International engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti principal Chukwuma Ekwueme has been presented with The Masonry Society’s 2017 Paul Haller Structural Design Award.
Ekwueme was selected by the organization’s Design Practices Committee for his contributions to structural masonry design and education. He accepted the award during a ceremony at the society’s annual meeting in La Jolla, California.
The Masonry Society is a nonprofit, membership-driven organization dedicated to the advancement of scientific, engineering, architectural and construction knowledge of masonry. The Haller Award is named after Professor Paul Haller of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, who helped revolutionize the design of structural masonry.
With more than 25 years of professional experience, Ekwueme has extensive experience in structural design and is a recognized expert in earthquake engineering. His wide-ranging project portfolio includes the new air traffic control tower at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, the One Santa Fe mixed-use development in Los Angeles and providing failure analysis and expert-witness support for various projects, including the World Trade Center collapse in New York City.
Ekwueme is an active contributor to the TMS 402/602 Building Code Requirements and Specification for Masonry Structures, to which he applies his structural design experience to make the standard both more practical and accurate. He has also authored several masonry books and guides.
