2016
Two Houston firms merge to form Method Architecture
In mid-2016, Architects-Plus and Three Square Design Group will join to make a studio that will design industrial centers, corporate interiors, breweries, and more.
