Miglin-Betler Skyneedle Drawing, courtesy of Pelli Clarke & Partners.
At the opening reception for the exhibition The Modern Concrete Skyscraper, the Museum presented a 30-min discussion with curators Thomas Leslie, Carol Willis, and the structural engineer Richard Tomasetti of the firm Thornton Tomasetti.
Willis and Leslie asked Tomasetti to recount his experience from the 1980s when improved concrete mixes and strength began to be used to increase the height, stiffness, and damping propoe qualities to design ever-taller skyscrapers.
Richard L. Tomasetti
P.E., NAE, Hon. AIA Consultant & Founding Principal,
Chairman Emeritus, Thornton Tomasetti Foundation
Richard Tomasetti served as chairman of Thornton Tomasetti until 2007 and is currently an advisor to its board of directors. His 45 years of global experience as a structural engineer includes a variety of major projects — from the design of the World Financial Center in New York City and Plaza 66 in Shanghai, China, to Pittsburgh’s Mellon Bank building and Taipei 101 in Taiwan. He is a recognized expert in the investigation of structures in distress and led New York City’s engineering support for search, rescue and cleanup following the World Trade Center disaster in 2001. Richard was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2004 and was awarded the Council on Tall Building’s Fazlur R Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal, jointly with Charlie Thornton, in 2012.