Corporate responsibility is about recognizing that we can be a major participant in addressing some of the biggest social issues we face.
OVERVIEW
At Thornton Tomasetti, we apply scientific and engineering principles to address some of the world’s most difficult challenges. The social responsibility challenges all of us currently face are among the most long-standing and difficult issues of our generation. The challenges are daunting: climate change, racial and social inequity, developing thriving communities, and providing a path for our present and future employees to grow. What comes next?
In the spring of 2020, just as this report went into production, a novel coronavirus began spreading throughout the world, disrupting lives in ways that we never before could have imagined. Many of our people asked, “How can I help?” and began looking for ways to apply scientific and engineering principles to meet the challenges of the pandemic.
Check out our Coronavirus Response blog and Ingenuity in the Post-COVID-19 World
Our sixth annual Day of Discovery in New York introduced girls in middle and high school to AEC careers.
Bess Adler/Thornton Tomasetti
How We’re Addressing Future Challenges
We are committed to doing our part to address these challenges, applying our ingenuity and drawing inspiration from our core purpose and values. At the core of our technical work, we apply solid and fluid mechanics to make our planet safer and more sustainable and resilient.
We have many initiatives in place, some mature and some just getting off the ground. These include:
• Driving the sustainability of our operations and project designs to reduce our carbon footprint and embodied carbon
• Building healthy work environments
• Promoting inclusion and diversity
• Creating a welcoming environment where all employees can feel safe and achieve their full potential
• Developing our staff and our leadership
• Cultivating our Doing Good Business social impact initiative
Last year, we committed approximately 5 percent of our profits to these endeavors, and we plan to continue that trend.
We encourage everyone in our firm to get to know our corporate responsibility goals and initiatives. Get involved, challenge your leaders and support your colleagues as we continue to work toward significant change.
And we invite our industry partners – clients, other subcontractors, competitors, professional organizations and academics – to join together on this journey. We know that none of us can do this alone, but together we are strong enough to drive the kind of meaningful change that is necessary for our industry, our communities and our planet.
Peter DiMaggio Co-CEO New York, Wall Street
Michael Squarzini Co-CEO New York, Madison Avenue
Bess Adler/Thornton Tomasetti
2019 Progress Report: Financial Vitality
Each year, we report on several indicators that show progress toward achieving our financial-vitality goals. The trends this reveals can show how our corporate responsibility programs contribute to our vitality over time.
High employee retention , while not a direct financial indicator, is associated with better financial vitality. According to the Work Institute’s Retention Report it costs employers 33 percent of a worker’s annual salary to hire a replacement if that worker leaves. Employee retention is tracked and reported by our Human Resources department. We have industry-leading retention and are focused on multiple culture and development initiatives to keep our retention as strong as possible.
accelerator created by Thornton Tomasetti.
Our leadership team in front of the Thornton Tomasetti-engineered Vessel at New York City’s Hudson Yards. From left: President Wayne Stocks, Co-CEO Mike Squarzini, Executive Chairman Tom Scarangello, Managing Director Gary Panariello, and Co-CEO Pete DiMaggio. Bess Adler/Thornton Tomasetti
2019 Corporate Responsibility Ap proach
A responsible business operates and grows in ways that are environmentally friendly, socially accountable and financially sustainable. At Thornton Tomasetti, we follow this triple bottom line by focusing on our people, planet and profit.
Corporate Responsibility
We are out of the ordinary in the AEC industry in that we have a Corporate Responsibility department, led by a corporate responsibility officer who reports to the CEO. The department was established in 2012, with the original goal of helping the firm meet reporting requirements for the American Institute of Architects’ 2030 Commitment for climate-neutral buildings. Now, corporate responsibility at Thornton Tomasetti stretches across departments and disciplines.
Our goals focus on what is most important to our stakeholders and our company, including climate change, sustainable buildings, our communities and our skilled employees. We aspire to be one of the most sustainable firms in the AEC world, both in the way we design our projects and in how we operate as a responsible business.
The podcast above addresses these eight questions:
1. What is corporate responsibility?
2. What is Thornton Tomasetti’s approach to corporate responsibility?
3. What are the firm’s corporate responsibility goals?
4. Can you give examples of how we are addressing some of these goals?
5. What are some programs and initiatives that have been integral to achieving success in meeting corporate responsibility goals?
6. What are the benefits of corporate responsibility for our clients? For our employees?
7. How can Thornton Tomasetti employees contribute to corporate responsibility initiatives?
8. How does corporate responsibility lead to an enduring organization?
with Amy Seif Hattan, LEED Green Associate Vice President of Corporate Responsibility
Listen to our podcast for more information about Thornton Tomasetti’s approach to corporate responsibility.
2019 Progress Report: Personnel
DEPARTMENT STAFF
Amy Seif Hattan, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility
Nado Saab, Programs Manager
Duncan Cox, Senior Associate
Alexandra Davis, Intern
Jingling Zhang, Intern
Cathy Streifel, Office Manager
Maya Wynn, Editor
Charles Palmer, Editor
Lorenzo Sanjuan-Pertusa, Mise-en-page
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY STEERING COMMITTEE
The steering committee advises on strategic direction for corporate responsibility. Members represent a variety of offices, practices, regions, and departments and provide guidance on corporate responsibility decisions that relate to their areas of influence.
Raymond Daddazio, President
Vanessa Da Rocha, Project Director
Tanya de Hoog, Principal/Director
Faz Ehsan, Managing Principal
Gunnar Hubbard, Principal and Sustainability Practice Leader
Leonard Joseph, Principal
Jim Kent, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Peter Quigley, Principal
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY GROUP
(2019)
The steering committee advises on strategic direction for corporate responsibility. Members represent a variety of offices, practices, regions, and departments and provide guidance on corporate responsibility decisions that relate to their areas of influence.
Brian Dunbar
Executive Director, Institute for the Built Environment
Jonathan Flaherty
Senior Director Sustainability and Utilities, Tishman Speyer
William Horgan
Partner, Grimshaw
Nadav Malin
President, BuildingGreen, Inc.
Marsha Maytum
Principal, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
Paula McEvoy
Co-Director of Sustainable Design, Perkins+Will
Kate Simonen
Founding Director, Carbon Leadership Forum at the University of Washington
Elizabeth Heider
Chief Sustainability Officer, Skanska USA
THORNTON TOMASETTI GREEN CHAMPIONS (2019)
Albuquerque – Penny Tennant and Anna Flessner. Austin – Hilary Goshert. Beijing – Wei Sheng and Junjie Jiang. Boston – Nasreen Awal, Kim Carr, Kelsey Wittels and Ted Saltz. Chicago – Adele Scampoli, Sergio Soltero, Tejasvee Prasad, Nuria Abad Sanz, JJ Tobolski, Rachel Michelin, Abhiram Tammana and Aditya Kulkarni. Dallas – Lauren Kelley, Sophie Zhang Bullock, Luis Maurico-Perez, Tania Peterson and Paul Leidig. Edinburgh – Martin Allison, Kathleen Halford and Timothy Griffiths. Fort Lauderdale – Jessica McCoy, Sakshi Singh, Vanessa Da Rocha, Michelle Olender and Jacqueline Lopez. Ho Chi Minh City – Anh Nguyen. Kansas City – Jason Dimaria. London – Duncan Cox, Daisy Harvey and Manuel Perrone. Los Angeles – John Essig and Debbie Cervera, Jackson Pitofsky, Luke Lombardi, Kris La-Borde and Nicola King. Miami – Claudia Bruder. Mumbai – Kumaraguru Selvakumar, Sandesh Rajput, Aditi Kulkarni and Karthikeyan Sankar. Newark – David Campos and Alejandra Guerra. New York, Madison Ave. – Christos Mavroudis, Jacey Pisciotta, Alana Seggman, Erin Purcell Maillet, Elizabeth Uva and Hailey Kim. New York, Wall St. – Natalia Zawisny, Jason Silbiger, Miles Barber, Angela Brysiewicz, Kenneth Ho, Jonathan Lassman. Ottawa – Martin Villeneuve. Philadelphia – Courtney Wells and Kyle Root. Portland, Fore St. – Sunny Du and Annavitte Rand. Romsey – Dave Mayo. San Diego– Dean Schoenberg and Andres Gutierrez. San Francisco – Payel Chatterjee, Katie Hansan, Ryann Malicdem, Zoe McBride, Sri Madhavan and Shelley Wenzel. Seattle – James Feracor and Benjamin Schwartz. Shanghai – Gary Lin, Vicki Tong and Cathy Zhao. Tampa – Durai Raj Martin. Toronto – Rubi Valerova. Warrington – Giles Prosser. Washington, D.C. – Chad Emrich, Kathryn Williamson and Rupa Patel.
Former Thornton Tomasetti Programs Director Nado Saab and Project Consultant Alexandra Davis at the Nature Conservancy in Brunswick, Maine.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
How do you change the world? By making steady progress toward ambitious goals. To track this progress, we report our performance on annual objectives and long-range goals and we announce new targets for the coming year. An essential part of our corporate responsibility plan, this reporting highlights our successes – and shows us where we need to do better. As part of the firm’s five-year planning process, we recently reexamined our corporate responsibility goals. Our ambitious new targets look ahead, not just to 2025 but to 2050 and beyond.
The Al Wasl Plaza is the crown jewel and centerpiece of the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai. Courtesy Expo 2020 Dubai
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Corporate Responsibility Goals
At the end of 2019, Thornton Tomasetti’s corporate responsibility steering committee began a strategic planning process for the next five years – an effort that mirrored firm-wide five-year planning for the firm’s practices and offices. We committed to seven big goals. Some were carried forward from our previous midrange plan from 2016, and others are new to the mix.
Demonstrate Positive Environmental & Social Impact Across All Practices
Designing for a better world is the future of our industry. To be the global driver of change and innovation in our industry, we must demonstrate that design professionals can solve the most challenging social and environmental problems through our work. We have the expertise and cross-practice opportunities to be a leader in this area. This path will result in an enduring organization.
Lead the Industry in the Reduction of Embodied Carbon in Structures
Our best opportunity to demonstrate positive environmental and social impact lies in areas where we can have the greatest contribution, based on our knowledge and talent, and where we can apply our ingenuity. Embodied carbon is a rapidly emerging area in which we, as a multipractice firm with a strong grounding in structural engineering and expertise in sustainability, can be a driver and hold a unique position in the AEC industry.
Achieve Carbon-Neutral Business Operations by 2030
Through our Sustainability practice and our adoption of the Architecture 2030 Challenge, Thornton Tomasetti is an active participant in reducing climate change. We engage our employees in the global effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change by practicing what we preach through our internal policies and behaviors.
Promote an Inclusive & Diverse Community
Everyone at Thornton Tomasetti is empowered to change our industry. We know diversity drives innovation, so we will set and achieve targeted data-driven goals to increase inclusion and diversity among our staff, leaders, owners and board of directors. We will cultivate a welcoming and rewarding environment where everyone can achieve their full potential throughout their career journey here. We will increase our investment in continuous learning to expand and nurture our staff and future leaders. And we will support opportunities for everyone at our firm to give back to their communities.
Support a Healthy & Lifestyle-Friendly Workplace
Caring about our employees is part of our culture of respect. We want a healthy and lifestyle-friendly workplace because we care about our people, but also because we want to attract and retain the best talent and reduce healthcare costs.
Support Our Employees’ Passion for Community Service
Our employees have unique capabilities that can add value to their communities, and they want to share their skills with others in need. Community service allows us to challenge people to grow and build relationships in the communities where we live and work.
Accelerate Leadership Development & Professional Growth Opportunities
Improvement
Our firm encourages professional development at all levels. We are committed to creating a pipeline of world-class and diverse leaders. Our growth opportunities increase employee retention and lead to better work outcomes, innovation and leadership in the industry.
7 updated goals years to meet them 5
5
7 updated goals years to meet them
1,500 employees who together will make progress
1,500 employees who together will make progress
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
2019 Corporate Responsibility Targets
In last year’s report , we announced measurable short-term targets for 2019 that support our overall corporate responsibility goals in three areas. Here’s our progress:
Reduce Electricity Use by 5 Percent & Increase Green Power Purchases to 25 Percent of U.S. Use
In 2019, we renewed our status as a partner in good standing with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership for a fifth year. We met the EPA’s new green-power threshold – 25 percent, up from 10 percent the previous year –for electricity use in our U.S. offices. How? By purchasing 824,000 kWh of green power through renewable energy certificates (RECs) for our Boston, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Portland and San Francisco offices.
Our electricity-use goal for 2019 was a 5 percent reduction to build upon the previous year’s progress (in 2018, we saw a 5 percent reduction in total electricity use from 2017, despite a 16 percent growth in employee numbers). We didn’t meet our target. Staff levels increased by 4 percent, with a corresponding increase in electricity use. But there is good news. When accounting for RECs (purchased in 2020 to offset 2019 use), our per-person electricity emissions went down from 1.31 to .98 metric tons of CO 2 e per person – a 25 percent decrease.
Embodied Carbon: Go from R&D to Implementation with Embodied-Carbon Services on at Least 30 Projects
For the embodied-carbon community, 2019 was a seminal year. After nearly 20 years of advocacy from within the building sector about the importance of reducing the footprint of building materials like steel and concrete, the industry started paying attention to embodied carbon in a much bigger way.
For nine years, Thornton Tomasetti has led the industry in research on embodiedcarbon benchmarks. We’ve amassed a unique database of embodied-carbon calculations for more than 600 of our structural design projects, which we used to help develop Beacon, an embodied-carbon assessment tool that launched in January. Our internal community of practice on the topic has grown to 100 members. And we’ve added embodied-carbon calculations and material efficiency assessment for global warming potential to our service offerings.
In 2019, we continued our long-standing sponsorship of the Carbon Leadership Forum. We contributed to their Embodied Carbon Benchmark study and co-initiated the Structural Engineers 2050 Challenge. The firm also contributed to the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool as a sponsor and technical advisor. With awareness of embodied carbon increasing across the industry and within Thornton Tomasetti, it’s no surprise that we met our one-year target of applying embodiedcarbon services to at least 30 projects in 2019. Since 2018, we have decreased the embodied carbon in our structural projects by 30 percent.
Innovate in structural design by reducing embodied carbon
Increase employee engagement in corporate responsibility
Increase Employee Awareness of Corporate Responsibility Programs to 90 Percent
Our most recent survey, answered by more than a third of employees, shows employee awareness of our corporate responsibility programs at 87 percent – up from 84 percent in 2018, and close to our 90 percent one-year target. Why don’t 13 percent of our employees know about our corporate responsibility programs? We’re not sure, but we’re going to work even harder in the coming year to inform and educate all of our people. Because we can only achieve our corporate responsibility goals with the help of all our talented people, we will continue to raise awareness of our environmental and social programs through several channels, including Spark, our social intranet, webinars and local outreach by our corporate responsibility team. In 2019, we boosted our internal communication when we updated the department name from Corporate Sustainability to Corporate Responsibility. The new brand better conveys the range of topics and programs encompassed by our work.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2020 and next year’s corporate responsibility report, we’re working to achieve measurable short-term progress toward our corporate responsibility goals in these areas:
Include Embodied-Carbon Specifications for Concrete, Steel & Wood in Our Structural Engineering Standards
In early 2020, we launched a new internal community of practice focused on embodied carbon. One of its first action items was to develop embodied-carbon specifications for our Structural Engineering practice. Starting with concrete, members identified regional performance-based average values that engineers can use to track against and show improvements through better materials selection. This work is being implemented in collaboration with our Standards Committee and is supported by an internal education plan. By 2021, we aim to roll out concrete, steel and wood specifications to our technical staff so they can actively use the new specs to reduce embodied carbon in the structures we design.
Lower Per-Person Carbon Footprint Below 3.9 Tons of CO 2 e Per Person by Cutting Energy Use
How can we achieve climate-neutral business operations by 2030? By reducing our per-employee carbon footprint by 10 percent every two years. In 2020, when we conduct our next biennial carbon footprint analysis, we’re aiming for a footprint below 3.9 tons of CO 2 e per person. How? By reducing – not offsetting – our energy use.
To set this 10 percent reduction target (from 4.3 tons of CO 2 e in 2018), we considered our past reductions and predicted increases in employee numbers. So we’re confident that we can achieve this energy-use reduction. We will continue to follow our best practices for sustainable operations, including using highly efficient lighting, purchasing
the most efficient office and kitchen equipment, and reducing plug loads with the help of our local green champions. In fact, with most employees working remotely and avoiding travel since March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely that our average per-employee carbon footprint will be even lower than the target we set in January.
Achieve 100% Employee Awareness of Our Inclusion & Diversity Initiative
As part of a larger leadership transition at Thornton Tomasetti, oversight of our Inclusion and Diversity (I+D) initiative passed into new hands this year. With a new structure and new goals in place, we’re ready to take our I+D efforts in new directions.
In May, we launched two new grassroots employee network groups (ENGs) to advocate for underrepresented groups among our staff. Mosaic supports and empowers multicultural employees. Spectrum does the same for the LGBTQIA+ community. Mosaic and Spectrum join Women@TT – our first ENG, launched in 2013 – in a shared mission to help every employee at Thornton Tomasetti feel comfortable and succeed in their roles.
A 2019 employee survey showed that only 65 percent of participants were aware of our earlier I+D initiatives. The recent reboot offers more opportunities for active employee involvement and is being promoted on our intranet. With that – plus the heightened attention globally to issues of racism and social inequity – we expect our next survey, at the end of 2020, to show 100 percent employee awareness of our I+D initiative. Lead the industry in
Promote an inclusive and diverse community Continuous Improvement Data Points
by
3 new embodied-carbon specifications increase in employee awareness of I+D reduction in average per-capita carbon footprint
We aspire to be one of the most sustainable firms in our industry, in our operations and our work. Around the globe, projects large and small grant us abundant opportunities to lead by example – and to create a better world. Because the building sector contributes up to 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions , at Thornton Tomasetti, we feel a responsibility to be part of the solution to this dire problem. Our 2019 showcase projects demonstrate a few of the many ways we are tackling climate change by applying expertise from across our many in-house disciplines in creative ways to make a positive impact.
Thornton Tomasetti continues to hold a strong position in Engineering News-Record’s annual “Top Green Building Design Firms” ranking. Now 18th out of 100 firms, we have held a spot in the top 20 for the past six years. In 2019, our sustainability consulting work achieved a reduction of 10,825 tons of carbon dioxide –the equivalent to that produced by 1,443 average U.S. households in a year. This reduction, our largest ever, reflects strong growth in the number, diversity and scope of our projects. Since we began reporting in 2014, we’ve helped 352 projects seek or achieve a green building certification through our sustainability consulting services.
Our role in combating climate change also goes beyond sustainability consulting. For example, our structural engineers are calculating and reducing embodied carbon – the carbon footprint of building materials – in the buildings we design. We’ve been researching embodied carbon for nearly a decade and have developed tools that help our engineers make significant cuts to embodied carbon in building structures.
Our work on embodied carbon is just one facet of Thornton Tomasetti’s R&D program, which continued to grow in 2019. Now at $2 million per year, our investment in R&D has increased by 94 percent since 2014.
2019 Progress Report: Our Good Work
Each year, we report on several indicators that show progress toward achieving our goals for socially responsible and sustainable projects. The trends this reveals can indicate where we need to stay the course and where we need to make changes.
The “Top 100 Green Building Design Firms” ranking is determined each year by Engineering News-Record based on each year’s revenue from design or construction services for projects that have been registered or certified by a third-party organization that sets standards for measuring the environmental impact of buildings.
Average embodied carbon per square foot represents the global warming potential of the structural materials used in our major projects. This year, project managers used our new Beacon tool to quantify the CO 2 e emissions from structural elements and quantities used in their Revit models.
The CO 2 reduction metric tracks the impact of sustainability improvements –like energy-efficiency measures and other strategies for reducing operating energy –that result from our sustainability consulting work. This total savings is the sum of individual project savings derived from energy modeling.
Cost savings from our sustainability consulting services are calculated using energy savings (at left) and an average fuel-unit price for all projects.
Sustainability consulting projects includes all sustainability projects that are registered or certified by a green building program, such as LEED or Living Building Challenge Each cumulative total includes all projects from previous years. These numbers do not include projects for which we didn’t provide sustainability consulting services.
R&D support ncludes the annual budget for CORE, our virtual incubator of ideas. This budget funds staffing and other support for CORE, as well as our semiannual innovation tournaments which identify promising staff-generated ideas from across our diverse practices and departments for R&D funding and support.
Stretching across one million square feet and encompassing an entire city block, 100 Flatbush Avenue will comprise a pair of towers and an additional building that will house two schools. As part of the most sustainable block in Brooklyn, its phase 1 tower, a 38-story mixed-use high-rise, will be the first all-electric tower in New York City.
Project: 100 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Architects: Alloy Development and Architectural Research Office (ARO )
Our Services: Sustainability
The project team is designing the school building – which will house the 350-seat Khalil Gibran International Academy and a public elementary school – to meet stringent Passive House international standards. This high-performance development follows the New York City Council’s enactment of the landmark Climate Mobilization Act, aimed at achieving an 80 percent reduction in the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
We chatted with Colin Schless, a vice president in our Sustainability practice, to learn about how an ultra-sustainable project like this one benefits from the creativity and passion of its team.
There aren’t many all-electric buildings, and even fewer all-electric towers. What inspired you to take the road less traveled?
COLIN We‘ve worked with Alloy Development for a long time, starting with another New York tower, One John Street, that achieved LEED Gold certification and incorporated Passive House principles. We really like working together, and we’re synced when it comes to finding ways to achieve high sustainability goals. They’re both the architect and the developer, and that combination feeds their creativity. They’re always looking for the best in sustainability, regardless of any green building certification. They believe that a greener grid lies in the future, and so do the experts, who predict that New York City’s electric grid will be clean of fossil fuels by 2040. So for this project, the goal of reducing carbon in the design came to mind immediately.
What solutions did this team develop for meeting its sustainability goals?
COLIN Electricity isn’t cheap. And right now, grid electricity is no less carbon-intensive than natural gas, because gas is used to make the electricity and there are transmission losses associated with its delivery to the site. We’re planning for 10 to 15 years down the road, when the grid will be powered by clean energy. We looked for opportunities to decrease electricity use wherever possible – giving the tower an airtight envelope, efficient windows, a heat recovery system, and a dedicated outdoor air supply to reduce electric ventilation. The mixed uses of the building presented an opportunity to pull heat from the office spaces, where equipment must be kept cool, and bring it into the apartments through a water-loop system.
The project’s other big goal is to maximize health and wellness. The scale of the building and how it interacts with pedestrians (the “pedestrian experience”) impart a feeling of wellness to the whole block. For the school building, we simulated outdoor comfort to maximize the amount of time kids can play outdoors throughout the year, and brought lots of natural light into the classrooms.
3.76
on-site carbon emissions (tower) BTU/hour/sf heating load (school) energy savings versus equivalent code-compliant school 35%+
100 Flatbush in Brooklyn. Courtesy Alloy Development.
Our Good Work Data Points
Colin Schless Vice President Boston
2019 Sustainability Showcase: 100 Flatbush Avenue
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Our vision for 100 Flatbush Avenue is to create the most sustainable city block in Brooklyn and to lead the real-estate industry through a change in perspective about sustainable stewardship. To design the city’s first all-electric tower and first Passive House school, we selected a team that shared our passion for sustainability innovation and had the practical ability to execute it.
— Jared Della Valle, CEO and Founder, Alloy Development
Passive House schools exist across the United States, but not in New York. Why is that, and what are you learning from the city’s first Passive House school?
COLIN To meet the ultralow energy goals of the voluntary Passive House standard, a project must have a very tight envelope. You need to create a wrapper of insulation to form a high-performance envelope around the building, and that’s hard to do if the building is sandwiched between other structures. For this project, we had to examine every spot where the buildings meet and think about how to seal off our project at that intersection. This involved negotiating adjacent portions of the façade and minimizing thermal bridging where insulation may have to transition from outside to inside.
The size and complexity of the school building are staggering, and it’s exciting that this will be the first project of its kind to achieve this type of certification. It took a deeply collaborative effort with the MEP designer to reduce the use of traditional air-based HVAC systems in alignment with the Passive House standard.
What’s next? Should we anticipate a carbon-neutral economy in the near future?
COLIN This project is right at the vanguard; we’re going to see a lot more projects moving in this direction. The hard questions we’re working to answer for this project are helping us prepare for what we’re predicting will be a much larger shift to a carbonneutral economy. The electrification of 100 Flatbush is already inspiring similar projects to transition to a carbon-neutral approach.
Supporting Information
100 Flatbush project page
“All-electric and Passive House approaches guide NYC mixed-use complex designed by ARO and Alloy Development”
“One developer wants to build ‘the most sustainable block in Downtown Brooklyn’”
2019 Embodied-Carbon Showcase: Hobhouse Court
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Hobhouse Court is a 7,000-square-meter mixed-use development near London’s Trafalgar Square. Two of the site’s four original buildings were listed by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (Historic England).
Project: Hobhouse Court, London
Architects: Brisac Gonzalez and Arquitectonica
Our Services: Structural and Façade Engineering Awards: New London Architecture, 2019 Mixed-Use Category Finalist
The project demolished three of these buildings to ground level. Thornton Tomasetti provided structural and façade engineering for the refurbishment of the remaining building, the addition of two new floors at its roof level, and the construction of a new six-story building above the historic subterranean vaults of the demolished structures.
We sat down with Simon Cross, a senior associate in our Structural Engineering practice, and Duncan Cox, a senior associate in our Sustainability practice, to discuss the project’s progressive use of embodied-carbon reduction strategies.
Embodied carbon – the carbon footprint of building materials – is a new concept in sustainable building design. Why did the design team decide to pioneer embodiedcarbon reduction strategies on this project?
SIMON Structural engineers have an enormous impact on embodied carbon. So as project manager, I felt we had a moral obligation to strive to meet climate-change targets. From the outset, our approach was to reuse and refurbish as much of the original 200-year-old structure as possible. Through careful detailing and design, we can conserve and redevelop historic buildings to reduce their embodied carbon.
DUNCAN This iconic structure sits right in the heart of London, next to Trafalgar Square. Historic England has granted the building “protected” status, meaning that it could be refurbished only if historic elements such as the vaults – once used for storing wine –were retained. This created a favorable condition for the reduction of embodied carbon, as it meant we had to avoid adding lots of material to reinforce the substructure.
This project added new floors above the historic section. How did the team minimize the amount of material placed atop the substructure?
SIMON The design of the additional levels required careful consideration to minimize structural intervention to the vaults, so as not to add more loading and create undue stress. Working with the architect and English Heritage, we developed a philosophy early on that achieved their project aspirations while preserving the building’s historic fabric.
DUNCAN We designed a very lightweight frame, which had the double benefit of reducing material in both the substructure and the overall building. We also employed castellated beams – essentially “Swiss cheese” versions of steel beams – which increased the beam capacity by 60 percent while using less material. By placing the slab within the beams, we achieved the required floor heights, but with a lightweight structure.
Columbia University visit to Hobhouse Court in London. Fredric Bell Photo
Duncan Cox Senior Associate London, Farringdon
2019 Embodied-Carbon Showcase: Hobhouse Court
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Seeing the almost-finished renovation and reuse of the Hobhouse Court development, I was amazed at the quality, complexity, history and character of the space. After the tour, I found your presentation and the discussion on carbon emissions in the construction industry, and the Thornton Tomasetti embodied-carbon reduction project, most inspiring.
— Rick Bell, Executive Director, Design and Construction Excellence, New York City Department of Design and Construction
So by reducing the quantity of materials, you reduced embodied carbon. Did the project use any other embodied-carbon reduction strategies, and was that a specific certification goal?
SIMON Most embodied carbon in concrete originates from its cement, so we used concrete with a high cement replacement. It contained 60 to 80 percent ground granulated blast-furnace slag, which is similar to fly ash. The predominant brick façade is low in embodied carbon, compared to metal rainscreen cladding and other common materials. The external wall buildup, which consisted of prefabricated lightweight insulated panels that reduced the number of required material layers, also helped reduce embodied carbon.
DUNCAN The project pursued BREEAM green building certification and achieved a rating of “Excellent.” It received all six available credits for embodied-carbon reduction.
Is it now standard practice in the United Kingdom to consider embodied-carbon reduction in sustainable design?
SIMON When the Hobhouse project began seven years ago, people weren’t really talking about embodied carbon, but now there’s a lot of interest. Clients are better educated about it, and they’re taking a proactive stance on energy efficiency. It’s talked about on all projects now, not just the large ones.
DUNCAN In the United Kingdom, we’ve seen cement replacement in most concrete mixes for some time, which is bringing down the carbon footprints of projects. Our challenge now is to reduce this impact further by increasing cement replacement, improving design efficiency and considering the use of structures as carbon sinks, absorbing more carbon than they release.
Hobhouse Court in London. Thornton Tomasetti
Supporting Information
Brisac Gonzalez project page
2019 Resilience Showcase: Sunnyside Yard Master Plan
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Sunnyside Yard is a 180-acre development in New York City that involves building a massive deck over an active rail yard. The master plan envisions a new equitable and sustainable community that will include 12,000 affordable apartments, a new regional rail station, and 60 acres of new open space and parks.
Project: Sunnyside Yard Master Plan, Queens, NY
Architects: Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)
Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York City Economic Development Corporation are major stakeholders at one of the busiest rail yards in the country. The plan takes a comprehensive approach, led by public priorities and centered on human needs.
We interviewed Resilience Practice Leader Amy Macdonald to learn about how the Sunnyside Yard master plan addresses climate resilience and increases the adaptability of its community and the surrounding region.
Resilience is very important to planning in New York City, where Superstorm Sandy caused extensive damage. What are the major considerations in designing for resilience at Sunnyside Yard?
AMY The development has a 70-year time frame, so adaptability to any risks that may come our way is important. There is great variability in the climate change projections that far out, and there will be advances in technology. Also, the project’s scale requires a neighborhood approach to resilience, rather than a building-by-building approach. So we have the opportunity to enhance the resilience of the wider Queens community
How can you build resilience beyond the borders of the project?
AMY Sunnyside Yard’s location has a high heat-vulnerability index, as do adjacent neighborhoods. Risks from heat are projected to get worse as the climate changes. By starting with a holistic understanding of current and future vulnerabilities to climaterelated shocks and stresses, we looked for ways to reduce the impacts of climate change in the coming years.
Sunnyside Yard Master Plan in Queens, New York. Courtesy Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)
Macdonald
2019 Resilience Showcase: Sunnyside Yard Master Plan
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This project is about envisioning a more equitable and sustainable future. It is not just about scale or complexity, but about designing for people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. The intention is to improve people’s lives. It’s projects like this that Doing Good Business was developed to support. The initiative recognizes Thornton Tomasetti’s ability – and duty – to address the social inequality that is greater than ever before and to partner on projects that deliver equity for everyone.
— Tanya de Hoog , Principal and Leader of Doing Good Business , a Thornton Tomasetti Social Impact Initiative
What was our unique contribution to the Sunnyside Yard plan?
AMY We developed a sophisticated sustainability and resilience design matrix that evaluates the co-benefits of design decisions and provides an initial approach to risk and resilience assessment for the Yard.
We‘re also incorporating circular urban systems, meaning the neighborhood will produce, consume and reuse the resources it needs. This approach, which integrates nature wherever possible, will create resilient, decentralized systems that can adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.
Circular systems in the plan include rainwater capture across the 180-acre site, with retention and reuse for irrigation across the site and in buildings. This will reduce Sunnyside’s impact on the city’s already overwhelmed stormwater systems. It also maximizes the value of this precious natural resource where it falls. Because Sunnyside Yard will sit atop a deck, not on the ground, it doesn’t connect into the local groundwater system. So we explored innovative stormwater-retention systems that could be used on top of the deck. Urban agriculture, on-site food production and reductions in food waste are also key components for developing a resilient food system.
What have you learned from working on this large and inspiring neighborhood project?
AMY We’ve learned that the interconnectedness of our urban systems requires a holistic and integrated approach to sustainable and resilient urban development.
It takes a considerable effort to link resilience, sustainability and circular-economy principles to capture all their co-benefits. But it was critical for developing master-plan details that align with the project’s guiding principles. It’s also an important aspect of design storytelling. Getting it right requires carefully orchestrated coordination across disciplines. We have to break down traditional silos to get the whole design team working toward common goals.
Planning for long-term resilience can be difficult, even when using the best available data. Variation and uncertainty in climate change projections increase the further out you look, so you need a thorough understanding of risk to make wise and informed planning decisions – especially for a community the size of Sunnyside Yard. Despite the challenges, the scale and time frame also provide an uncommon opportunity. We can craft a better future for a significant neighborhood within New York City.
Supporting Information
Sunnyside Shared Vision
Sunnyside Plan
City and Amtrak Release Long-Term Sunnyside Yard Master Plan With New Model: Transit-First, All-Affordable
Sunnyside Yard Master Plan in Queens, New York.. Courtesy Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)
We have been helping manage the risk associated with carbon capture and storage (CCS) since 2006, when we began working with BP on projects intended to safely capture and transport CO 2 waste from the point of origin to secure storage.
Project: Carbon Capture and Storage
Our Services: Energy and Applied Science
Since then, through our involvement with the Carbon Capture and Storage Association we’ve been engaged in industry dialogue to improve and expand CCS technologies.
Tony Byrne, a vice president in our Applied Science practice, spoke to us about how Thornton Tomasetti is supporting the development of CCS technologies for projects in the United States and United Kingdom
Carbon capture and storage is a new concept for many, although you’ve been in this game for some time. How does it help mitigate climate change?
TONY A lot of industry processes emit CO 2 and contribute to global climate change. Power stations are big contributors, because to produce power requires combustion of fossil fuels and release of CO 2 Coal-fired power plants are the biggest culprits. Also, a number of industrial processes that involve manufacturing steel, cement, glass and fertilizers release CO 2 through chemical reactions. CCS can reduce the emission of CO 2 by 95 percent in these industries.
CCS can serve as a “bridging technology,” meaning that it’s not the only solution, but can aid in the transition between traditional processes and a green energy future. Right now, the infrastructure in place creates CO 2 If we can capture these emissions, we can use this infrastructure for longer but be less polluting.
Climate change reduction targets are set high, and meeting them solely through the use of renewables like wind and hydropower is challenging. But if the United States turned 100 percent to renewables, some industries would have to shut down and we’d
Tony Byrne Vice President Warrington
Our Good Work Data Points
end up offshoring industries to other countries, where CO 2 would still be emitted. This bridging technology enables energy independence (allowing the use of existing fossilfuel reserves) while maintaining our industries and keeping people in their jobs.
Carbon capture and storage must be tricky. What are some of the challenges?
TONY There are several ways to achieve CCS, including post-combustion capture and precombustion capture. In post-combustion capture, CO 2 is extracted from flue gases using a chemical process, and then compressed. It is then transported and stored underground – for example, in a depleted hydrocarbon reservoir from which oil or gas has been removed, or saline aquifers. Precombustion capture involves breaking down hydrocarbons in natural gas or coal into hydrogen and CO 2 , and then using the hydrogen as fuel for power plants to fire gas turbines.
In these scenarios, the process plant and pipelines transmitting high volumes of CO 2 could fail and cause major accidents. If you’ve ever seen the film Apollo 13, you have some idea of what happens when too much CO 2 is in the air we breathe. At relatively low levels, it has toxic effects, which, in the movie, impaired the astronauts’ mental functions, such as memory recall. Understanding the behavior of CO 2 is the key to knowing the risks and how to control them.
CCS is planned in a number of areas for the production of hydrogen. Hydrogen is a useful gas, but it’s also flammable. Using it requires foresight and knowledge of how to avoid or contain fire and explosions within a power-station area.
1.5 million tons/year of CO2 storage projected potential CO2 capture 95%
How has Thornton Tomasetti’s modeling expertise helped meet the challenges of transporting and storing hazardous materials?
TONY We worked on a project involving a 450-megawatt power station that produced 1.5 million tons of CO 2 each year. No one at that time understood how to model the dispersion of CO 2 if a pipeline failed. We participated in experimental-release trials with BP, in which dense-phase CO 2 was released at high pressure at a test facility in the United Kingdom. These trials helped validate models for the release rate and dispersion of dense-phase CO 2 under a variety of source and atmospheric conditions (a dense-phase fluid’s viscosity is similar to that of a gas, but its density is closer to that of a liquid). The tests were carried out with U.K. regulator involvement and a panel of independent observers from BP and academia.
This was a challenging project. BP gave us certain parameters for the releases, and we used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model the releases and dispersion. CFD is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses algorithms and numerical analysis to evaluate and solve problems involving the flows of fluids (liquids and gasses).
Regulators in the United Kingdom had concerns about the safety of transporting CO 2 in such large volumes and at such high pressures, particularly in dense phase. Our modeling and analysis allowed the development of mitigation strategies to ensure safety.
This initial work for BP was followed up by a similar development project in California. We also provided E.ON UK with technical safety support for a 1,600-megawatt Kingsnorth post-combustion CCS project.
You once worked for an energy company, so you can relate to our clients’ interest in CCS. What excites you most about this work?
TONY I’m seeing a lot more interest in CCS recently. The U.K. Committee on Climate Change recently included carbon capture as a valuable strategy for mitigation, and incentives now exist for CCS from the U.S. and U.K. governments. Investors like BlackRock are pulling their investments out of fossil fuels unless the firms have sustainability strategies. We’re talking to a company right now that will lose its operating license if it can’t demonstrate CCS capabilities.
CCS is just one area of our decarbonization work. To achieve net-zero targets for greenhouse-gas emissions, several strategies need to be applied – there’s no silver bullet. So we’re working on hydrogen, energy storage, on- and offshore wind energy, and other renewables.
This kind of work makes a real difference in people’s lives. We must mitigate climate change. But the solution that many propose – renewable power generation – is variable and is unlikely to provide sufficient mitigation of greenhouse emissions within the required time frames (e.g., the United Kingdom has set a target of net-zero emissions by 2050). CCS as a bridging technology helps balance out that variability for the power industry, and allows for the decarbonization of various industry sectors.
Department of Energy - Carbon Storage FAQs
The Hard Facts behind Carbon Capture & Storage
Supporting Information
Carbon Capture and Storage
Global CCS Institute
U.S.
2019 Research & Development Showcase: Beacon
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One powerful product of CORE , Thornton Tomasetti’s innovation engine, is a new embodied-carbon assessment tool.
Robert Otani Senior Principal & Chief Technology Officer
Project: Beacon Embodied-Carbon Assessment Tool
Released in 2019 to help structural engineers increase the sustainability of their designs , Beacon is an open-source plug-in for Autodesk’s Revit software. Beacon offers a quickly downloadable and installable way to calculate the embodied carbon in a Revit model – and break down the embodied carbon of materials by building element.
We interviewed Chief Technology Officer Robert Otani, who spoke to us about this new tool and its roots in nearly a decade of R&D on embodied carbon.
What inspired the development of Beacon, and what thinking led up to it?
ROB Our interest in embodied-carbon assessment started when Thornton Tomasetti acquired a sustainability consulting firm in 2012. That drove the question of how we could integrate sustainability and structural engineering. We identified embodied carbon – the combined carbon footprint of materials used in a building – as the aspect of structural design with the largest impact on sustainability. Early on, we developed the Carbon Calculator, a Rhino and Grasshopper tool that used parametric modeling to automatically calculate the effects of changes to building massing and material type on embodied carbon. We knew measurement of embodied carbon was valuable, but it wasn’t really on the industry’s radar yet.
Around this same time, we started a joint Corporate Responsibility and CORE R&D project to measure the embodied carbon in our projects and to contribute to industry research on embodied-carbon benchmarks. We built a tool that found Revit models in project directories and mined them for information. That data, combined with interviews
with project managers, enabled us to assess embodied carbon. But we knew that there could be a faster, more sophisticated tool for calculating embodied carbon.
A year before Beacon’s release, we integrated embodied-carbon measurements into Spotlight , our data visualization tool. Then, in late 2019, we saw a groundswell of industry interest in embodied carbon and in new tools like the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) So it made sense to repackage some of Spotlight’s capabilities as a complementary tool to EC3.
How did our years of embodied-carbon R&D inform the development of Beacon?
ROB We learned that the tool has to be fast and easy to use. We also learned a lot about what engineers need from it – they want to visualize where the embodied carbon actually is. Is it in the slabs? The walls? Most of our control over projects is in the materials. We can change cement replacement, and we can influence whether the structure is steel or concrete. We learned that we should show the amount of embodied carbon floor by floor so designers could understand exactly where it is. That’s the first step in optimization. A calculation of a building’s total embodied carbon is neat, but it doesn’t tell you where to optimize the design to achieve the greatest reductions.
Now that the building industry is open to more exploration of embodied carbon, what are your next steps?
ROB We had over 300 downloads in the first three months after we released Beacon as an open-source tool. We hope we’ll continue to get feedback on what capabilities
people need and how to expand Beacon’s capabilities. People are just learning what embodied carbon is right now and just starting to understand the factors that drive the metrics and the large variations between product manufacturers.
Our Good Work Data Points
There have already been requests to include elements that are less about structural engineering and more about architecture, such as façades, so we’re looking at incorporating additional elements in the future. We also have a current R&D project that ties back to what we started in 2012. It uses a parametric design tool to highlight embodied-carbon metrics for design options early in the project, when engineers can have the most impact. We are also interested in integration with other embodied-carbon tools.
300
Beacon downloads in first 3 months
630 of our own projects analyzed for embodied carbon reduction in embodied carbon in our projects from 2016 23%
2019 Research & Development Showcase: Beacon
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As a structural engineer, what do you find exciting about the potential of embodiedcarbon reduction in structures?
ROB In the past, sustainable design was all about operating energy, and architects and mechanical engineers have done a good job reducing the energy used in a building. But now, structural engineers have a way to do our part too.
Cutting embodied carbon also makes sense, in many cases, from a cost perspective. A push to reduce embodied carbon can drive greater material efficiency and lead to a more marketable project.
This is probably the first time in history that structural engineers, as a group, understand that we can have a major, direct impact on the environment – that by focusing on embodied carbon, we can help solve the problem of climate change.
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
While our employee numbers nearly doubled between 2012 and 2019, our carbon footprint (not counting carbon offsets) rose by only 40 percent over that same period. The total carbon footprint of our operations after accounting for our purchase of carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates (RECs) is now less than our carbon footprint was in 2012, when the firm was significantly smaller. The largest reduction is in our average carbon footprint per employee, which was 5.37 metric tons of CO 2 e per person in 2012, when we started conducting biennial carbon footprint analyses, and now measures 2.79 metric tons of CO 2 e per person.
Our approach to meeting the goal of carbonneutral business operations by 2030 is to first lower energy use where we can, and to offset only in areas where we can’t make reductions.
Employee commuting and business travel make up the largest portion of our carbon footprint, but we purchase carbon offsets for all air and train travel, effectively bringing these emissions to zero in our carbon accounting.
As a member of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, we continue to meet our threshold, purchasing RECs to offset 25 percent of our total U.S. electricity use.
Our green champions – employees around the world who help implement corporate responsibility goals – continue their efforts to reduce the carbon footprints of their local offices by purchasing greener office products, reducing waste, minimizing water use and initiating other environmental improvements. Our sustainable-offices policy stipulates that new office fit-outs must achieve LEED Gold certification or the equivalent. Ten of our offices are registered with or certified by a green building certification program, and 26 percent of our employees work in one of these high-performance offices.
Recycling Talk, Chicago
2019 Progress Report: Sustainable Operations
Each year, we report on several indicators that show progress toward achieving our sustainable-operations goals. The trends this reveals can indicate where we need to stay the course and where we need to make changes.
Green purchasing includes office products
“eco features”
compliance with environmental certification standards like Green Seal or the Forest Stewardship Council. The percentage of eco features is reported by Staples, our largest officeproduct supplier; this metric does not include an assessment of supplies purchased through other suppliers.
Total carbon footprint captures our offices’ carbon emissions (before offsets) from electricity, heating and cooling, travel by plane and train, commuting, and waste. We conduct a complete carbon footprint analysis only on even-numbered years, so our 2019 numbers use 2018 data for the heating, commuting and waste factors.
Business travel offsets and renewable energy credits (RECs) were purchased to reduce the environmental impact of our business trips and office electricity use. When possible, we source our electricity from local or regional renewable-energy suppliers.
Scope 3 emissions include CO 2 e emissions associated with our business travel, employee commuting and office waste.
Our scope 2 emissions (see our carbon footprint update) include emissions from our office electricity use and heating fuel.
Scope 1 is not applicable to our operations, as the company doesn’t own office buildings or vehicles.
Average carbon footprint per employee is an important measure of our energyconservation efforts. It’s also used to determine reduction targets for our path to carbon neutrality. To calculate the average carbon footprint per employee, we divide total carbon emissions by the number of employees.
Recycling Talk, Chicago
2019 Carbon Footprint Update
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As we move toward our goal of carbon-neutral business operations by 2030, we’ve updated our targets and are aiming for 10 percent CO 2 e reductions every two years through 2030. We’ll achieve this by conserving energy wherever we can and purchasing offsets where we can’t.
As an adopter of the Architecture 2030 Challenge, we look to 2030 as the target year for achieving carbon-neutral new construction, and have synchronized our ambitious operations-neutrality goal with this commitment.
In 2030, we plan to reduce our average carbon footprint per employee, a key progress indicator, to less than 2.3 metric tons per person per year (without offsets), a 47 percent decrease from 2018. Carbon offsets will neutralize any remaining emissions.
Our average CO 2 e emissions per employee have been shrinking since 2012, when we first began measuring the carbon footprint of our operations. In 2019, they reached a new low of 2.8 metric tons (with offsets), a 10 percent reduction from 2018. Also in 2019, we purchased renewable energy certificates (RECs) to reduce our CO 2 e emissions from electricity consumption in our U.S. offices by 25 percent. This was the largest driver of our reduction from last year. These statements, however, must be understood in the following context: We conduct a full analysis of our carbon footprint once every two years. For 2019, our analysis was partial, including updated data for electricity and business travel but incorporating data from the 2018 full analysis for other emissions areas.
6,082
48% decrease in average per-person CO2e emissions since 2012 metric tons CO2e offset since 2012 offices with reduced carbon footprints versus 2018 14
Metric Tons CO 2 e /Employee Emission Reduction from 2018 to 2030 (Our Targets)
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
2019 Carbon Footprint Update
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Every year since 2014, we have offset all carbon emissions from our necessary air travel by donating 10 dollars per metric ton to Carbonfund.org to support energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects.
This year, we offset our emissions from train travel as well. Before offsets, we reduced CO 2 e per employee to 4.2 metric tons of CO 2 e – a 26 percent reduction, compared to the 2012 baseline.
As a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, we obtain at least 25 percent of our electricity (in the United States) from renewable sources or offset it by purchasing RECs.
With our ambitious targets, we’re committed to achieving more. To reach our carbonneutrality goal, we’re targeting a reduction to 3.1 metric tons of CO 2 e per employee by the end of 2024. How will we get there? We’ll continue to make incremental reductions in office energy use through the local initiatives of our green champions.
And we’ll make bigger leaps by moving to new high-performance offices that are certified LEED Gold or equivalent. We’ll also realize energy-use reductions from organizational and cultural shifts – such as more efficient computing, increased remote work and decreased air travel – that are expected to remain as part of the “new normal” following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
2019 Responsible Purchasing Update
For many years, Thornton Tomasetti has sourced our office supplies in a way that is environmentally responsible. Most of our U.S. office supplies come from Staples, which defines “green products” as those that comply with standards established by third-party programs like Energy Star, Fair Trade and Cradle to Cradle.
In 2019, 42 percent of the office supplies we purchased from Staples were green products. This represents an almost 10 percent increase from our 2013 baseline. Seventy percent of the paper products we purchased from Staples were classified as having advanced eco-features.
Concerned about the long-term impacts of plastics on the environment, we’ve taken steps to cut down on their use in our offices. As a matter of policy, we no longer order plastic bottled drinks for in-house meetings, and we’ve phased out drinks in plastic containers for offices with vending machines. Visitors receive reusable or compostable cups instead of plastic ones, and many of our offices provide reusable tableware for their employees.
Of course, the best way to reduce our carbon footprint is to consume less. So our sustainable operations guidelines recommend that all our offices seek additional ways to use fewer supplies and resources. For example, consolidating supply orders lessens transportation emissions from delivery and reduces packaging materials used by suppliers.
Printer paper is our second most used office supply, so our sustainable operations guidelines specifically address paper-use reduction. A 2018 change in our printing software supports no-waste printing, along with employee education and engagement, has enabled us to save an average of 457,626 sheets of paper per year.
2019 Green Offices Update
Last year, more than 800 offices participated [in Daylight Hour], offsetting greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 437,000 miles driven in a passenger vehicle. The global campaign reached . . . over 20 countries. Engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti, the campaign’s most far-reaching participant, registered 30 offices across seven countries, including New Zealand, China and the United States.
— Yetsuh Frank, Managing Director, Building Energy Exchange, from an April 24, 2019, press release
In 2019, 87 employees – representing all but our smallest offices – served as local corporate responsibility advocates. These “green champions” help Thornton Tomasetti meet energy-conservation and carbon-footprint goals and achieve other sustainability objectives, both environmental and social. Our Corporate Responsibility department provides them with resources, targets, and networking and ensures strategic alignment with corporate goals.
This year, our green champions organized several events to engage employees in corporate responsibility. These included a week-long Earth Day celebration, participation in the Building Energy Exchange’s global Daylight Hour campaign to reduce energy use, and a Wellness Challenge. Twenty-eight offices participated in the Wellness Challenge, a four-week be-healthy-at-work competition for which green champions facilitated local events such as 5K races, farmers market visits, and pickup games to promote healthy lifestyles.
By funding projects proposed by green champions, our Corporate Responsibility Grants Program gives our offices the opportunity to undertake initiatives for positive change that fall outside standard office budgets. Since the program’s inception in 2013, it has awarded a total of $200,000 to such initiatives, including $45,000 in 2019. Grants awarded in 2019 funded the purchase of reusable tableware in several offices, a more efficient air-conditioning system in our Fort Lauderdale office, a sustainability contest in Boston, waste reduction in our New York, Madison Avenue, office, and more than 20 other office sustainability improvements.
Since 2012, our policy has been to pursue U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification, or the equivalent, for all new office fit-outs and major office renovations of 4,000 square feet or larger. Ten of our office projects have achieved or are currently seeking certification: Chicago (two projects, including a LEED Platinum expansion), Denver (former location), Philadelphia, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Fort Lauderdale. Soon, we expect to earn our first Living Building Challenge (LBC) materials petal for our Denver office’s new space – funded partially through a Corporate Responsibility grant.
In December 2019, we celebrated the LEED for Commercial Interiors Gold certification of our new Fort Lauderdale office. The project used healthy low-emitting materials and furniture. To reduce water use, we replaced all plumbing fixtures, benefiting our employees and the other occupants on our floor. And to enhance employee well-being, the office provides a wide range of lighting controls and views. Looking ahead, we look forward to achieving LEED certification for our largest office – our new headquarters location in New York City.
sustainable-design certified or registered offices environmental and social grants awarded since 2013 employees working in certified or registered offices 26%
We started tracking hours of employee volunteerism on company time five years ago. Since then, we’ve seen volunteer hours – logged by 238 employees in 2019 – more than double. Our TT Gives Back program lets our people use time “on the clock” to volunteer in their local communities. And it offers additional hours for mentoring high school students through the ACE Mentor Program. We also partner with Bridges to Prosperity to construct footbridges in isolated communities. So far, our service has benefited more than 5,000 people in disadvantaged communities in Panama and Rwanda.
Volunteerism and charitable giving trends often correlate with our employee numbers. With a steady head count from 2018 to 2019, we don’t show a significant change in these areas since our last report.
The big picture? We’ve donated more than $1.5 million to charities since our first report in 2013 and have seen a 29 percent increase in volunteer hours since starting the TT Gives Back program in 2017.
This 87-meter suspended bridge in Rwanda was built by Thornton Tomasetti staff in collaboration with Bridges to Prosperity.
HELPING OUR COMMUNITIES
2019 Progress Report: Assisting Communities
Each year, we report on several indicators that show progress toward achieving our community-service and philanthropy goals. The trends this reveals can indicate where we need to stay the course and where we need to make changes.
Charitable contributions includes all payments in each year coded as “donations” in our accounting system. This includes annual contributions – such as that to the T hornton Tomasetti Foundation – and donations by our offices to local charities, which vary from year to year.
Schoolchildren mentoring hours tracks the company-paid time U.S. employees spend on the ACE Mentor Program of America ACE volunteers are paid for 50 percent of their ACE participation hours – an average of 15 per year – with the remainder a contribution of their personal time.
Total paid community-service hours tracks the total hours posted to time sheets for Volunteer Days, ACE Mentor Program participation and one week of service for our Bridges to Prosperity team members.
Volunteer Day benefits claimed is the number of hours employees post to their time sheets using our code for “Volunteer Days.” Employees receive up to two paid working days a year for service in their local communities. This data does not include volunteerism by employees on their personal time.
This 87-meter suspended bridge in Rwanda was built by Thornton Tomasetti staff in collaboration with Bridges to Prosperity.
HELPING OUR COMMUNITIES
2019 Year In Review: Community Service
Working on a Bridges to Prosperity project in Rwanda was an experience of a lifetime. I find myself looking to Rwanda for lessons on community, strength, finding joy in the little things and the power of forgiveness. I see that innovation comes in big and small packages, change starts with just one person, and together we can solve anything and make a difference.
— Abena Darden, Associate, Sustainability Practice
We celebrate our generous employee volunteers, who logged over 2,000 hours of community service in 2019. More than 240 employees (18 percent) participated in our TT Gives Back program, which encourages our people to volunteer during the workday. Now in its second year, the program builds leadership skills, provides new opportunities for team-building and business development, and increases our social impact.
TT Gives Back offers three main pathways to community service.
Employees can use a “Volunteer Days” benefit to devote up to two working days each year to serving their communities. They’ve used this benefit to help a variety of local causes – food banks, Habitat for Humanity, conservation organizations and more. Since this benefit was established in 2014, community-service hours have increased 135 percent. In 2019, our people maintained trails in Maine, provided meals for seniors in San Francisco, assisted a waste-recycling program in New York and served in many other ways.
Helping Our Communities Data Points
Through a partnership with Bridges to Prosperity, we extend our service to the most disadvantaged regions of the world. We provide financial support and partner with Bridges to Prosperity staff to build footbridges. These vital structures connect isolated communities with schools, markets and healthcare – and help lift people out of poverty. In our first year, we helped construct a footbridge that served 1,170 people in Panama. In 2019, our team traveled to Rwanda to build an 87-meter suspended bridge for the 4,000 people living in the communities of Serugeme and Nyakabuye. Flooding made crossing the Mwogo River there too dangerous at least 330 days of the year.
135%
2,000
five-year increase in volunteer hours people in Rwanda served by new footbridge company-paid community-service hours in 2019
47% one-year increase in awareness of volunteer benefit
4,000
Building the Serugeme Bridge
HELPING OUR COMMUNITIES
2019 Year in Review: Charitable Giving
We’ve increased our charitable giving by 88 percent since we started reporting in 2013. In 2019, we donated $375,309 to various causes (not including pro bono work), a level consistent with our 2018 giving.
Our contributions include direct donations to charities, participation in events that raise philanthropic funds, and pro-bono services that provide our expertise for free to nonprofit organizations.
We give to many worthwhile causes, but typically focus our support on three areas: youth education and scholarships for college students, climate-change mitigation through carbon offsets and sponsorship of the Carbon Leadership Forum, and carefully selected charities that apply architecture or engineering to help disadvantaged people or assist communities where our people live and work. In 2019, we supported Bridges to Prosperity, Habitat for Humanity, the Global Orphan Project, the American Red Cross, the Chinese Christian Herald Crusades; and many other local organizations.
We continued to support our legacy areas of philanthropy in 2019, with nearly onethird of our total giving supporting the education of the next generation of AEC professionals. We donate every year – about 20 percent of our philanthropic dollars –to the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) organization that sponsors grants, fellowships and scholarships and distributes funds to a variety of AEC-related nonprofits. The balance is made up by our funding for the ACE Mentor Program and the Salvadori Center.
Helping Our Communities
Another major area of charitable giving – 18 percent – is our sponsorship of Bridges to Prosperity. The nonprofit organization works with isolated communities to create access to essential healthcare, education and economic opportunities by building footbridges over impassable rivers. As part of our TT Gives Back program, our support includes annual sponsorship of a bridge project and the contribution of volunteer time for its construction.
20%
88% increase in charitable giving since 2013 of giving donated to Thornton Tomasetti Foundation donated in 2019
$370K
One Small Can for Man, One Giant Leap against Hunger our entry in the 2019 Canstruction competition, was a replica of the Apollo lunar module, constructed of 3,858 cans of food, which were later donated to local food banks.
2019 Year in Review: Thornton Tomasetti Foundation
In 2019, the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation , an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, distributed $121,535 in scholarships and charitable contributions in support of its mission.
In 2019, the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, distributed $121,535 in scholarships and charitable contributions in support of its mission. Since its inception in 2008, the foundation has distributed over $1,203,000 in grants and scholarships to more than 40 organizations.
Among the foundation’s 2019 contributions were $30,000 in national scholarships and $5,000 for a student innovation fellowship. Organizations that received funding in 2019 include ARCHIVE, Engineers in Action, Engineers for a Sustainable World and Urban Assembly. Grants from the foundation are supporting such initiatives as making lifesaving improvements to homes in Bangladesh, building footbridges across impassable rivers in remote communities, and tackling sustainability challenges in communities affected by rapid environmental changes. The foundation also provided matching funds for the development of a website aimed at attracting young people – especially women and minorities – to careers in architecture.
Supporting Information
Thornton Tomasetti Foundation
$122K $1M+ awards granted since inception 2019 awards to scholarships and charities organizations supported 40+
Helping Our Communities Data Points
Students and local residents celebrate the opening of the Mdlasomi footbridge in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Courtesy Engineers in Action
Richard Tomasetti Chairman, Thornton Tomasetti Foundation New York, Madison Avenue
BUILDING GREAT WORKPLACES
Our inclusion and diversity initiative has shown us where we need to improve, and we have established strong foundations for future growth and success. Like many engineering-services firms, we employ relatively small numbers of women, and just 13 percent of those are in senior leadership positions.
Yet in the last year, we’ve seen welcome signs of change, with more women in associate positions and an increasing percentage of new hires being women, nonwhite or both. New lifestyle-friendly benefits and expanded mentorship programs support these outcomes, as do our investments in career development and learning.
Employees visit the Portland (Maine) Farmer’s Market to make a healthy group lunch and earn points in our Wellness Challenge.
BUILDING GREAT WORKPLACES
2019 Progress Report: A Great Place to Work
Each year, we report on several indicators that show progress toward achieving our sustainable-operations goals. The trends this reveals can indicate where we need to stay the course and where we need to make changes.
Employees of nonwhite ethnicity/race is based on self-reported employee records.
U.S. employees who are women or of nonwhite ethnicity/race is based on selfreported records of employees who work in the United States.
Employees promoted is based on Human Resources records of promotions in a given year.
Employees with ownership tallies Thornton Tomasetti employees who are stockholders and is dependent on the number of shares available for sale in a given year. Ownership opportunities are offered based on merit at the level of vice president and above.
Employees visit the Portland (Maine) Farmer’s Market to make a healthy
in our Wellness Challenge.
BUILDING GREAT WORKPLACES
2019 Inclusion & Diversity Update
(Page 1 of 2)
The link between diversity and innovation is well established. We believe diversity also fosters creative thinking, as different perspectives and assumptions mix, mingle and spark new ideas. We’re continuing to pursue a variety of initiatives to increase inclusion and diversity (I+D) at Thornton Tomasetti. And we’re building on past successes to support and empower every one of our people.
The Next Generation of I+D
We launched our first formal I+D program in 2016. It began with a committee of executives and leaders from our Talent Team (human resources) and Communications departments. The focus was on establishing benchmarks, setting goals and developing corporate-level strategies. In the years since, this approach has been successful in building awareness, formulating metrics and making progress toward reaching our goals. This year, as part of a larger leadership transition, oversight of the I+D program passed from former President Ray Daddazio to current President Wayne Stocks, who is guiding the initiative in new directions. He and Senior Principal Peggy Van Eepoel restructured the I+D committee to focus on our grassroots employee network groups (ENGs) and empower the ingenuity of their leaders.
ENGs are composed of employees who are linked by social factors such as gender, culture, sexual orientation, or a common interest or goal. They serve as a resource for both their members and the larger organization. ENGs are bottom-up, formed by employees who recognize the needs of an underrepresented group. Their leaders develop strategic plans that are consistent with the firm’s purpose and values. The I+D committee consists of two executive advocates, an I+D coordinator, and the leaders of our current ENGs: Women@TT; Spectrum, a group focusing on the LGBTQIA+ community; and Mosaic, a multicultural network.
At a committee meeting in January, members spoke about how the new approach will work – and how it’s supporting the firm’s overall goals.
I+D Committee Employee Network Groups
“As we reimagined our approach to I+D, we looked at the success that Women@TT has had over several years – not just in their mission, but in elevating the women involved. We thought carefully about how to build on that success and about how to make the I+D committee employee-driven. So we’ll be supporting them, not directing them.”
“As executive advocates, Wayne and I are here to enable the ENGs. We can use our visibility as leaders in the firm to give them a platform from which they can speak and be heard. We’re also looking to the ENG leaders to connect us to what their members are thinking, what they need. Then we can help them secure resources to help make it happen.”
“ We also keep an eye on how this is promoting overall business goals. The ENG leaders aren’t necessarily focused on that – and they shouldn’t be, really. But we can help them shape what they’re doing, so that while they make strides from an I+D perspective, they are also strengthening the business.”
– Peggy Van Eepoel, Senior Principal, I+D Executive Advocate
WOMEN’S Employee Network Group
“ So much of what Women@TT does is grassroots, coming from individual chapters. Most events are organized largely by local staff – they’re not driven by corporate Business Development or Talent Team or Marketing. So we have corporate support, not a corporate mandate.”
“ We changed the Women@TT structure in early 2019. We got creative, especially with the formation of our leadership board. It lets us do more, but distributes the work so we don’t burn anyone out.”
“ Involvement in Women@TT has already had tangible career benefits for some of our participants. One example is Angela Heinze, our TT Women Advancement committee leader, who just won a Purpose and Values award.”
– Jennifer Greenawalt, Senior Engineer, Women@TT President
Inclusion & Diversity meeting.
BUILDING GREAT WORKPLACES
2019 Inclusion & Diversity Update
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MULTICULTURAL
Employee Network Group
“ With Mosaic, our first challenge is to figure out what this group could be. What does ‘multicultural’ mean for us? But we’re pushing for this group because it’s needed. We’ve talked to employees and heard what kinds of needs there are.”
“ It will be really interesting to see how the ENGs develop. I think they will all be unique. We’ll all be influenced by the Women@TT model at the start, but down the line, each group will develop its own mission and form unique formats and structures. I don’t know what Mosaic is going to look like in a year or two, but it’s probably going to be something we haven’t even thought of yet.”
“Humberto Estevez, Mosaic co-leader, and are looking at how Mosaic can serve employees internally and how it can be positioned externally, in recruiting or business development. And we’re thinking about how Thornton Tomasetti functions as a worldwide company. How can we take the most advantage of that global and cultural diversity? How can it help us all thrive?”
– Jennifer Mahan, Senior Engineer, Mosaic Co-Leader
LGBTQIA+ Employee Network Group
“ We’re seeing more clients ask for information about I+D issues as part of our qualifications, and not just EEO (equal employment opportunity) data. They want to know about our programs and metrics; they’re taking that into account.”
“ The idea for Spectrum began with a project to engage employees around Pride two years ago, right after joined the firm. That started a conversation that has gradually grown into a formal group. Our goal is to engage our LGBTQIA+ employees from across the firm in a global network where they can feel good about discussing topics that pertain to them.”
“ The new I+D structure creates an ‘express lane’ for communication between the leaders of the new ENGs and Women@TT, and between all the ENGs and our executive advocates, Wayne and Peggy. It removes barriers, so we can share and act quickly on what works and what doesn’t.”
Read more in this year’s Thornton Tomasetti Annual Report.
Thornton Tomasetti participates in the annual Pride Parade in New York City.
BUILDING GREAT WORKPLACES
2019 Career Development & Learning Update
[During the retreat] it was inspiring to hear presentations by firm leaders on topics that my peers and I were particularly interested in. It was enlightening to hear about their thoughts, insecurities and self-doubt. It helped humanize the “big, scary” topics and instill confidence that we can all reach senior leadership positions if that is our goal.
— Female Associate, 2019 Mast-Her-Mind Retreat
Thornton Tomasetti’s new five-year strategic plan expresses our support for career development – from the day a college graduate joins the firm through her or his rise to executive leadership.
Individual contributors: In 2019, firm leaders proposed a program to shorten the learning curve for college graduates. We began developing some components of this initiative and look forward to adding more support for employees whose careers are just beginning.
Project managers: We trained 86 people who lead projects in the United Kingdom and the United States in our best practices to ensure consistency in the delivery of our services. We expanded our in-person project-management training to include a program that can be adapted to the requirements of specific practices and locations. A series of facilitator guides allows our best project managers to draw on firm-wide knowledge and share what works for them locally.
We continue to record conversations with firm leaders on vital lessons they’ve learned from their work on projects. Understanding problems and solutions enables our project leaders to anticipate and manage unexpected challenges on the job.
Firm leaders: As firm leaders developed our five-year strategic plan, they linked the development of next-generation leaders to our new goals. Our first group of emerging leaders is working in teams to prepare us to meet future business and client needs.
Underrepresented population: Recognizing that the majority of professionals in the AEC industry are male, we provide services to young women, helping them succeed in a field in which they are a minority. Our employee network group, Women@TT, offers mentoring and other support. We also provide targeted training for female associates. In 2019, our Mast-Her-Mind retreat featured training on five topics identified by participants as helpful for current and future responsibilities: networking and business development, negotiation, high-stakes conversations, leadership styles, and career path to senior leadership.
Technical: Employees hosted 19 technical training sessions on projects, lessons learned and best practices, offering continuing-education credit for license renewal. We provide an additional 781 technical courses online.
Knowledge sharing: The number of our communities of practice (affinity groups of employees with common work interests) increased from 22 to 27. These CoPs make real contributions toward circulating crucial information. Our knowledge-sharing efforts have expanded to include library resources, a database of lessons learned, a projects database, and more.
Developing careers: In 2019, our intern program enabled 153 interns to gain practical experience working in an engineering firm. Ninety-seven percent of our full-time employees set goals to help expand their capabilities. We advanced 288 careers by promoting employees to higher levels of responsibility.
employees promoted have someone in the firm who encourages their development
communities of practice
Our sixth annual Day of Discovery in New York introduced girls in middle and high school to AEC careers. Bess Adler/Thornton Tomasetti
Daniel Stauthamer
New York, Madison Avenue New York, Madison Avenue
BUILDING GREAT WORKPLACES
2019 Lifestyle-Friendly Workplace Update
In 2019, we continued the regular offerings of our wellness program and added more ways to promote good health. Use of our parental paid caregiver leave benefit increased, with 53 fathers and 27 mothers (44 percent and 23 percent of total leaves, respectively) taking advantage of the program.
Also in 2019, we initiated a matching program that helps employees build financial resources to pay down their student loan debt.
During annual open enrollment, employees who submit loan documents and receive approval can receive the 401(k) employer contribution without providing the normally required employee deferral.
Each year, our wellness program offers a variety of opportunities for people to learn about good health, adopt healthy habits and engage in activities that promote health and wellness. During open enrollment in 2019, we provided healthy snacks for employees in all offices and placed massage chairs in locations with 50 or more employees. We also offered Town Sports gym discounts to staff in our New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C., offices. Our financial health programs – including enhanced financial webinars and one-on-one employee meetings – were popular in 2019. We continue to offer regular wellness seminars and augment the educational resources available on Spark, our social intranet.
In 2019, our Corporate Responsibility department provided 18 offices with wellness and health improvements through a competitive-grant process. Local improvements included healthy-snack subscriptions; ergonomic equipment; in-office exercise, yoga, and Doggy-De-Stress sessions; office plants for healthier indoor air; a cardiac defibrillator and an under-desk bicycle. This year, most of our grants – which can fund environmental improvements, community service activities and wellness improvements – supported employee wellness and health initiatives.
Our New York City baseball team.
www.ThorntonTomasetti.com
2019 New York intern program. Bess Adler/Thornton Tomasetti
