Two Thornton Tomasetti projects win NCSEAs 2011 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards

NEW YORK – Two projects for which Thornton Tomasetti provided structural engineering services, Altra Sede Regione Lombardia and Bank of Oklahoma (BOK) Center, have been named award winners by the National Council of Structural Engineers Association for its 2011 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards. Thornton Tomasetti was recognized at NCSEA’s 19th Annual Conference, October 20 – 22 at the Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center.

Key points
•Altra Sede Regione Lombardia is an iconic five-building, 1.05-million-square-foot headquarters property for the Lombardy Regional Government in Milan, Italy. It includes a 43-story, 405,000-square-foot tower, three below grade parking/storage levels and a plaza. It was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP.

•A large piazza in the center of the Altra Sede Regione Lombardia site is enclosed by the surrounding low-rise buildings and tower. The piazza roof is covered by a tubular lamella structure spanning 140 meters by 45 meters and clad in an extremely light pillow membrane system.

•Grand entrances to the piazza are created by open double-height ground-floor areas and multiple column transfers. The enclosure of the building is a highly innovative and efficient double-layer glass curtain wall.

•The Bank of Oklahoma Center, located in the heart of Tulsa, Okla., is a multi-purpose convention facility that can accommodate concerts, hockey, arena football, NCAA tournaments and other large public events. The 600,000-square-foot facility, designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (associate architect) and Matrix*Odell (construction architect), is an icon for Tulsa, serving not only as a premiere events venue, but also as a singular destination.

•The facility’s design utilizes the sun’s rays through the glass wall during the daytime. The same glass wall wraps around the southern half of the arena to welcome visitors by creating a unique gathering space.