IN LIKE A LION

Out like an Ewe . . .

March has so many (many) faces – March Madness, the Ides of March, St. Patrick’s Day (or St. Joseph’s Day depending if you are Irish or Italian), Patriot’s Day, Father’s Day, International Women’s Day, the Vernal Equinox, the list goes on.

That said my personal favorite is In Like a Lion/Out Like a Lamb. This represents the Yin and the Yang, dark and light, power and passion, assertiveness and empathy, courage and conviction, men and women, the lion and the lamb. The concept of balance resonates in our industry: everything in its time, everything in its place. We strive to ensure that all stakeholders are catered to with equal diligence, equal dedication to attain the optimal outcome – challenges are solved, and our clients’ enjoy ongoing success.

Enjoy the many March faces and please, do let me know, your favorite aspect of this pivotal month.

~ Inspiration: ROAR, Katy Perry

HELEN HEBERT, AIA | HEAR MY VOICE

Beginnings: Born in New Orleans to a mother from NW Arkansas and a father born and raised in the Cajun Bayous. My father was an electrical and petroleum engineer, was in the Army, then went to work for Standard Oil. My mother's family were brick and stone masons going back generations and her father a general contractor and justice of the peace.

I grew up loving math and building things. My father didn't like the way my schools (yes, multiple schools because we were transferred a lot for my dad's job) were teaching math, so he would make me repeat lessons and he corrected some of what he called "really stupid ideas." It must have had an impact.

My mother was a fantastic pianist and she would teach me piano in addition to sending me to an outside teacher for music theory. Part of my music theory lessons included writing music, which I did and my mother attempted to play the pieces. One day she frowned and said, "I'm just not getting what you are going for or how this is supposed to sound." I said the sound wasn't important and explained the math behind the music when added phase-by-phase, resulted in the Fibonacci series. She said she didn't know who Fibonacci was but he clearly could not write music.

First Job: I graduated University of Illinois with a Bachelor in Architecture and went into a very tight job market. I spent the summer interviewing with various architectural firms but never landed a job. About the time my father received a transfer to Houston, I accepted a job with an engineering firm in the south suburbs of Chicago. My family left Illinois and I got my first apartment near my new job. I was about to go to work for a firm that specialized in erection procedure and supplying very detailed instructions and drawings for how to build complicated buildings. The work included drafting structural steel shop drawings as well as detailed, step-by-step procedure. I was put to work "on the boards" and soon discovered an aptitude for imagining and sketching complicated shapes. I also could picture the building as it was being built and remember what sections and members had been installed in the previous steps. The State of Illinois (now the Thompson Center) was a particularly noteworthy project. I also began my introduction into forensics by assisting with the analysis of various building failures including the Hyatt regency walkway collapse and the Hubert H. Humphry Metrodome, both of which had significant contribution from errors in the shops drawings.

Forensics continue: After a brief stint at an architectural design firm and obtaining my license, I went back to working for a forensics engineering firm in Chicago. There I had the opportunity to inspect masonry and terra cotta high rise buildings from a swing stage and develop repair documents and specifications. I also inspected the stonework and designed repairs for the historical General Jones Armory. Here I learned how to operate construction equipment used during the inspection process from suspended platforms to articulated and telescoping boom trucks.

Business owner: I became a majority shareholder in a firm that specialized in Property Condition Assessments by buying out two of the three founding members. I opened the company's west coast office in San Francisco in 1999 and have been here in the Bay Area since then. One of my major west coast clients was a "dotcom" grocery delivery service whose business plan was to store food goods and produce in warehouses across the US and distribute from each hub. My company inspected buildings that this company purchased with venture capital and were looking to obtain permanent financing. I also worked on a very large portfolio of multi-family residential properties with a value just north of $1,000,000,000. After the dotcom crash, I sold out to my business partner and went back to forensics and eventually ended up at Thornton Tomasetti in the summer of 2017.

Thornton Tomasetti: I am in the renewal practice at TT, but can jump into forensics at any time because of my extensive experience in the field.

MICHELLE JAROSZ | HAD A CHOICE

Michelle started out having an interest in both architecture and engineering from a young age; being from the Chicago area, there is an abundance of great architecture to surrounded oneself with, from Frank Lloyd Wright homes to the John Hancock Tower and Sears Tower (or Willis Tower as it’s now known, but she won’t call it that), just to name a few. She has always been interested in how things work and are constructed, so naturally an interest in architecture also led to an interest in structural engineering. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and landed her first job at a power plant engineering firm. During this time, she returned to her alma mater in the evenings to work on her master’s degree in structural engineering while performing structural design for substations.

Michelle is located in Thornton Tomasetti’s Los Angeles office, working in both the forensics and renewal practices. Her unique background allows her to provide her expertise on a variety of different project types. She utilizes her architectural side to execute roof and building envelope assessments, while her structural engineering side is applied to perform structural analysis, design, and assessments. She has completed seismic evaluations in New Zealand, Mexico, and California and fire investigations within the U.S. and in Macau, as well as performed condition assessments and structural and roof retrofits throughout the U.S., including Puerto Rico. Michelle is proficient in building code analysis and has the ability to adapt her expertise to projects no matter the location. In 2017, Michelle analyzed buildings in Mexico City that were damaged due to the 2017 Puebla Earthquake and quickly caught up to speed with Mexico City building codes and post-earthquake repair regulations. She has also been involved in the preservation and rehabilitation of a historic penthouse structure in San Francisco and produced construction drawings to repair and historically preserve the architectural features of the early 1900’s penthouse.

Additionally, Michelle is also the co-coordinator of the Women@TT chapter in her local office and has been involved in organizing several networking events in the Los Angeles office. She is currently in the works of creating a program to encourage career advancement, training, and support for women in the project engineer position throughout all Thornton Tomasetti offices.

MARGUERITE PINTO, PE | PICTURES + WORDS

Today’s COVID-19 environment has created unprecedented and unanticipated challenges in our Building industry. As construction sites restart and businesses reopen there will be open questions concerning safety, delays, cost, responsibility, and how best to prepare for future shut downs.

Here’s how we can help:

• Data management and mining – we have a crew ready and experienced to help collect, organize, and mine project data for what information is need. Whether working with off-the-shelf systems, such as Procore, Disco, or Relativity, or creating a bespoke database to meet specific needs, we are able to customize and deliver the data in order.
• On-site inspections and data capture – We provide building, bridge, crane, and temporary structure inspections on site and remotely to document conditions. Using state of the art technology such as drones, thermal imaging, 360 cameras, 3D laser scanners and damage detector T2D2 our field team can inspect and record the as-is condition of sites to ensure the safety as they reopen and return to work.
• Illustrative evidence and advanced graphics – In the course of disputes and litigation complex project data and technical issues often must be presented to non-technical audiences. Ensuring the technical solution is clearly conveyed and the message is well understood is a key step in successful dispute resolution. Our VISUALIZATION teams can take a scientific approach and create 3-D simulations that are self-explanatory, easy to understand, and technically defensible.
• Construction and Building systems expertise – Buildings and Construction are complicated and require the understanding of many component parts to get the whole picture. Building on our 70-year history, we have in-house experts on structures, MEP systems, architectural and envelope systems, and construction engineering. This allows us to make sure our clients get the right expert for whatever the issue is.

An old adage says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” We heartily agree –pictures are indeed worthy, but then so are the words. Both tell the story that will help you achieve your ultimate goal, an optimal outcome for your client. Marguerite is here to help you, and your team, with both pictures and words, and the analyses to get you the needed answers.

HELEN WHALEN | SEE IT ALL SEE IT NOW

Joining Thornton Tomasetti in the middle of a global pandemic while the DC office is working remotely has proven to be both a challenging and exciting endeavor, much like the work Helen has encountered in the Forensics Practice thus far. Since starting in August Helen has gotten the opportunity to assist in a wide variety of projects, showcasing the range of expertise within Thornton Tomasetti. Among others, her work has included load analyses on existing structures, high-rise building condition assessments, and emergency responses to both a partial building collapse and a fire in FRP stacks at a paper plant. These projects have involved several local site visits in the DC area as well as travelling to southern Virginia and North Carolina for extended stays. The travelling and site work have allowed Helen to work with and learn from experts not only in our DC office, but from several other TT offices around the country.

JESSICA MCCOY | BRUSHING OFF THE DUST

In most parts of the country, March starts with a ravaging winter that eventually subsides to a glimmer of spring. TT’s performance projects often mirror March’s trajectory: in like a lion, out like a lamb. Triggered by building deficiencies, failures, and/or natural disasters, TT charges into these projects when conditions are at their worst and exits them on a high note, whether it be through renewal of the structure or issuance of a critical opinion.

Despite having different March conditions to maintain the comparison, performance projects in Florida experience the same trajectory. Jessica McCoy, a Senior Engineer in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami group, works with several different teams to accomplish the feat of transitioning projects into ordered completion. Her teams typically start projects in a post-disaster state or with clients who are dissatisfied with their building’s performance. Some project highlights include evaluating losses from Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Sally for residential and commercial properties, rehabilitating facades and structural columns at exclusive Fisher Island residences and commercial towers in the city of Coral Gables, and providing watertight solutions to prevent water intrusion from terraces, pool decks, and roofs in new Miami Beach buildings.

These projects range in building type, age, size, location, and need. The diversity of this work requires TT to make use of our many faces.

RACHEL MICHELIN, RA, LEED AP BD+C | I AM A CHAMPION

March is all about Renewal. The earth is primed for new green growth, the sun shines, and we awake from winter’s fog.

Rachel Michelin, a Vice President in our Chicago office, is also all about Renewal. Seeing the potential in existing buildings, Rachel has been a long-time advocate of incorporating sustainable building envelope improvement measures into traditional fa?ade repair design.

One example is Rachel’s OSF Ministry Headquarters project located in Peoria, Illinois. The original building, constructed in 1904, was known as the “Big White Store” for its gleaming terra cotta facade. The 7-story department store was the first steel structure in Peoria, and it was celebrated for its innovative fireproof and waterproof construction. Over the years, a number of additions were made to the original building, including the 2-story Art Deco A&P Market Building in 1932, one of the earliest self-service grocery stores in America. While the store originally served as an anchor point for a thriving downtown Peoria, over time shoppers exited downtown for the suburbs and the building sat vacant for several years.

Spared from demolition, the complex is currently undergoing a major renovation as an adaptive reuse to office space, and Rachel is leading Thornton Tomasetti’s building envelope and structural team. The important building complex has been identified as a contributing structure within the Downtown Peoria National Historic District and seeks recognition on the National Register. Recognizing the importance of the architecture and contributions to the city, the project will revitalize the downtown area and seeks sustainability, wellness, and resilience – the pillars of building renewal.

JESSICA OLIVARES | I GOT UP

I developed a chronic illness in 2013 while I was sophomore at UT Austin. I’ve seen several specialists, gastroenterologists and nutritionists, throughout the years; however, they weren’t able to pin point exactly what I have nor give me a treatment plan. All I knew it was stress related and I developed it because I didn’t take very good care of myself while in school. Full class schedule, several jobs, officer positions in organizations, etc. led to lack of sleep, high stress levels, and skipping meals. As time went by, I continued to put everything else first instead of my health, so the illness began to affect me more often and interfere with my daily life and career. I finally had enough and started looking for ways to alleviate the symptoms. One way was through strength training.

I immediately fostered a passion for power lifting. I began to set personal goals and compete. Not only did this help my chronic illness immensely, but I also thoroughly enjoyed challenging myself physically and mentally this way. Meeting my strength goals and competing instilled confidence in me that I brought to my work life. I eventually started Olympic weightlifting and I’ve been progressing in the new and more complicated movements since summer of 2020. I’m excited to eventually compete! This hobby became a way for me to relieve stress, work on myself, and take care of myself. Dealing with my chronic illness and finally finding some relief years later helped me realize that we need to take the time to take care of our physical and mental health. We need something that can be our mini escape where we just focus on ourselves—something that brings us happiness, relaxation, and is great for our mental health. Ultimately, we need to listen our bodies and give it what it needs whether it be sleep, a home cooked meal, time with friends and family, me time, whatever it may be!