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2014/2015 Annual Report 2014/2015 Annual Report Where Will the Aec Industry Go in the Next 20 Years?

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2014/2015 Annual Report 2014/2015 Annual Report Where Will the Aec Industry Go in the Next 20 Years? WHERE WILL WE GO IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS? 2014 / 2015 ANNUAL REPORT EXECUTIVE MESSAGE WHERE WILL THE AEC INDUSTRY GO IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS? RETAINING AND PROMOTING TALENT OF THE “OTHER 51%” HARNESSING THE POWER OF BIG DATA THE PROMISE OF 3D PRINTING MAKING A MORE RESILIENT BUILT ENVIRONMENT DELIVERING THE MODEL BRINGING THE MATERIALS OF THE FUTURE INTO USE TRANSFERRING NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO AEC CONCLUSION Thornton Tomasetti provides engineering design, investigation and analysis services to clients worldwide on projects of every size and level of complexity. We address the full life cycle CONTRIBUTORS of structures through our seven integrated THORNTON TOMASETTI practices (see page 28). Founded in 1956, today Thornton Tomasetti is an 850-person, 100 percent FOUNDATION employee-owned organization of engineers, THORNTON TOMASETTI architects and other professionals collaborating PURPOSE & VALUES AWARDS from offices across the United States and in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the OUR PRACTICES Middle East. SUSTAINABILITY REPORT BOARD OF DIRECTORS & OFFICERS EXECUTIVE Success for the AEC industry: If we are to achieve our goal of being the global driver of change and innovation, we need to set an example. We need to create an MESSAGE environment in which the status quo can be challenged, so we’re prepared when clients are ready to try something new. As Steve Jobs said, innovation is what distinguishes leaders from followers. For all of us to thrive, we need to become an industry that leads. Achieving all these goals requires broad collaboration – with our clients, colleagues and competitors, and with firms in other fields. We look forward to WHERE WILL WE GO working together with you to drive the influence and stature of our AEC world IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS? to greater heights. We can’t wait! Tom Scarangello Bob DeScenza Chairman & CEO President Thornton Tomasetti’s long-term goal is to be the global driver of change and innovation in our industry. To achieve this, we first must seek out and research where the industry needs to go in 5, 10, even 20 years. We’ve been stirring the pot to stimulate discussion and collect ideas. We kicked off this campaign last year, when Steven Johnson, author of How We Got to Now, shared his ideas on the origins of innovation at our annual meeting. We maintain a virtual suggestion box and encourage all our employees to submit R&D proposals. The firm financially supports the most promising ideas. Last summer we surveyed our staff and asked: “In discussions with colleagues From left, Tom Scarangello, Eli Gottlieb, Bob DeScenza inside and outside our company, what do you see as the key trends changing our and Elisabeth Malsch, in the industry over the next 20 years?” From across our 26 offices, we got more than shake lab at our New York 100 ideas, and distilled them to the seven key themes covered in this report. office. Elisabeth leads a team that is using a shake table to Some of these ideas are already in the works; others are at the prototype stage, adapt NASA mass-damping technology, developed cooking in the lab. This report includes a handful of ideas we’re working on and for rockets, to the built highlights the ideas of many others, from within the AEC community and beyond. environment. Eli is working with several clients to test the As an industry, we have a long way to go to be called “innovators.” In Septem- prototype of a new tuned mass damper for a New York City ber 2014, the Harvard Business Review published a Bain study that listed the high-rise. Below, Michele Cyr construction industry dead last in its speed of innovation. Why is it important to and Sebastian Mendez set address this issue? Three reasons: up the test tank experiment on a shake table. Bright Danny Success for people: When people learn and grow in their work, they see it as rich in opportunity. This helps attract and retain the talent our industry needs. Wo- ven into our firm’s DNA is the drive to challenge people to grow – not just our peo- ple, but also our colleagues and clients. That drive breeds innovation and success. Success for our firm: To survive and thrive in a volatile and complex market, we need to stay ahead of emerging technologies and processes. We need to be mind- ful that the best ideas may originate in other industries or anywhere in the world. Bess Bess Tomasetti Adler/Thornton They often come from small, passionate groups who stimulate conversations that spur us on to make lasting contributions. 2 THORNTON TOMASETTI THORNTON TOMASETTI 3 2014/2015 ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015 ANNUAL REPORT WHERE WILL THE AEC INDUSTRY GO IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS? We invited our staff to think about some Big Ideas: What major changes will the industry experience in the next 5, 10 or even 20 years? What do clients, business partners and colleagues say are the biggest challenges we all need to address? What new technologies will change the way we operate? People from across our 26 offices shared 102 ideas. We boiled these down to the seven key trends addressed in this report. Some great discussions were too long to fit on these pages; you can read extended versions at www.WhereAreWeGoing.com. How good are our prognostications? Mark your calendar for May 2035 and let’s talk. 4 THORNTON TOMASETTI THORNTON TOMASETTI 5 2014/2015 ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015 ANNUAL REPORT BRAZIL Most of our firms are challenged people for longevity and therefore want to get them to be confident about taking LERNER One of the most effective to hold on to our best people. If improving to build talent like our own -- we have credit. We can have a staff that looks like things we’ve done is to simply ask omen make up 51 percent of the population, but this ratio is not W retention is important to our success, to recognize that many Millennials have it’s 50–50 when you walk through the people: “What do you want to be working reflected in the AEC industry, where less than 20 percent of engineering graduates what are we doing to intentionally different paths in mind. They are going to studio but when you get to promotions, on?” The answers are sometimes and licensed architects are women. If the industry is to achieve higher levels of improve it? advance along those paths, and we need the numbers are just never what you surprising. People who have been doing performance, it must do better at retaining and promoting women. We convened a to understand those needs, change would like them to be. I’ve been leading wonderful renderings at the beginning of group of leaders from across the industry to explore some of the issues and possible COUSINS I think the issue is broader our way of doing business, or support staff for 25 years. Men will come and ask a project suddenly say, “I’ve never done solutions. Here is an excerpt of their discussion. than “how to keep people when they them as future colleagues in their own for promotions. They expect promotions. construction documents, and I really want want to look after their infants.” The key to groundbreaking enterprises. Women will be thankful that they are rec- to do that.” It really helps you shape their Aine Brazil, P.E., F.SEI, LEED AP (moderator) retention – of everyone, not just women – ognized, that they are given a rewarding future and the firm’s future if they feel Vice Chairman, Thornton Tomasetti is making sure that there’s always room BRAZIL Do your Millennials work for the job, and they trust that you will promote that they’re being listened to. Fiona Cousins, P.E., LEED AP for development of people, and that you organization or at the organization? Principal and Arup Fellow, Arup them based on their competence. It’s that have a shot at the next opportunity and Another positive step we’ve taken is to LERNER They work primarily as part trust that does them in. Nancy Hamilton, S.E., P.E. the one after that. We need to be talking have young people present at periodic Consultant (formerly HOK Director of Engineering & HOK Board member) of the team within the organization, about how we keep people and make BRAZIL Are we doing enough? I some- Friday evening sessions. We’re such a big Patricia Lancaster, FAIA which raises the issue of credit. Is credit them the best in class. You also have to times feel like we’re making progress and firm and no one knows all the projects, Professor, Schack Institute of Real Estate, New York University taken by the team leader, or is credit ensure those people feel recognized for then, when I analyze it, see that we’re still so we’ll organize them by theme, such Jill Lerner, FAIA taken by the stronger personality? Men Principal, KPF their achievements. not getting there. as “retail” or “terra cotta.” It gives young are very good at taking credit for certain people practice in public speaking Marilyn Taylor, FAIA TAYLOR I want to sound another note, projects that are team projects, and LANCASTER A body of literature says Dean, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania and provides them greater exposure a sort of warning bell. Many of the rising women sometimes don’t step forward that women stay in jobs more because within the firm. students and professionals now referred and get the credit. they’re valued than because of work/life to as Millennials don’t expect to be balance.
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