Mr. David Sommer, Chairman of the Haller Award Subcommittee of The Masonry Society’s (TMS) Design Practices Committee, presented the 2017 Paul Haller Structural Design Award to Chukwuma Ekwueme, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., LEED AP, Principal Thornton Tomasetti. During the presentation, Sommer noted that Ekwueme was selected for his outstanding contributions to Structural Masonry Design and Education. Ekwueme has extensive background in earthquake design coupled with his extensive knowledge of masonry behavior. He is an active contributor on TMS 402 applying his design experience as a Structural Engineer striving to make Standard both more practical and more accurate. Ekwueme has also authored several masonry books and guides.
The award was presented during the Awards Luncheon of The Masonry Society’s Annual Meeting in La Jolla, California. The Haller Award is given to an individual engineer or an engineering firm that has enhanced the knowledge of masonry in practice. This award recognizes the beauty, elegance, and economy of structural masonry projects. Additional information on the on the Award and past winners is available here.
