Two Thornton Tomasetti projects receive 2012 International Architecture Awards for Best Global Design

The awards, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture Design, the European Center for Architecture Art Design, and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd., recognize excellence in architecture and urban planning.

By Posted by Tim Gregorski, Senior Editor | November 7, 2012

Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, announces that two projects for which it provided structural engineering services – Palazzo Lombardia in Milan, Italy, and the Solar Canopy/EV Dock in Chicago, Ill. – have received the coveted International Architecture Awards. The projects were among 80 chosen for the honor.

The 40-story Palazzo Lombardia is the tallest building in Italy upon its completion in 2011. The building serves as headquarters for the Lombardy Regional Government. Thornton Tomasetti provided structural engineering services to Pei Cobb Freed and Partners.

Palazzo Lombardia 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.

The Solar Canopy/EV Dock, a prototype structure completed in 2011, is designed to harvest solar energy for powering electric/hybrid vehicles. The dock is used by the City of Chicago to charge its stock of cars.

Thornton Tomasetti was responsible for the structural design and detailing of steel and connections for Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The 11-foot tall structure has a steel superstructure and concrete foundation with a 300-SF canopy. Attached photovoltaic panels provide space for two cars. The unit can function singularly or linked with other canopies. +

Earlier this month, my colleague and I presented a session to a group of civil engineers and transportation agencies about the tech trends in the AEC space. Along with advice on how to prepare your plan for controlled collaboration, we also talked through some practical use cases. One such use case was especially interesting, as it outlined a challenge not unfamiliar to government agencies who are contemplating the leap from paper to digital processes: how to securely migrate workflows.

For an 1893 academic building in the Collegiate Gothic style at Bryn Mawr (Pa.)

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