New York City has a plan to rid sidewalks of sidewalk sheds that stay up for years, cost building owners, and leave streets unnavigable for pedestrians. As NYC law requires buildings 6+ stories to undergo a facade inspection every five years, a different solution is needed. Thornton Tomasetti was retained to carry out a review of NYC’s Facade Inspection & Safety Program and suggest areas to improve. Crain’s New York Business featured a Q&A with Gary Mancini, a managing principal at Thornton Tomasetti, about the project and report results. Read the full story here.

The second in a two-part series by the authors examining the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries in parking garages and other confined spaces and evaluating approaches for attempting to minimize these risks.  This article examines the evolution of building codes, standards, and design guidelines that protect buildings and occupants from lithium-ion battery fires. See the full article here. 

The Autumn 2025 issue of The High End, published in Unique Homes, looks at the skyscraper as a building type. As modern construction technology has allowed us to build safer and taller, more and more developers are racing to build the world’s tallest buildings. While architects provide the vision for these projects, engineers ensure that they are realistic and possible. Thornton Tomasetti Senior Principal Ola Johansson talks about some of the firm’s projects, and notes that “Input from the engineer early in the design process is imperative…the taller the building is, the more important early guidance regarding engineering becomes.” Read the full story here.