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The Joy of Structure
We are deeply passionate about design in the built environment and its ability to improve local communities and bring together people, places, and ideas.
With more than 50 years of experience, TYLin’s Buildings Market has successfully provided structural engineering services for over 30,000 projects of all types and sizes across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific Regions. In the face of climate change, we also maintain a keen eye on sustainable practices as we redefine “resilience” to safeguard the built environment for generations to come.
Building Excellence
The philosophy of our Buildings Market is grounded in the “Joy of Structure,” where we find pleasure and satisfaction in designing and engineering structurally sound buildings and infrastructure for our clients. Our work also demonstrates an inarguable fact: true innovation is born from collaboration, which ensures our clients’ vision remains at the heart of every project.
“We excel at bringing the most complex designs to life through a combination of sophisticated technologies, fundamental engineering methodologies, and partnership,” says Nat Oppenheimer, PE, LEED AP, Buildings Sector Leader. “This kind of experience is essential today as our industry is propelled into the future by new technologies and the demand for critical and sustainable infrastructure.”
Our Buildings Market is also united with the worldwide organization of TYLin and our affiliated companies. Access to such a wide array of resources allows us to bring different technologies and design approaches, as well as to act as a valued client intermediary on building projects where an architectural design partner is needed to help address the transportation and water infrastructure needs of a project.
From Dreams to Reality
We have helped hundreds of public, private, and institutional clients realize their dream projects across the Commercial, Cultural, Education, Government, Healthcare, and Science + Technology sectors. Our passion is bringing the most complex designs to life through structural engineering excellence. Here are some examples.
New Construction
Our design approach for new construction leans upon decades of experience and results in the appropriate structural engineering solution for each unique project.
The Whitney Museum in New York, New York: To better display its extensive collections, the Whitney Museum commissioned a new 9-story building in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District with architectural partner Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The building cantilevers dramatically over a public plaza, creating a recessed entrance that opens into vast lobby with a free-entry exhibition space. Steel framing to achieve the design’s long spans and open plan layout.
The Heights in Arlington, Virginia: To contend with its dense urban site, this new 775-seat public school by Bjarke Ingels Group has five traditional one-story bar-style classrooms stacked atop one another and rotated around a pivot point. Throughout design and construction, we worked closely with the contractor and steel fabricator to ensure economical solutions and constructability.
Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center in Wantagh, New York: This new visitor center by nArchitects comprises a 330-footlong building built atop a foundation of new and existing piles, with a superstructure of glulam framing with wood shear walls. The net zero energy facility focuses on the study of climate change.
Taipei City Music Hall and Library in Taipei, Taiwan: TYLin is serving as Prime Consultant for this new smart building by KRIS YAO | ARTECH, which will open in 2028 as the first sustainable facility in Taiwan to combine a highquality music hall and library.
ADAPTIVE RE-USE
As accelerated growth and urban decay threaten the welfare of cities and communities, we apply our knowledge of archaic structural systems and experience with the renovation of existing buildings to convert vacant, underused, or abandoned facilities into new spaces.
Amherst College Student Center in Amherst, Massachusetts: This project with architectural partners Herzog & de Meuron and Sasaki will build a new student center and dining hall on the site of two former facilities. Since sustainability is a key performance metric, TYLin is reusing the lower cast-in-place concrete structure rather than demolishing it. A mass timber structure will be built atop the old structure to create an efficient, sustainable facility.
Battery Maritime Building in New York, New York: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this Beaux-Arts style building first opened in 1909. Working with architectural partner Marvel, we provided structural engineering services for the renovation and reinforcement of the existing building and a glass-clad vertical expansion containing a boutique hotel with a rooftop restaurant.
Specialty Structures
Our Buildings team, including the specialists in our Lightweight Structures Group, combine detailed design consulting, engineering, and materials investigation with imaginative thinking to create innovative buildings and special structures.
Domino Square Shade Net in New York, New York: TYLin’s Lightweight Structures Group developed a stainless-steel cable net suspended from three masts to function as permanent infrastructure at Domino Park. The seasonal mesh fabric panels provide shading for the public. We also provided adaptive reuse services and structural design for the old Domino Sugar Refinery.
Confluence Park Sculpture in San Antonio, Texas: The junction of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek is the backdrop for the pavilions at Confluence Park. Designed by Matsys in collaboration with Lake|Flato Architects, the fluid shapes of the concrete structures are used to collect and funnel rainwater while simultaneously providing shade and shelter. The entire site is used as an outdoor classroom.
Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois: TYLin is providing design services for the visually striking screen wall of the Museum at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park in Chicago. The screen wall consists of 40 individual ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) panels, each approximately 8 feet by 30 feet and designed for ease of erection.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION + RENOVATIONS
After consulting on over 400 registered landmark structures, we have developed an incomparable ability to gain a holistic understanding of older buildings’ unique architecture and structural systems to enhance building integrity and ensure modern functionality.
Michigan Central Station in Detroit, Michigan: This large-scale renovation by architect Quinn Evans is part of the Ford Motor Company’s new transportation innovation development. Originally built in 1912, the building consists of a train station and an 18-story office tower. Renovation scope includes the office tower, main waiting room with Guastavino tile vaults, concourse and site structures, and basement and unexcavated below-grade areas.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC: TYLin designed structural upgrades and modifications to this historic building, which was designed by Mies van der Rohe. In contrast with the existing 1972 building, which features a disciplined grid of exposed structural steel, this renovation, designed by Mecanoo, introduced elements with soft, rounded forms.
FAÇADE ENGINEERING
Collaborating with architects, building owners, owners' representatives, specialty contractors, and fabricators, we provide building envelope and façade engineering services for existing buildings and new construction.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC: Designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft, the museum’s iconic hollow cylindrical design stands in contrast with its traditional neighbors along the National Mall. TYLin provided structural designs for elevator renovations, envelope repairs and improvements, exterior precast panel replacements, balcony glazing, and roofing, all while improving energy efficiency and humidity control.
UPenn Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: TYLin is providing structural engineering services for a new 37,300-sf Student Performing Arts Center. The design is characterized by three suspended trapezoids floating above the ground.
ARCHITECTURE AND CODE CONSULTING
The bedrock of safe construction is found in modern building codes that reflect ongoing advancements in new materials, technologies, and methodologies. We collaborate with all disciplines to develop integrated, code-compliant solutions.
North Aud Block Development in Buffalo, New York: TYLin is leading a team of nine firms to provide Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation with the multi-discipline planning study, master plan, and development concepts for 600,000 sf of mixed-use space at five buildings on a 2.3-acre block.
Austin Steward Plaza in Rochester, New York: This high-profile project is in the heart of Rochester’s downtown business district and the “ROC the Riverway” revitalization initiative. TYLin led the design and overall project management, including Architecture and Code Compliance, for this urban riverfront space.
Construction Support Services
TYLin’s teams in Europe and Latin America bring deep knowledge of the design, construction, management, inspection, and assessment of buildings, bridges, and unique structures.
New Passenger Building at Santiago de Compostela Station in Spain: Integrating rail, bus, and urban transport services, this new facility is transforming an important station on Spain's high-speed rail network. The ambitious project is under the management of ADIF Alta Velocidad, with construction supervision and construction management services provided by TYLin.
For more information on our Buildings-related services, please contact Nat Oppenheimer.
A Legacy of Leadership
TYLin’s Buildings Market represents the united vision of our legacy firm leaders, both past and present:
Tung-Yen (T.Y.) Lin (1912-2003): Our founder, T.Y. Lin, is a recognized pioneer in the use of prestressed concrete in the design and construction of buildings and long-span bridges.
Bob Silman (1935-2018): Founder of Silman (now TYLin), Bob is remembered for his engineering talents and insights and his advocacy for historic preservation and sustainability long before they were commonplace.
Bob Radley, PE (TYLin - Retired): Bob’s vision of a diverse architecture/ engineering team in the eastern U.S. helped inspire TYLin’s tradition of excellence in project management for buildings and transportation infrastructure.
Nic Goldsmith, FAIA, LEED AP: As the founding director of our Lightweight Structures Group, Nic’s interest in material efficiency and sustainability over 40 years has led to ground-breaking tensile and fabric structures.
Chuck Naeve, PE: Since founding his firm, now known as AEC, A TYLin Company, in Austin, Texas, Chuck is known for creating buildings that complement architectural goals and designing sustainable structures in harmony with the environment.
