Dennis Poon

College of Fellows Member

Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., Managing Principal, Vice Chairman Emeritus | New York City, United States

About

Dennis Poon is Managing Principal and Vice Chairman Emeritus at Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., a 1500+ person, privately held engineering and technology firm. Throughout his 46+ years experience he has been responsible for the design and construction of high-rise offices, hotels, airports, arenas and residential buildings throughout the US and abroad. He specializes in super and mega tall mixed use towers and complexes, and has expertise in the application of state-of-the-art engineering technologies for building analysis, design, construction and project management, including project delivery strategies.

Mr. Poon is the structural design principal of some of the tallest buildings including the 700+m tall Suzhou Zhongnan Center in Suzhou, China, the 600m tall Ping An International Finance Center in Shenzhen, China, the 638m tall Signature Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia, the 636m tall Wuhan Greenland…

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Dennis Poon

CTBUH Designated Expert

CTBUH Roles

New York City Chapter, Advisory Group (2015 – Present)

Annual Conference, Presenter (Shanghai 2012; Shanghai 2014; New York 2015; China 2016)

Annual Conference, Session Chair (Shanghai 2012; London 2013; 2016; Middle East 2018)

Innovation Conference, Session Chair, Shenzhen (2019)

Videos

17 October 2016

Mega Size Mixed-Use Projects: Redefining Vertical Urbanism

Monday October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Dennis Poon of Thornton Tomasetti, presents at the 2016 China Conference Session 4c: Structural & Geotechnic Engineering. As the...

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Research

17 October 2016

Mega Size Mixed-Use Projects: Redefining Vertical Urbanism

Dennis Poon & Larry B. Giannechini, Thornton Tomasetti

As the draw to urban centers increases drastically with financial growth and global influence, emerging markets seek to develop salient markers of success and hope....

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Research

17 October 2016

Designing a Bamboo Shaped Suptertall Tower in Hefei

Guoyong Fu, Dennis Poon, Yi Zhu & Zheng Gui Ma, Thornton Tomasetti

The Evergrande International Financial Center, located in Binhu New Area CBD in Hefei, Anhui Province, China, consists of one iconic108-story, 518m tall tower, one single...

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30 August 2019

Emerging Leaders of New York Award

The CTBUH New York Chapter invites you to nominate your colleagues for the 2019 Emerging Leaders of New Award, which recognizes a young professional for their industry contributions.

25 June 2019

Ninth Annual Italian & International Tall Buildings Conference

Join CTBUH for the 9th Italian/International Tall Buildings Conference, hosted by Politecnico di Milano and Università Iuav di Venezia.

11 April 2019

CTBUH Hong Kong Chapter Inauguration

In celebration of the establishment of the CTBUH Hong Kong Chapter, the Council is excited to announce the Chapter's inaugural event.

21 October 2018

CTBUH Trustees Convene in Dubai

The CTBUH Board of Trustees met for the second time in 2018, just prior to the 2018 Middle East Conference, to undertake high level discussions on the Council's future.

20 October 2018

Regional Representatives Meet at 2018 Middle East Conference

CTBUH Chapters, Regional Representatives, and Future Leaders Committees met during the Middle East Conference for a discussion on the Council's regional growth and global initiatives.

20 October 2018

Record Numbers Convene at 2018 Leaders Meeting

CTBUH Leaders convened on Day 1 of the 2018 Middle East Conference for updates on the year's developments and to plan for 2019.

17 October 2016

Mega Size Mixed-Use Projects: Redefining Vertical Urbanism

Monday October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Dennis Poon of Thornton Tomasetti, presents at the 2016 China Conference Session 4c: Structural & Geotechnic Engineering. As the...

17 October 2016

Structural & Geotechnic Engineering Q&A

Monday, October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. William O'Donnell, DeSimone Consulting Engineers; Dennis Poon, Thornton Tomasetti; SawTeen Seen, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, answer questions at the...

26 October 2015

2015 New York Conference - Session 2a - Q&A

Jong-Ho Kim, Chang Minwoo Structural Consultants; William Howell, Turner International; and Dennis Poon, Thornton Tomasetti, answer questions at the end of 2015 New York Conference...

26 October 2015

Designing a Non-coplanar Exoskeleton Supertall Tower that Transforms the Skyline of Chengdu

The city of Chengdu is quickly becoming the center for high-rise development in southwest China. The focal point of this new vertical landscape will be...

17 September 2014

2014 Shanghai International Conference - Ping An Tower Room, Session 2 - Q & A

2014 Shanghai International Conference Ping An Tower Room, Session 2 Questions & Answers session with speakers Dennis Poon, Thornton Tomasetti, Yuqi Zhou, CSCEC1B, and Yinghou...

17 September 2014

Ping An IFC: Economical & Efficient Solutions

With the completion of the 500m+ Ping An Finance Center, our era presents the question of whether traditional structural systems and design approaches are still...

17 September 2014

Designing a Supertall for the Venice of China

In this presentation, attendees will learn about the unique structural elements that support Suzhou Zhongnan Center, including the “Core-Outrigger-Megaframe” lateral system; the foundation system, which...

16 September 2014

Interview: Dennis Poon

Dennis Poon of Thornton Tomasetti is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2014 CTBUH Shanghai Conference at the Jin Mao Tower. Dennis discusses the evolution...

17 October 2016

Mega Size Mixed-Use Projects: Redefining Vertical Urbanism

Dennis Poon & Larry B. Giannechini, Thornton Tomasetti

As the draw to urban centers increases drastically with financial growth and global influence, emerging markets seek to develop salient markers of success and hope....

17 October 2016

Designing a Bamboo Shaped Suptertall Tower in Hefei

Guoyong Fu, Dennis Poon, Yi Zhu & Zheng Gui Ma, Thornton Tomasetti

The Evergrande International Financial Center, located in Binhu New Area CBD in Hefei, Anhui Province, China, consists of one iconic108-story, 518m tall tower, one single...

26 October 2015

Designing a Non-coplanar Exoskeleton Supertall Tower that Transforms the Skyline of Chengdu

Dennis Poon, Yi Zhu, Paul Fu & Jianhai Liang, Thornton Tomasetti

The city of Chengdu is quickly becoming the center for high-rise development in southwest China. The focal point of this new vertical landscape will be...

16 September 2014

Structural Design Challenges

Yi Zhu, Dennis Poon, Paul Fu & Zhenggui Ma, Thornton Tomasetti

Built on soft soils, Suzhou Zhongnan Center relies on concrete bored piles with post-grouting to support the massive tower. An efficient lateral system, namely the...

16 September 2014

Unique Structural Design Aspects

Yi Zhu, Dennis Poon, Qing (Steve) Zuo & Paul Fu, Thornton Tomasetti Inc.

This chapter discusses the unique structural solutions for the 632m tall Shanghai Tower. An innovative “Core-Outrigger-Mega Frame” lateral system is adopted to meet China’s conservative...

16 September 2014

Economical & Efficient Structural Solutions

Dennis Poon, Yi Zhu, Steve Pacitto & Steve Zuo, Thornton Tomasetti Inc.

With the completion of the Ping An Finance Center (PAFC) in 2016, one of the tallest towers in China and the world will be unveiled....

16 September 2014

Designing a Megatall for Lateral Stability and Settlement

Dennis Poon, Yi Zhu, Guoyong (Paul) Fu & Zhenggui Ma, Thornton Tomasetti

As a megatall building, Suzhou Zhongnan Center will need an efficient lateral system to withstand high wind and seismic loads. A unique “Core-Outrigger-Megaframe” lateral system...

19 September 2012

Ping An Finance Center: Pioneering China’s Tallest – Efficiencies of Form and Structures

David Malott & Zhizhe Yu, KPF; Dennis Poon & Torsten Gottlebe, Thornton Tomasetti

Upon completion in 2015, the Ping An Finance Center - set to become the second tallest structure in the world and the tallest in China...