2021 Message From the Chairman & Co-CEOs

After disruption comes the inevitable discussion about the “new normal.” But when that discussion draws mainly from past experience, it may constrain a vision of the future. True innovation requires us all – our people, our clients and the end users of our projects – to reimagine a path different from what we anticipated. And it compels us to identify specific areas we need to address if we’re to make lasting contributions along the way. For us, these are community, craft, culture and climate.

Strong communities help us brave uncertainty, so they’re more important than ever. That’s why we’re striving to create a workplace that supports all our people. How and why we work are community focused too: there is joy in achieving a vision that is accomplished only in collaboration with all stakeholders. Much of our work is literally building communities: designing, analyzing and renewing structures so they meet or exceed requirements for function, sustainability, resilience and aesthetics.

That work – our craft – always starts with people. The pandemic has challenged us to live our values by working harder than ever to build an equitable, inclusive culture. And we’re holding ourselves accountable for our environmental, social and governance goals by publishing Global Reporting Initiative-referenced reporting on our progress.

With a warming world in need of urgent action, climate impact has moved to the forefront of decision-making, for ourselves and our clients. We’re adapting the tools and methods of our craft to reduce carbon emissions and find new ways to secure a livable future for us all.

Sustainable development is essential to Thornton Tomasetti as an enduring organization. We understood this in 2012, when we established our Sustainability practice and our corporate sustainability initiative, and our attention to sustainability is even more relevant today as its importance in our industry rises due to the urgency of climate change and a pressing need for social equity. Not only do we provide services that contribute to sustainable development, but we face business risks from climate change and other impacts of unsustainable development.

We strive to make lasting contributions to our environment and our communities by promoting and applying creative means of reducing carbon in our projects, committing to achieving carbon-neutral business operations, and influencing policies and practices for sustainability and resilience in our industry and communities. In this reporting period, we’ve made strides toward reducing our operational carbon footprint, and in further developing our capacities in embodied carbon, mass-timber construction, decarbonization, sustainable design, and resilience.

Disruption is hard, and it poses real risks. But it also offers unprecedented opportunities for those who seek them. If we can reimagine the possibilities – by being inquisitive, challenging boundaries, advancing ingenuity and applying our craft to solve big problems – we can make the most of this moment. Read on for some of the ways we’re working toward it. We look forward to realizing that future with you.