Thornton Tomasetti wins ACEC N.Y. Diamond Award for 1.2m s/f N.Y. Times Bldg.

Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., a leading building engineering and design firm, has received the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) New York Diamond Award for Structural Systems for its work on The New York Times Building in Manhattan. The project has also been selected as a finalist for the ACEC National Award in this category. Thornton Tomasetti, Inc. was selected as the engineer of record for the structural design of The New York Times Building, a new 52-story, 1.2 million s/f office tower on Eighth Ave. between 40th and 41st Sts. in Midtown Manhattan. Designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano, in association with FXFOWLE Architects, the tower was developed by Forest City Ratner Companies, which co-owns the building with The New York Times Company. Thornton Tomasetti was retained by FXFOWLE Architects to provide structural engineering services for the building core and shell, as well as The New York Times Company interior fit-out work. The New York Times Company set out to build its new headquarters with three goals in mind: to enhance the way people in the company work; to reflect the company's values and role in the community; and to serve the company's long-term operational needs as an owner/user. The architectural vision for the building, an anchor of the 42nd St. redevelopment project, was a high-rise office tower of lightness and transparency with a mast that disappears into the sky. Contributing to this vision was an elegant structural steel exoskeleton that is integrated into the architectural design and a glass and ceramic curtain wall design that admits abundant natural light to the building on all floors. In fulfilling this vision, engineers faced three notable challenges in developing a structural system that is functional, architectural and efficient. One challenge was to find a means to keep building accelerations within an acceptable range while supporting the aesthetic vision. The design called for revealing structural elements on the exterior, and so integrating them into the overall aesthetic. A notable solution to dampen accelerations was the use of narrow cross-bracing rods. Pretensioning of these rods permitted them to remain small enough in diameter to help fulfill the vision for lightness and for lines that propel the eye upward, yet also serve an important structural function. In addition, the dimensions of exposed structural members decrease with height, further adding a sense of increasing lightness with height. Another challenge was to achieve a degree of attention in structural details—notable in the knuckle joints—that is rarely seen in the United States. All joints were designed and modeled and their installation overseen down to the fit and finish of welded joints. The third challenge was to combat a degree of motion from a level of differential thermal expansion not often seen in office high-rise buildings. Structural steel that passes from inside to outside can undergo a temperature differential as high as 80° F, resulting in a high differential between internal and external columns. Additional "thermal" trusses were added at the top of the building, reducing these deflections to an acceptable differential. Completed in the spring of 2007, the building represents an affirmation of the Times Company's commitment to the city, the Times Square neighborhood, and to the transformative power of great architecture. The skyscraper has already drawn thousands of new employees to the area, along with more than a dozen vibrant, growing companies and exciting new retail outlets, and has provided much-needed new class A office space in an area where vacancy is below 10%.