Aviation

UNMATCHED EXPERIENCE IN AVIATION 900 + PROJECTS

Helping Projects Take Flight

Industry-leading research and development. Proprietary analysis and production tools.

In-depth knowledge of local materials preferences and construction practices. We bring the full force of our distinctive blend of experience, resources and technological innovation – and a deeply collaborative interdisciplinary approach – to every aviation facility we design.

Building for tomorrow: flexible & resilient design

Employing technology to optimize outcomes

Performance-based seismic & fire engineering

Speeding construction & reducing risk with Advanced Project Delivery TM

Long-span expertise

Embodied-carbon expertise

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

RESTORATION & RENEWAL ACOUSTICS & VIBRATION

Firm-wide support

SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE

FAÇADE ENGINEERING

Creative solutions for complex challenges.

PROTECTIVE DESIGN & SECURITY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING

FORENSICS & INVESTIGATIONS

High-performance building design

Proactive & collaborative

Multidisciplinary emergency response & remediation

TRUSTED PARTNER

When you work with us, we’ve got your back, every time.

GLOBAL AVIATION EXPERIENCE

Projects of every type and size, all over the world.

ICONIC DESIGN

Creative problem-solving yields constructable designs for complex forms.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

We use cutting-edge tools to invent new ways of solving difficult problems.

ADVANCED PROJECT DELIVERY

Collaborative process streamlines steel procurement and erection for faster construction and reduced risk.

Whether it’s a terminal, hangar, support structure, parking garage or transit connection, aviation facilities require highly specialized experience.

With experience on more than 900 projects, we know the ins and outs of aviation design and construction.

We relish the challenge of fine-tuning a structure –from scratch or by updating or expanding an older one – to adapt to changing needs, optimize operational efficiency and the traveler experience, and accommodate new technologies.

Terminals

Hangars Support &

PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

TERMINAL MODERNIZATION PROGRAM

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Gensler-HDR JV in association with Luis Vidal + Architects, PJ Dick | Hunt

The 635,000-square-foot terminal is topped by an undulating long-span roof. Advanced modeling enabled swift iteration and selection of a more efficient roof geometry and constructable structural geometry. Our performancebased fire analysis allowed exposed steel columns to be filled with concrete instead of coated with intumescent paint, providing fire safety plus improved aesthetics and lower construction cost. The $1.3 billion project also includes a multihazard risk assessment and renovations to existing concourses.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, SUSTAINABILITY, SECURITY SERVICES, PERFORMANCE-BASED FIRE ENGINEERING, CORE MODELING

BIOPHILIC DESIGN

The roof’s form mimics the shape of surrounding hills. Within, it provides a forest-like canopy with pockets between ribbons diffusing natural light into the space.

DETROIT METRO AIRPORT

NORTH TERMINAL

Romulus, Michigan

Gensler in association with Ghafari Architects, Walbridge/Barton Malow Company

We provided structural design and blast studies for a 26-gate, 824,000square-foot terminal. Story-deep trusses frame the main entrance to an open three-story, light-filled space. Our design used three types of foundation systems to facilitate construction and accommodate an existing utility tunnel. And the baggage claim area roof was designed to support a roadway above.

STRUCTURAL

EFFICIENCY & FLEXIBILITY

Cost control was a high priority for the Wayne County Airport Authority, so our engineering team designed the structure for maximum efficiency, with a focus on future flexibility.

Copenhagen Airport, Terminal 3 Expansion

Kastrup, Denmark

Sustainability Consulting, Structural Peer Review

Memphis International Airport

Memphis, Tennessee

Seismic Risk Assessment, Retrofit Concept Design, Resilience Consulting

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Phase Two

Guangzhou, China

Structural Engineering

San Francisco International Airport, Terminal 2 Renovation LEED Gold

San Francisco, California

Sustainability Consulting

Spokane International Airport, Terminal Renovation & Expansion Program

Spokane, Washington

Structural Engineering, Façade Design

. . . AND THAT’S NOT ALL!

We do more than just design new terminals. Renovations. Seismic upgrades. Forensic investigations, repair and remediation. Noise and vibration consulting. Sustainability and performance improvements. Resilience checkups. We can help with all these and more.

INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

COL. H. WEIR COOK TERMINAL

Indianapolis, Indiana

HOK, Hunt-Smoot Midfield Builders

The 40-gate terminal features a soaring 320,000-square-foot roof. The roof’s exposed steel structure is supported on column “trees” that bear the load of four columns with the spatial effect of only one. The roof also channels rainwater for building operations and shades the truss-and-glass curtain walls. A 200-foot circular skylight further reduces energy required for lighting.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Midwest Construction Magazine, Outstanding Engineering Function and Aesthetic Award, 2009

DESIGN FOR FUTURE NEEDS

The large column-free spaces provide maximum flexibility for changing demands in capacity, technology and security.

MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

CONCOURSE B MODERNIZATION

Memphis, Tennessee

Alliance in association with UrbanARCH Associates, Flintco Construction

Our structural team literally raised the roof and replaced closely spaced columns with long-span steel trusses to create open corridors. A new steel framing system also brings the building into line with modern seismic code requirements. Our sustainability analysis focused on strategies to optimize energy performance, while our façade treatment included a new curtain wall of high-efficiency glazing that darkens in bright sunlight to block glare.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, FAÇADE ENGINEERING, SUSTAINABILITY

BETTER STRUCTURE & SUSTAINABILITY

Hangars

Facilities

Here’s How

This sweeping renovation enhanced the passenger experience, improved energy efficiency and upgraded the building’s seismic performance. Why Us? TERMINALS

LAGUARDIA AIRPORT

TERMINAL B

Queens, New York

LaGuardia Gateway Partners, HOK/WSP JV, Skanska/Walsh Construction JV

Our structural design – for a new headhouse and central hall, a new utilities plant, and a bridge connecting to parking – incorporates multilayered flood and blast protection, including hostile-vehicle mitigation. We also provided redundancy design and façade support for an 83-foot-tall curving glass wall stretching 1,142 feet along the frontage roadway that is specially designed to resist blast loads.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING, FAÇADE ENGINEERING, PROTECTIVE DESIGN, FORENSICS

SUPERLATIVE RESULTS

The largest P3 project in U.S. aviation history and the first airport terminal to achieve LEED Gold certification under the USGBC’s new, more stringent guidelines. Why

TERMINALS

Hangars

Facilities

Here’s How

Saint Louis Lambert International Airport Tornado Recovery Saint Louis, Missouri

Multidisciplinary Emergency Response, Damage Assessment, Recovery Planning

Pearson International Airport, Terminal 3 Floor Vibration Toronto, Ontario

Acoustics, Noise & Vibration Consulting

John F. Kennedy International Airport, Terminal One Jamaica, New York

Structural Engineering

Charlotte Douglas International Airport East Terminal Expansion Charlotte, North Carolina

Blast Mitigation Design

Carrasco International Airport Roof Montevideo, Uruguay

Structural Engineering

RAPID RESPONSE

In an emergency, our experienced forensics teams are ready to respond. We assess damage and design repairs to get operations back up and running as quickly as possible.

O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

AMERICAN AIRLINES L CONCOURSE STINGER

Chicago, Illinois

Corgan Architect, F.H. Paschen, LeJeune Steel Company

A five-gate expansion was threaded carefully into O’Hare’s busy fabric. To avoid disruptions and conflicts with utilities, much of the building is suspended from a pair of story-deep long-span trusses, and the 600-foot access walkway is built with just three spans. Our APD services helped facilitate construction; we collaborated with the contractor, steel fabricator and erection engineer to design and deliver a fully detailed Tekla model. We also performed energy modeling to evaluate solar effects on the project’s glazing.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING, FAÇADE ENGINEERING, SUSTAINABILITY, ADVANCED PROJECT DELIVERY™

CLIENT SATISFACTION

“An integrated approach to the modeling, connection engineering and erection logistics saved numerous weeks in the project schedule, expediting submittal reviews and allowing for early mill orders.”

— Frank Mullaghy, F.H. Paschen

UNITED AIRLINES TERMINAL 1

CURBSIDE & SOUTH BUILDING ADDITION

Chicago, Illinois

LendLease, SCB Architects

The project extended the terminal’s façade 20 feet toward the roadway and added glass-enclosed vestibules and curbside check-ins with small canopies. Our team provided blast mitigation services for the façade along its entire eastern exposure. The new South Building added 10,000 square feet for a new security checkpoint and improved circulation between Terminals 1 and 2. It was also designed to accommodate a future lounge on the mezzanine level.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, PROTECTIVE DESIGN, RENEWAL

THINKING AHEAD

The design included structural provisions for future construction of a mezzanine level for a United Club lounge.

Hangars

O’Hare International Airport, American Airlines Maintenance Hangar 2 Chicago, Illinois

Structural Engineering, Advanced Project Delivery™, Erection Engineering

Memphis International Airport, FedEx Airbus Hangar Facility Memphis, Tennessee

Structural Engineering

Dulles Jet Center Hangar Collapse Investigation Dulles, Virginia

Damage Assessment, Cause & Origin Analysis, Demolition Support

Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) Testing & Evaluation Hangar Complex Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland

Structural Engineering

Hamad International Airport, Aircraft Maintenance Hangar Doha, Qatar

Structural Engineering

MAINTENANCE ON A GRAND SCALE

American Airlines’ new maintenance facility at O’Hare International Airport, a twin-777 hangar, is the largest dual-access hangar in the world.

O’Hare International Airport, United Airlines Ground Equipment Maintenance Facility

Chicago, Illinois

Structural Engineering, Construction Engineering, Advanced Project Delivery™

Los Angeles International Airport, Consolidated Rent-a-Car Center (ConRAC)

Los Angeles, California

Protective Design, Structural Peer Review

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Airport Police Facility (APF)

Los Angeles, California

Protective Design, Façade Engineering, Sustainability, Waterproofing

O’Hare International Airport, FedEx Cargo Facility

Chicago, Illinois

Structural Engineering, Construction Engineering,

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Parking Garages

Atlanta, Georgia

Structural Engineering, Façade Engineering (canopy with ETFE membrane)

THIS STRUCTURE IS A GEM

United Airlines’ ground equipment maintenance (GEM) building at O’Hare International Airport houses workshops, overhead cranes and a painting facility. United called on us to save time by employing our APD service.

HERE’S HOW

We partner with clients to create enduring solutions.

Our engineers, architects, scientists and sustainability experts collaborate from offices worldwide to bring your goals to fruition. There’s no challenge we won’t tackle with strategic insight, robust collaboration and creative problem-solving.

We’d like to start with yours.

Acoustics, Noise & Vibration

Aviation

Biomechanics & Life Sciences

Commercial

Construction Engineering

Critical Facilities

Cultural & Community

Decarbonization

Defense

Education

Energy

Façades

Forensics & Investigations

Government

Healthcare

Hospitality & Gaming

Insurance

Laboratory & Research

Protective Design & Security

Residential

Resilience

Restoration & Renewal

Special Structures

Sports & Public Assembly

Structural Design

Sustainability

Tall & Supertall Buildings

Transportation & Infrastructure

Thomas D. Poulos

Managing Principal

TPoulos@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+1.312.596.2118

AVIATION MARKET

SECTOR LEADER

John Aniol

Associate Principal

JAniol@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+1.972.764.6240

MID-ATLANTIC/SOUTH REGION AVIATION LEAD

Tyler Ranf

Associate Principal

TRanf@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+1.206.372.5085

WESTERN REGION AVIATION LEAD

Jonathon Stage

Vice President

JStage@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+1.415.365.6922

SUSTAINABILITY LEAD

John Barry Principal

JBarry@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+1.917.661.8124

EASTERN REGION AVIATION LEAD

Karen Grossett

Principal KGrossett@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+1.312.596.2278

MIDWEST REGION AVIATION LEAD

Christopher Crilly

Associate Principal

CCrilly@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+44.7795.883665

EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST REGION AVIATION LEAD

Matt Kuba

Principal MKuba@ThorntonTomasetti.com

+1.414.292.9694

FAÇADE ENGINEERING LEAD

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