Tall and Supertall

Cover: Kingdom Tower, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Tall and Supertall

The New York Times Building, New York, N.Y.

Contents
1

Introduction

1.0

Firm Profile

05

1.1

Integrated Practices

06

1.2 Sustainability

08

1.3

Role in Tall Buildings

10

1.4

Project Delivery

11

1.5

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

14

Project Examples

2.0

Kingdom Tower

16

2.1

Taipei 101

18

2.2

Petronas Towers Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)

20

2.3

The New York Times Building

22

2.4

Shanghai Tower

24

2.5

Moscow International Business Center

26

2.6

Federation Tower

27

2.7

Eurasia Tower

28

2.8

Naberezhnaya Tower

29

2.9

New Ring of Moscow

30

2.10 Diamond of Istanbul

31

2.11 Plaza 66

32

2.12 Weve the Zenith

34

2.13 International Finance Center (IFC) Seoul

35

2.14 Kohinoor Square

36

2.15 Ping An International Finance Center

37

2.16 King Abdullah Financial District

38

2.17 Crescent Tower

39

2.18 Comcast Center

40

2.19 One Broadway Plaza

42

2.20 Federation of Korean Industries Headquarters Building

43

2.21 Wuhan Greenland Center

44

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

03

Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China, courtesy Gensler

1.0 Introduction

Firm Profile
Thornton Tomasetti is a leader in engineering design, investigation and analysis, serving clients worldwide on projects of all sizes
and complexity. Our projects include the tallest buildings and longest spans as well as complex special structures. We address the
full life cycle of a structure through our integrated practices in building structure, building skin, building performance, construction
support services, and property loss consulting.
Founded in 1956, today Thornton Tomasetti is a 550-person organization of engineers and architects collaborating from offices across
the United States, and in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
We apply practical innovation to all our work to meet our clients requirements for form, function, sustainability, schedule,
constructability and budget. We combine the latest technological tools and processes with best practices learned from more than
50 years of experience. Our multilingual software proficiency aids effective communication and coordination across disciplines
and time zones. With a highly collaborative approach to rapid design prototyping, we strive to realize our clients vision within budget
and often on fast-track schedules. From the onset of the design process, we work closely with architects, contractors, consultants
and user groups to facilitate efficient integration of architecture, structure, building services, infrastructure and sustainability criteria,
to create buildings that positively affect their occupants, the community and the environment.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

05

1.1 Introduction

Integrated Practices
Our firm is organized into five integrated practice areas building structure, building skin, building performance, construction support
services, and property loss consulting that are engeged globally in a wide range of market sectors.
Our Vision

Building Performance

We strive to reinvent how buildings are imagined and built.

Building owners and managers have ever-increasing expectations

for high performance in moisture management, thermal comfort

Building Structure

and noise control, as well as in meeting challenges such as

We collaborate with architects, owners and builders to achieve

sustainability, force protection, and pre-event and post-event

elegant structural solutions that meet the demands of challenging

evaluation. We recommend maintenance regimes, guide owners

projects of all types and sizes, for new facilities as well as reno-

through expansions, adaptive reuses, rehabilitations and repairs,

vations and conversions. We understand the similarities and

and provide expert witness representation.

differences among building types office towers and ballparks

have both common and divergent design features and the
structural systems applicable to them. We focus on finding the
optimal balance among multiple objectives: form, function,
schedule, sustainability, constructability and budget.
Building Skin
Our expertise in skin and structural systems extends from
applications of innovative materials and point-supported and
cable-supported glass, which can provide signature architectural

Building Skin Model of the Federation Towers steel and glass cap, Moscow, Russia.

statements, to budget-friendly conventional curtain walls. The

creative use of new materials and techniques, combined with
our pragmatic approach of unifying structure and skin, offers
our clients valuable opportunities to achieve solutions that are
both striking and sustainable. We have extensive experience
working directly with manufacturers worldwide on the design,
engineering, testing and installation of a wide variety of systems,
from unitized curtain walls and off-the-shelf aluminum stick
systems to metal and glass cladding, point-supported glazing,
steel-framed systems, grid shells, fabrics, and ethylene

Barry Langer

tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) and Mylar films.

Building Structure 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y.

06

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Building Performance Chrysler Building restoration, New York, N.Y.

1.1 Introduction

Courtesy Maria Karamanou

Property Loss Consulting

We assist insurance companies and their representative
attorneys and adjusters in evaluating the scope and nature of
losses related to natural and man-made events. We offer scope
of damage determination, including cause and origin investigation,
engineering, architectural and MEP evaluations, building code
consulting and the handling of property claims related to
LEED-certified properties. In many instances, after completing
a cause and origin investigation, we provide expert reports and
testimony. We also offer due diligence surveys to help evaluate
and mitigate the nature and level of risk a catastrophic event
could pose to specific structures or a portfolio of properties.
Construction Support Services
Working closely with developers, construction managers, fabricators, erectors, and general and specialty contractors, we move
projects efficiently through concept, delivery, final completion
and project close-out. Our services include project delivery
strategy, design-build, steel detailing, precast modeling, cast-inplace modeling, building faade modeling, steel connection design
and construction engineering for erection engineering and site
logistics, stability engineering, and equipment and logistics. Our
experienced engineering professionals provide early planning
for Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and design-build projects,
as well as building information modeling (BIM) coordination and

Turner Construction Company

document services.

Construction Support Services Erection engineering for the Queen City Square
Towers tiara, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Property Loss Consulting After Hurricane Ike in Houston, Texas.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

07

1.2 Introduction

Courtesy Graham P. Clegg Studios Architecture

Sustainability

200 5th Avenue, New York, N.Y.

In 2010, Thornton Tomasetti became the first engineering

Our structural designers contribute to the realization of

design firm to sign the AIA 2030 Commitment, a program that

sustainable buildings in many ways: specification of cement

promotes the transition to carbon-neutral buildings by 2030. To

substitutes (fly ash, slag) and recycled steel; support for green

meet this commitment, we are preparing a system that will

roofs, cisterns and bio-retention systems; and the use of local

enable us to quantify, track and reduce the embodied energy

materials to reduce transportation impacts. Efficient structural

and carbon values of the structures we design.

design also contributes to an overall reduction in building materials.

This commitment aligns with our goal of delivering sustainable

Safe and long-lasting tall and supertall buildings unavoidably

solutions for new construction and existing building projects of

incorporate substantial amounts of structural materials. When

all sizes and in all market sectors.

our engineers develop efficient structural systems and take

Since the inception of the LEED rating system, we have

contributed to the LEED certification of hundreds of projects.
Our sustainability consulting services, supported by our 170+
LEED-accredited professionals, include:
sustainability strategy development
administration of LEED or other environmental
rating systems
building performance audits
building systems analysis and upgrades
energy modeling and other advanced building simulations

truly significant contributions to a projects overall sustainability.

Thornton Tomasettis business operations and practices reduce
our environmental footprint by limiting our consumption of
energy, water and natural resources and by reducing waste
generation. We continually educate our employees about
sustainability practices, and we strive to maintain a workplace
in which the value we place on sustainability is reflected in our
product as well as our day-to-day operations.
At Thornton Tomasetti we are certain that the building model of
the future will be dramatically greener than that of the past
any other scenario is simply, well, unsustainable. We are firmly

As an international firm, we help clients address sustainability

committed to playing a role in this transformation to a more

objectives for buildings in a wide range of climates. We design

sustainable built environment.

constructable, high-performance building envelopes that are

responsive to the local climate and effectively support energy
efficiency objectives.

08

embodied carbon impacts into account, we are able to make

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Inside the winter garden of the LEED Gold certified Comcast Center, Philadelphia, Pa.

1.3 Introduction

Role in Tall Buildings

Santiago Calatrava LLC

New Design
In recent years, supertall buildings have become more structurally
challenging and visually exciting. Lateral accelerations on windy
days and differential column shortening (post-construction creep
and shrinkage) as height increases pose special challenges.
Powerful computer programs now aid in geometric modeling
and structural analysis. A broader understanding of wind and
seismic loads and new architectural and structural materials,
along with improved construction technologies, all facilitate
the design process. This knowledge base buttressed by our
understanding of the interaction between structural system
framing elements, building skin, and architectural and mechanical
systems is invaluable in providing designs that are safe,
comfortable, economical, sustainable and constructable.
Feasibility Studies
There is no substitute for experience when an early decision is
needed on concept feasibility. Evaluation must be based on a
combination of extrapolations from completed designs of other
high-rise buildings and computer models that condense structural
details while preserving attributes essential to answering preliminary design questions. Our design professionals use both
historical information and an analytical approach to develop
the answers owners and design teams need to select an
appropriate design course.
Peer Review
It takes a firm experienced in supertall building design to know
whether a design proposed by another firm is appropriate. Our
approach to peer review services applies the lessons learned
during our work on both new building designs and existing
building investigations. We know how to address conflicting
design criteria when it is time to provide suggestions and
observations as a peer reviewer. This experience means our
comments focus on the realities of supertall buildings rather
than hypothetical considerations.
Value Engineering
Design criteria and construction methodology are just two of
the key components of supertall buildings that often require
expert review and value engineering. Often local codes and
practices, or construction materials and methods that are
appropriate for projects of more conventional size, are applied to
supertall designs for which they were never intended. We have
experience around the world in helping reviewers understand
and apply current international standards for these unique
projects. We also assist contractors and developers by sharing
best practices.
Chicago Spire, Chicago, Ill.

10

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

1.4 Introduction

Project Delivery

Project Delivery Approach

From traditional design-bid-build, to fast-track, construction manager-at-risk (CMR), design-build and integrated project delivery (IPD):
weve done them all. The collaborative approach we bring to all our work has been a critical factor in our success with newer project
delivery methods like design-build and IPD. We strategically apply the benefits and best practices of new technology and processes
to enhance traditionally delivered projects. We can also assist in the selection of the delivery process best suited for a specific
project. Our experience across the project delivery spectrum, combined with a suite of innovative services and capabilities, helps
us optimize the design and construction process for projects large and small.

Design-Build

the interplay between aesthetic and functional considerations,

Thornton Tomasetti has more than fifteen years of experience in

eliminates clashes between systems and facilitates accurate

design-build project delivery. Our successful track record includes

early material procurement.

projects across a wide range of market sectors: commercial,

sports, residential, cultural, education, healthcare, aviation, retail

Integrated Project Delivery

and industrial. By combining design and construction into a

Thornton Tomasettis collaborative approach and unique suite of

single contract, all members of the team architect, engineers,

services and capabilities are ideally suited to IPD. This delivery

contractors and fabricators work together from the start to

method contractually joins the owner, architect, contractor,

improve coordination and constructability.

engineers and key subcontractors to encourage members to

work together for common ends. Creating a united team sharing

The enhanced collaboration that is integral to design-build

goals, incentives, risks and rewards further improves efficiency

results in fewer changes, reductions in field issues and shorter

and reduces waste to create a better process for all stakeholders.

construction schedules. Modeling technology enables all project

Expanding upon our experience in design-build, we are leading

stakeholders to visualize the entire structure early on, optimizes

the way in developing IPD processes.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

11

1.4 Introduction

Project Delivery
Building Information Modeling (BIM)

connection material quantities, bolt lists

A building information model is a digital

and rebar quantities, can be generated

3D representation of a building that

from this model. Our detailing services

contains intelligent information and can

also include steel shop drawings.

serve as the final deliverable to the

fabricator, contractor and other members

Automation, Animations and

of the project team. BIM has multiple

Renderings

benefits, including enhanced visualization,

We continually develop and enhance

linked data sets, improved design team

proprietary customized software tools

coordination, expedited quantity takeoffs,

that automate processes to increase

better scope definition and improved

our efficiency and deliverable quality.

schedule. As industry leaders in this

We focus on automation of repetitive

technology, we offer BIM services for

and otherwise time-consuming tasks in

any project and provide our models

analysis, design and modeling. In-house

as deliverables to improve the project

routines provide interoperability

delivery process.

between software packages, allowing

optimal transfer of design information

Advanced Detailing

between BIM platforms, spreadsheets

We provide 3D detailing services for

and structural analysis programs. This

both steel and concrete, in which the

saves time and ensures the integrity of

model can be used as a construction

the structural design as it moves from

document deliverable for projects large

one application to another. In addition,

and small. These models save significant

we use parametric modeling to define

time for the design team and the

complex geometries mathematically to

contractor while more clearly defining

reduce their generation to a manageable

Erection Engineering and Site

the construction scope. The first phase

set of parameters. This computational

Logistics

of detailing is a member model with

process enables a rapid yet thorough

Structural members and assemblies

the main structural framing members,

structural study and optimization

undergo different loading and support

which can be used for accurate quantity

process.

conditions during erection than in their

completed state. Erection engineering

takeoffs to create an advanced bill of

materials, and is ready for use by the

We provide rendering, animation and

addresses a structure in its incomplete

fabricator. The second phase adds steel

advanced graphics services, from simple

state, including erection procedures,

connections or concrete reinforcement

geometric representations to advanced

the adequacy of elements to serve as

to the model. Shop drawings and

kinematic simulations (in which moving

part of the completed building and the

additional material takeoffs, such as

objects obey the rules of physics).

design of elements used as temporary

Rendered and animated models help to

erection aids. Our services include

clearly visualize both design and forensic

assistance in selecting construction

issues. Animations and 3D renderings

equipment, determining construction

are inherently more understandable than

sequencing, estimating manpower and

traditional 2D drawings; with our custom

establishing safety guidelines. We can

tools, they can be generated quickly and

also assist the structural steel erector in

linked to intelligent data to represent

the development of lift plans and rigging.

complex scenarios clearly and efficiently.

BIM for Shanghai Tower, Shanghai China

12

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

In addition, our animations can include

Stability Engineering

4D (time) and 5D (cost) information to

All structures are subject to temporary

provide a more comprehensive overall

forces during construction. Sometimes

representation of a project.

these forces can be resisted without

1.4 Introduction

Erection Engineering CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.

additional bracing, but temporary support

where crane capacity may dictate the

managers assign new projects to

is required. Thornton Tomasetti provides

construction sequence.

experienced reviewers and track progress

stability engineering for all aspects of

so reviews are carried out at appropriate

construction, including long-span steel

Integrated Quality Assurance

intervals. Standardized checklists

structures, larger concrete structures

Our commitment to quality is backed

and sign-off procedures streamline

and substructures and sequencing of

by our formal quality assurance/quality

the process and document program

high-rise structures. These efforts are

control program. Dedicated QA/QC

compliance.

most often developed in collaboration

with the installing contractor to develop a
constructable and cost-effective solution.
Equipment and Logistics
We provide logistics, equipment and site
planning services to general contractors,
fabricators and erectors to assist in
bringing a project from the planning
stage to the construction phase.
These include preliminary engineering
checks for crane capacity and equipment
selection, investigation of soil conditions
and existing structures that will
support equipment, and optimization of
crane locations for construction sites
Advanced detailing Tekla model, Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

13

1.5 Introduction

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Our approach to building information modeling improves the design process for all members of the project team. Thornton Tomasetti
design professionals are at the forefront of these technologies, lecturing about BIM at conferences worldwide, working with
software manufacturers to improve programs, and writing our own scripts and routines to fill interoperability gaps. Our expertise in
BIM is based on years of experience in a wide variety of project types, which has equipped us to provide efficient design, workflow
and project delivery.
Benefits of BIM

and reduced costs. Downstream

and removes any ambiguity, since the

Effective development of BIM improves

benefits include minimized schedule

model can often be fed directly to CNC

drafting efficiency, production drawing

risk and reduced field problems. Finally,

fabrication machines.

quality, design team coordination,

the model as the deliverable ensures

visualization, client communications,

that all team members have exactly the

Efficiency and Quality

interoperability and design flexibility.

same data and can slice any sections

A building information model can be

These benefits are evident in superior

they need. Delivering the model to

used to generate accurate construction

drawings, decreased production time

the fabricator reduces fabrication time

documents, eliminating much of the

Courtesy Aedas

tedious 2D drafting process and reducing

human error. Sections are cut directly
from the building information model and
updated seamlessly, saving time and
ensuring accuracy and consistency within
a set of drawings.

We worked with Aedas on a design competition for a 350-meter tower that relies on a variable pattern of spiraling
ribbons for structural support. We developed a model using Grasshopper (a Rhino plug-in) that allowed us to work
collaboratively with the architects to easily explore a variety of patterns within pre-established functional parameters.

14

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Incheon 151, Incheon, South Korea

1.5 Introduction

Improved Coordination

Our automation team creates these

Master Modeler and BIM Assistance

BIM enhances coordination among

translators and scripts using an

We often lead the BIM implementation

disciplines and allows for better

application programming interface

on a project, working as the master

communication with the project owner.

to share intelligent BIM information

modeler to integrate inputs from all

All disciplines benefit from the coordi-

between software programs such

disciplines. In addition, we provide

nation and clash checking available

as Revit Structure, Tekla, AutoCAD,

training and full-time assistance to

through BIM. Ongoing coordination with

Catia, SAP, ETABS, Grasshopper,

design team members who have not

other disciplines throughout the design

Rhino, Advance Concrete and others.

participated in a BIM project before.

process reduces time-consuming

Our automation staff can quickly write

We can adapt our BIM standards for

redesign, which helps to keep projects

custom translators for job-specific

each project and share them with the

on time and within budget.

problems to accelerate workflow and

team. Our BIM processes and standard

production. These translators save time

libraries include the setup of live shared

Superior Visualization and

and address many of the problems

models across multiple locations to

Communication

that arise in the absence of an industry

speed implementation. Our goal is to

We use BIM to create 3D images and

standard BIM format.

help all design team members realize

renderings that can clearly communicate

the efficiencies offered by BIM.

design issues and are easier to understand than 2D drawings. Animations and
fly-throughs can be created quickly and
frequently to illustrate complex concepts.
Increased Design Flexibility
BIM offers a robust set of tools and
methods to modify designs. Parametric
models can rapidly generate reports
and studies. Because modifications
are automatically reflected throughout
project documents, parametrics also
allow us to apply last-minute design
changes easily and accurately.
Interoperability and Automation
We use a variety of software for
BIM, structural analysis, design and
documentation, and we consider
ourselves multilingual. To address
current shortcomings of intelligent
interoperability between the IFC and
CIS/2 formats, our advanced automation
team creates custom in-house translators
and interoperability scripts that assist
design teams by enabling a more
efficient workflow for all.

Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

15

Images Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

2.0 Project Examples

Owner
Kingdom Holding Company

Kingdom Tower

Developer

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Economic Company

We are providing structural design services for Kingdom Tower, the

Architects

centerpiece of the new 23-million-square-meter urban development

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill

known as Kingdom City. Upon completion, the tower will be the

Architecture

worlds tallest building at +1,000 meters.

Contractor

With a total construction area of 530,000 square meters, the mixed-

Saudi Binladin Group

use building will house an opulent hotel, luxury condominiums, serviced

apartments, office space and the worlds highest observation deck.

Total Area

A high-performance exterior wall system will minimize energy consump-

530,000 m / 5.7 million sf

tion by reducing thermal loads. In addition, each of the towers three

Height
+1,000 m

sides will feature a series of notches that create pockets of shadow,

shielding areas of the building from the sun and providing outdoor
terraces with stunning views of Jeddah and the Red Sea.
The design of Kingdom Towers structural system is based on stringent
performance criteria for supertall structures, utilizing both international
performance standards and regional building codes. Key challenges of
the project include establishing wind loads appropriate for the location
and height of the building, producing a building form that minimizes
the impact of wind loading while optimizing the structural system,
design of the slender spire elements, and the design of a foundation
system capable of supporting the loads induced by the heavily loaded
structure while mitigating differential settlement.

Thornton
Thornton
Thornton
Tomasetti
Tomasetti
Tomasetti
-Tall
Talland
and
- Healthcare
Supertall
Supertall

11
23
17

2.1 Project Examples

Taipei 101
Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei 101 features a 508-meter tower with a unique profile, a five-

Owner
Taipei Financial Center Corporation
Architect
C.Y. Lee and Partners

level deep basement and a surrounding six-story retail structure. The

General Contractor

building is designed to open upwards, representing a blossoming

KTRT Joint Venture

flower that signifies financial richness and everlasting vitality in the

Chinese culture. Repeated references to the number eight also
reflect local traditions. The architecture of the building relies upon the

Completion Date
2004

concept of inwardly slanted segments. When used in conjunction with

Construction Cost

energy conserving, transparent glass materials and innovative lighting

$1.7 billion U.S.

design, the tower is crystal-clear and elegant. The building ranked

officially as the worlds tallest from 2004 until 2010.
The tapering walls result in most of the buildings floor plans ranging

Total Area
204,388 m / 2,200,000 sf

from 2,000 to 2,500 square meters (21,500 to 27,000 square feet),

Number of Stories

with some as small as 47 square meters (506 square feet) above

101

the main roof. The tower was designed to withstand typhoon winds
and seismic activity. The structure includes a tuned mass damper
suspended in the upper floors to offset movement caused by wind

Height
508 m / 1,667 ft

gusts. The tower is equipped with ultra-fast elevators, taking only 39

Awards

seconds to reach the observatory on the 89th floor.

2004 Grand Award, Popular Science

Our services were engaged by C.Y. Lee and Partners to provide concept

Outstanding Project Award, National

and preliminary designs, and to review the final structural design by the

Council of Structural Engineers

local engineer of record. We also responded to questions from the

Associations, Excellence in Structural

architect and advised the architect and owners during construction.

Engineering Awards, 2005

Diamond Award for Engineering

Courtesy C.Y. Lee and Partners

Excellence, ACEC New York, 2006

18

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Dugald MacKay Photo

2.2 Project Examples

Petronas Towers
Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)

Owner

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects with

We provided structural design for two slender towers, the worlds

tallest buildings from 1999 until 2004, that soar 452 meters (1,483 feet)
above Kuala Lumpur. Their dramatic design is enhanced by a sky bridge

KLCC (Holdings) Sdn. Bhd.

Architect
Adamson Associates
Completion Date
1999

at floors 41 and 42 that connects the towers and creates a visual

Construction Cost

gateway to a major public park. The sky bridge was designed with

$1 billion U.S.

slender structural members rather than heavy trusses to be compatible

with the architecture of the buildings and was constructed more
than 150 meters above street level. It accommodates independent

Total Area
306,580 m / 3.3 million sf

movement of the towers as they sway with wind loads. The KLCC

Number of Stories

complex also includes a 5,143-car under-ground garage, a seven-story

88

retail facility and an acoustically isolated 864-seat concert hall that

spans over the entryway to the towers and retail areas.

Height
452 m / 1,483 ft
Awards
The Aga Khan Award for

Images courtesy Michael Goodman

Architecture 2004

20

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Photos: David Sundberg/Esto

2.3 Project Examples

Owner
The New York Times Company

The New York Times Building

Architect

New York, New York

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

FXFowle Architects

The New York Times Building is a 52-story high-rise office tower of

lightness and transparency topped by a mast that disappears into

Developer

the sky. Contributing to this vision is an elegant structural steel

Forest City Ratner Co.

exoskeleton that is integrated into the architectural design and a glass

General Contractor - Core and Shell

AMEC Construction Mgmt. Inc.

and ceramic curtain wall design that admits abundant natural light to
the building on all floors.
The exposed structural steel provided several challenges for our design

General Contractor - Interiors

team, such as complying with the citys fire and building codes, detailing

Turner Construction

the steel to achieve aesthetic elegance, and designing for forces and

Completion Date
2007
Construction Cost
$650 million
Total Area

movements caused by temperature differentials.

Adding to the buildings appealing faade are thin, horizontal ceramic
rods placed on a steel framework 18 inches in front of the low-emissivity
glass. The first of its kind in the United States, this curtain wall design
acts as sunscreen and helps to reduce the heating and cooling requirements while the rods reflect the changing colors of the sky.

157,935 m / 1.7 million sf

Number of Stories
52
Height
319 m / 1,046 ft
Awards
Award of Excellence, AIA New York
State Institute Honors, 2009
2008 Best Building Award
Americas, CTBUH
Diamond Award Structural
Systems, ACEC New York, 2008
2007 Project of the Year, New York
Construction

Thornton
Thornton Tomasetti
Tomasetti -Tall
Talland
andSupertall
Supertall

23

2.4 Project Examples

Shanghai Tower

Developer

Shanghai, China

and Development Company

The Shanghai Tower Construction

We provided structural engineering design and building skin peer review

services for this project, another of the worlds most distinctive and

Gensler

innovative high-rise buildings. At 632 meters, Shanghai Tower is the

Completion Date

worlds third tallest building under construction. The 580,000-square-

2014

meter development will feature class-A office space, retail levels,

a luxury hotel and cultural venues. Below-grade levels will provide

Total Area

parking and connec-tions to the Shanghai Metro.

580,000 m / 6.2 million sf

We engineered a simple, safe and cost-effective structural system

Height

that enables a creative architectural form. The exterior of the tower

632 m / 2,074 ft

a twisting triangular surface that tapers as it rises is wrapped around

an inner concrete structure composed of nine stacked cylinders.
An efficient design of super-columns with outrigger trusses derives
stiffness from the concrete inner building, forming an effective
system for resisting wind and seismic loads. We developed a unique
support system for the twisting curtain wall that employs hanger rods
supported at mechanical levels, horizontal girts, braces and crossbraces at each level. We also performed a peer review of the outer
skin of the tower.
The design incorporates the latest sustainable technologies, including
renewable-energy-generating wind turbines and solar panels, to
achieve a low carbon footprint. The project will seek certification from
the China Green Building Council (in association with the USGBC) as

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Courtesy Gensler

Courtesy Howe Keen Foong/Gensler

a LEED Project.

24

Architect

Courtesy Gensler

2.5 Project Examples

Moscow International Business Center

Moscow, Russia
Thornton Tomasetti is providing structural engineering services for three major projects in the new Moscow International
Business Center. These include Federation Tower for the Mirax Group, Eurasia Tower for Eurasia IPG and Naberezhnaya Tower for

Images courtesy Enka

the Enka Development Group.

B
A

B
A

Moscow International Business Center. A: Federation Tower B: Eurasia Tower C: Naberezhnaya Tower

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Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

2.6 Project Examples

Mirax Group, Moscow

Federation Tower

Architect

Moscow, Russia

Owner

NPS Tchoban Voss

Rising 365 meters, the 93-story Federation Tower complex provides

Completion Date

accommodation for class-A offices, a five-star hotel and luxury apart-

2012

ments. It is the centerpiece of the new development.

Total Area

Adjacent to the 96-story East Tower is its 64-story partner, the West

325,160m / 3.5 million sf

Tower. A 448-meter stiletto-like, glass-clad elevator mast and spire

visually unites these two sail-shaped buildings. Connecting the two

Number of Stories

towers and the mast are pedestrian bridges at the 33rd and 61st

East Tower: 96

floors and the observation platform at the 87th floor. Federation Tower

West Tower: 64

is the first project in Russia to utilize super high-strength concrete

Awards
Prix dExcellence, Office Category
Winner, International Real Estate
Federation (FIABCI), 2009

technology. Three levels of steel outrigger truss systems, placed at

the bridge levels, distribute gravity and wind loads between the
core and perimeter framing. The project design incorporates modern
require- ments for occupant safety in supertall structures.
In addition to structural engineering services, Thornton Tomasetti
also provided building skin consulting services and specialty glass and
steel design. We have used computational geometry and building
information modeling to develop innovative and efficient designs for
the tower caps, integrating the structure with architectural elements,

Courtesy Mirax Group

maintenance requirements and mechanical functions.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

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2.7 Project Examples

Eurasia Tower
Moscow, Russia
We provided complete structural engineering services for this 72-story,

Owner
Eurasia IPG, Moscow
Design Architect
Swanke Hayden Connell

two-million-square-foot commercial and residential development.

General Designer

The project includes a five-level underground parking garage and

Gorproekt, LLP

concourse that connects to a central core with a shopping mall,

entertainment facilities and a transportation center. The 300-meter
(1,000-foot) tall building is the first high-rise in Russia to use a structural

Completion Date
2012

system of com- posite steel/concrete core and deck floors with steel

Total Area

exterior columns.

185,806 m / 2 million sf
Number of Stories
72
Height
300 m / 1,000 ft

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Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

2.8 Project Examples

Enka Development Group

Naberezhnaya Tower

Architect/Contractor

Moscow, Russia

Owner

Enka Construction Corp.

Located on Lot 10 of the Moscow International Business Center, this

Completion Date

prominent 66-story highrise is a part of the Enka Commercial Complex,

2008

featuring a five-story underground garage and concourse level connected

Total Area
111,483 m / 1.2 million sf

to the central core and its shopping malls and transportation center.
Two levels of steel outrigger trusses, placed at the mid-height and
at the top of the tower distribute gravity and wind loads within this

Number of Stories

composite structure. We provided structural analysis and design

66

through design development phase (project phase) and worked closely

with local regulatory agencies to assist the client in conforming to

Height

Russian norms and regulations.

240 m / 790 ft

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

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2.9 Project Examples

New Ring of Moscow

Moscow, Russia
Thornton Tomasetti is participating in the 15-year high-rise residential

Owner
New Ring of Moscow/Moscapstroy
Project Manager
Interstroi

development program, New Ring of Moscow, initiated by the City of

Architect

Moscow to replace residential buildings built in the 1950s and 1960s.

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects

About 60 high-rise complexes are to be constructed, creating a ring

of modern and comfortable structures equipped with convenient
shopping, parking garages and parks. Green building technology will

Completion Date
2014

be integral to the building systems and materials.

Total Area

We are providing complete structural engineering services, including

464,515 m / 5 million sf

the project phase (SD and DD) and working documents phase (CD
and shop drawings), for three projects. Project Lublino comprises 1.9
million square feet and 42 stories, project Crystal will be 1.4 million
square feet and 45 stories tall, and project Marino will be 1.3 million
square feet and 51 stories tall.The main construction material is high-

Number of Stories
Lublino: 42
Crystal: 45
Marino: 51

strength reinforced concrete. 3D Advance Concrete software was

applied in the working documents phase.

Lublino

30

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Crystal (above) and Marino

2.10 Project Examples

The Hattat Group

Diamond of Istanbul

Architect

Istanbul, Turkey

Owner

Hema Industry / Dome Architects

Our engineers provided structural design and seismic analysis for

Total Area

the Diamond of Istanbul, a 289-meter mixed-use tower that upon

161,000 m / 1.7 million sf

completion will be the tallest building in Turkey. The tower will include

Height
289 m / 949 ft

office space, apartments and a luxury hotel above a podium structure,

with a retail mall and eight levels of below-grade parking.
Because the site is only 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the main
Marmara fault part of the North Anatolian fault system the tower
was designed to withstand severe seismic forces. A Y shaped plan,
with a reinforced concrete core and secondary steel moment frames
along each wing, provides lateral force resistance.
While the building was designed using conventional code-based
methods, our engineers also performed a non-linear time history
(NLTH) analysis to assess how the structure would perform during

Courtesy Dome Architects

a seismic event. Our team applied simulated earthquakes, based on

raw data provided by Turkish seismic experts, to our 3D model of
the structure. When results showed that the tower would perform
well, the owner proposed adding ten stories. We then embarked
on a second phase of NLTH analysis to assess the impact of those
additional levels on the structure and worked with the local Engineer
of Record to implement the necessary design changes. Our application
of performance-based design methods allowed the owner to maximize
the real estate potential of the site.

Thornton
Thornton Tomasetti
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31

2.11 Project Examples

Owner

Plaza 66

Hang Lung Realty

Shanghai, China

Architect

Plaza 66 consists of two towers, retail space on a five-story podium

and three levels of below-grade parking. A special feature of the first

Completion Date

tower is the great height that is accomplished on a small footprint.

Tower I: 2001

The concrete tower soars 288 meters (945 feet) above the city

Tower II: 2006

featuring a narrow irregular-shaped lantern on the rooftop.

As structural engineer, one of our challenges was the skylight roof
design that covers the seven-story atrium in the retail podium. The

Construction Cost
$400 million U.S.

oval-shaped atrium roof is approximately 200 feet by 125 feet. The

Total Area

cross sections of its members vary along the span, as do the cross

213,729m / 2,300,000 sf

sections of its supporting columns, resulting in a visually dynamic but

technically challenging atrium.

concrete tower was complicated by lateral stability concerns, poor

site soil, seismic considerations, high water table, limitations of
locally available building materials, and construction between new
and existing buildings.
Our engineers developed a functional and economical structural system
that could be built using local labor and materials almost exclusively.

Retail podium skylight roof

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Height
Tower I: 288 m / 945 ft

The 48-story second tower was also built on a small footprint. The

32

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC

Tower II: 228 m / 749 ft

Number of Stories
Tower I: 66 plus 10-level lantern
Tower II: 48

Courtesy Philip Gostelow

2.12 Project Examples

Weve the Zenith

Owner

Busan, South Korea

Engineering

The tallest residential tower in Asia topped out in early 2011, rising
above the waterfront of South Koreas second-largest city, Busan.

Architect
DeStefano + Partners

At 80 stories and 984 feet (300 meters), the tallest of the three towers

Completion Date

in Weve the Zenith forms the centerpiece of a 4.1-million-square-foot

2012

development, which also includes a retail podium and six below-grade

levels for retail, parking and mechanical facilities.
Exposure to typhoons has been the biggest engineering challenge in

Total Area
378,500 m / 4.1 million sf

the design of Weve the Zenith. The team designed these structures

Number of Stories

to withstand sustained winds of 90 mph and gusts to 105 mph. The

70 and 80

towers present a smooth, rounded face to the wind, which makes

them more aerodynamic, and reduces wind loads. Also helping improve
stability and comfort for occupants is the very wide stance, with an
aspect ratio of nearly 1:7. The efficient design of the core wall, which
is butterfly-shaped in cross section, maximizes building stiffness while

Courtesy Doosan Construction and Engineering

minimizing the amount of material used in construction.

34

Doosan Construction and

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Height
300 m / 984 ft

2.13 Project Examples

International Finance Center

(IFC) Seoul

Owner
American International Group
The Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul, South Korea

Developer/Project Manager
AIG Global Real Estate

IFC Seoul is a mixed-use development with three class-A office

Architect

buildings, a five-star hotel and below-grade retail and parking. The

Arquitectonica

509,524-square-meter complex was designed to achieve environmental

Construction

sustainability, with rainwater harvesting systems and integrated photo-

GS Construction, POSCO Construction

voltaic panels supporting the project goal of LEED Silver certification.

Completion Date

The three steel-framed commercial towers at 52, 32 and 29 stories

2013

have reinforced concrete core walls with outrigger trusses at mechanical

levels. This structural system provides large column-free tenant spaces.

Construction Cost

Three-meter ceilings, raised access flooring and expansive lobbies rising

$1.6 billion U.S.

11.1 meters (36 feet) tall enhance tenant appeal.

Total Area

The 38-story hotel, framed in reinforced concrete, encompasses 446

509,524 m / 5,480,000 sf

guest rooms, a fitness center, conference facilities, a ballroom, and

dining and retail venues. Solar panels on the rooftop and on the

Height

buildings south-facing faade will provide electricity for hot water

Tower One: 186 m / 610 ft

and lighting.

Tower Two: 176 m / 577 ft

The development sits atop a seven-level basement structure consisting

Tower Three: 279 m / 915 ft

of reinforced concrete, bound by a slurry wall. The below-grade area

houses four levels of parking and a three-story luxury mall with a glass

Courtesy GS Construction

Courtesy Arquitectonica

pavilion extending above ground to let in natural light.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

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2.14 Project Examples

Kohinoor Square
Mumbai, India
We provided structural engineering design and building skin

Kohinoor CTNL Infra Company Ltd.

Architect
gkkworks / SSA

consulting services for a pair of commercial towers at Kohinoor

Contractor

Square. The larger of the two, at 50 stories, will be among Indias

Larsen & Toubro Limited

tallest office buildings.

Kohinoor means mountain of light, and is also the name of one of
the worlds largest diamonds. While the gleaming, slope-sided towers
were designed to evoke the facets of cut diamonds, the specific shape
and structure of the towers were based on extensive wind load
studies. The structure comprises a concrete core and post-tensioned
concrete slab and spandrel beams. The faades consist of faceted
unitized aluminum curtain walls with provisions for double faades
on portions of each tower. The towers are linked by a podium with a
faade of custom point-supported glazing on specialty steel trusses.
This project is achieving technological breakthroughs for Indian
construction practices in structural design, life safety code concepts

Images courtesy gkkworks

and sustainability, with LEED Gold certification part of the Indian

36

Owner

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Completion Date
2012

Courtesy KPF

2.15 Project Examples

Owner
China Ping An Life Insurance Company
Architect
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Completion Date
2014

Ping An International
Finance Center
Shenzhen, China
Our engineering team used performance based design (PBD)
methodologies to design this new office tower, set to be the tallest in

Construction Cost

China at 648 meters. Because supertall structures behave differently

$678 million U.S.

than the shorter buildings that are the basis for standard building

Height
648 m / 2,126 ft

codes, PBD where advanced analysis technology allows engineers

to design a structure according to how it reacts to various conditions
allows our designers to create buildings that maximize both safety

Total Area

and efficiency. The selected structural system consists of a concrete

468,600 m / 5 million sf

core with steel outriggers connecting to eight super-columns. The

project also includes a 90,000-square-meter basement with parking
and an 11-story steel-framed podium with a conference center, highend shopping arcades, restaurants and rooftop cafs.

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2.16 Project Examples

King Abdullah Financial District

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The Public Pensions Agency

Developer

We provided structural and building skin design to Henning Larsen

Rayadah Investment Company

Architects for several tower projects in the new King Abdullah

Architect

Financial District.

Henning Larsen Architects

Crystal Towers will serve as the districts main financial center.

The complex is split into two towers of 135 meters and 95 meters,
linked by a 70-meter elevated podium bridge that forms a gateway to

General Contractor
Saudi Binladin Group
Completion Date

the development.
The Gem Building consists of two mid-rise reinforced concrete office

2011

and residential towers that link to two Gem structures, which are

Total Area

composed of a two-story steel frame structure and a concrete shell

1.6 million m / 17.2 million sf

forming a single crystalline roof over a double-height retail space at

ground level.
Villas in the Sky is a 33-story tower with 12 levels of residential units
above 13 floors of office space. The building is crowned by a sky gym,
spa and roof terrace.
Our engineers used BIM on these projects to speed analysis of
complex building geometries, increase design flexibility, improve
coordination among design team members and simplify clash detection
and resolution. The use of BIM also allowed easy generation of 3D
visualizations of the structure that made for more effective client
presentations. Both Crystal Towers and Villas in the Sky received
awards recognizing the project teams innovative use of BIM from

Images courtesy HLA

Bentley Systems, a leading software designer.

Crystal Towers

38

Owner

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Villas in the Sky

Awards
Crystal Towers: Be Inspired Award
for Innovation in Building, Bentley
Systems, 2010
Villas in the Sky: Be Inspired Award
for Innovation in Generative Design,
Bentley Systems, 2010

2.17 Project Examples

Crescent

Crescent Tower

Architect

Baku, Azerbaijan

Owner

Heerim Architects & Planners

We provided structural and parametric building skin design services

Completion Date

through design development for these iconic residential towers

2012

on a hillside overlooking the Caspian Sea. To resist extreme winds

Total Area
Tower 1: 56,522 m / 608,340 sf
Tower 2: 45,464 m / 489,370 sf

(Baku means windy city) and severe seismic forces, we designed

a dual system: a special reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall and a
special RC moment frame. The structural floor system combines a
two-way 200-millimeter slab and RC beams. The curved towers have

Number of Stories

special requirements for faade panelization that allows the use of flat

Tower 1: 46

quadrangle unitized faade systems. Parametric modeling allowed

Tower 2: 37

us to determine the optimal faade unit geometry, thereby reducing

Courtesy Heerim Architects & Planners

fabrication and erection costs.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

39

2.18 Project Examples

Owner
Liberty Property Trust

Comcast Center

Architect

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Robert A.M. Stern Architects

At just under 1,000 feet, the LEED CS Gold certified Comcast Center

Environmental Consultants

is not only the tallest building between New York and Chicago, it also

Atelier Ten

reflects engineering and design lessons Thornton Tomasetti learned

Completion Date
2007

after leading the assessment of the 9/11 collapse of the World Trade
Center towers.
Elevators, sprinklers, communications systems and stairwells are

Construction Cost

encased in a massive concrete core that stretches the full height of

$352 million

the building. Stairwells are 10 inches wider than code to allow for easier

Total Area
125,400 m / 1.35 million sf
Number of Stories
57

evacuation. And because the building footprint is small and the core
relatively slim, the exterior walls are thicker than usual - 54 inches
thick up to the 20th floor - to minimize flexing due to wind stress.
In addition to integrating new safety designs, the building has expansive
open public spaces that needed to be designed without columns. A

Height

nine-story glass winter garden leads to a three-story lobby and atrium

297 m / 975 ft

that is a 90-foot column-free span. In addition, a tuned liquid-column

mass damper - a 300,000-gallon reservoir of water - is installed near

Awards

the top of the building to increase the occupant comfort by limiting

Diamond Award for Engineering

movement of the building from wind.

Excellence, ACEC New York, 2010

Best in the Nation, Office Building
Category, McGraw-Hill
Constructions Best of the Best
Awards, 2008
Best Commercial Project, General
Building Contractors Associations
Construction Excellence Awards,
2008
Best of 2008 Overall Project of the
Year, Mid-Atlantic Construction,
2008
Award of Excellence, The Americas,
Urban Land Institute, 2009

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

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2.19 Project Examples

One Broadway Plaza

Santa Ana, California
At 491 feet above grade, One Broadway Plaza will be the tallest building

Owner
Caribou Industries
Architect
carrierjohnson + CULTURE

in Orange County, California. We are providing structural design for

General Contractor

this 37-story office tower, which is located in a high seismic zone.

Hensel Phelps Construction Company

Early in the design process, our engineers performed a detailed

seismic study resulting in the selection of a dual system consisting
of a high-strength concrete core and a steel special moment

Completion Date
2013

frame perimeter. This system economically satisfies stringent code

Total Area

requirements while maximizing usable floor space.

61,316 m / 660,000 sf
Number of Stories

Courtesy carrierjohnson + CULTURE

37

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Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

2.20 Project Examples

Owner
Federation of Korean industries (FKI)
Architect
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill
Architecture
Contractor
Hyundai Construction

Federation of Korean Industries

Headquarters Building
Seoul, South Korea
We performed schematic structural design for this 245-meter
commercial tower. Our team designed a structural system consisting
of a reinforced concrete core and composite columns, augmented

Completion Date

by steel outrigger trusses and perimeter steel belt trusses. Revit

2013

and Tekla modeling applications were used to document the design.

Total Area
Tower: 170,000 m2 / 1,829,865 sf
Conference Center: 6,000 m / 64,583 sf

The towers furrowed exterior wall provides optimal placement

for spandrel-mounted photovoltaic panels and plays a key role in
disrupting the formation of wind vortices. An adjacent three-level
conference center will occupy an ornamental egg-shaped structure.

Height

Our building skin experts designed and detailed its glazing system

245 m / 804 ft

using Gehry Technologies Digital Project. The team employed parametric shape optimization techniques to develop a rationalized geometry
that accommodates glass panel attachment on its curved exterior.

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

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2.21 Project Examples

Wuhan Greenland Center

Wuhan, China
We are providing structural design and building skin services for this

Greenland Group
Architect
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

119-story tower, to consist of office space, luxury apartments, a five-

Completion Date

star hotel and a penthouse-level private club. The 606-meter structure

2017

will be the third tallest building in China and the fourth tallest in the
world. Because the building exceeds the China building codes height
limits, engineers are using performance-based design methods to

Construction Cost
$4.5 billion U.S.

efficiently satisfy seismic requirements set by an expert review panel.

Total Area

The buildings structure uses a core, floor system and columns of

303,955 m2 / 3.3 million sf

composite concrete, which provides multiple benefits. Concrete

with embedded steel provides superior strength and ductility while
improving cost-effectiveness, since East Asia concrete prices are much
lower than steel.
The towers tripod plan and rounded form were selected to reduce
wind resistance and the formation of vortices that cause uncomfortable
motion in tall buildings. The tapered structure reduces the forces at
the top of the building, resulting in reduced overall wind forces and
overturning moments. The aerodynamic performance achieved by this
configuration allows designers to minimize the amount of structural
material used in construction, reducing costs and environment impacts
of the building.
Building skin services included parametric modeling, analysis, and
re-construction of the building skin surfaces in order to develop
practical curtain wall solutions for the warped geometries.

44

Owner

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

Number of Stories
119
Height
606m / 1,988 ft

Thornton Tomasetti Tall and Supertall

45

Images Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan, courtesy C.Y. Lee and Partners

09-28-11

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