Author Bios

Yi Zhu, Senior Principal of Thornton Tomasetti, has extensive experience internationally in the structural analysis, design and review of a variety of building types, including high-rise buildings and mixed-use complexes, in both steel and concrete. His notable projects include Taipei 101 in Taiwan, China; the Petronas Towers in Malaysia; Shanghai Tower and the 66-story Plaza 66 in Shanghai, China. He holds a bachelor’s degree in structural engineering from Tongji University and a master’s degree in structural engineering from the City College of New York.

Dennis Poon, Vice Chairman at Thornton Tomasetti, has 30 years of experience in the design of supertall structures and mixed-use buildings worldwide. High on the list of his accomplishments is the role he played in leading the structural design teams for three of the tallest buildings in China: Wuhan Greenland Center, Shanghai Tower, and Ping An International Finance Center, currently under construction. He was named one of the 25 Top Newsmakers of 2010 by Engineering News-Record magazine for the effort to modernize China’s building codes for supertall structures. Emmanuel Velivasakis' design experience with materials such as structural steel, cast-in-place concrete, carbon/glass fiber reinforced plastics, timber, precast and prestressed concrete and masonry, allows him to participate in the design of various building project types. He is responsible for managing major projects, such as high-rise buildings, hotels, long-span structures, industrial buildings, schools, airport terminals, stadia, pedestrian bridges, parking structures, special structures and failure investigations. His extensive investigation/forensic experience includes numerous types of cases, ranging from exterior walls, to structural collapses failures and colapses, including emergency response.

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