Burns honored by American Institute of Steel Construction for industry work.

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Joseph Bums, managing principal in the Chicago office of Thornton Tomasetti, has been selected to receive the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. Special Achievement Award for notable accomplishments in structural steel design, research and education.

The AISC award was slated to be presented during the keynote address of the 2008 NASCC: The Steel Conference on April 2nd in Nashville, Tenn.

"Joe Bums is being honored for his significant efforts in promoting and advancing the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and interoperability in the design and construction of major steel structures," said Scott Melnick, vice president of AISC. "His contributions have made a positive and substantial impact on the structural steel design and construction industry."

In addition to receiving the American Institute of Architects' prestigious College of Fellows designation in 2004, Burns was previously honored by Engineering News-Record as one of the Top 25 Newsmakers of 2003 for pushing "the team building Chicago's 61,500-seat Soldier Field into the digital age of steel design and detailing by creating an accurate three-dimensional, digital model and sharing it with the steel fabricator." Bums has since spearheaded the firm's new technology programs that focus on incorporating BIM to increase productivity and integration.

Since joining Thornton Tomasetti in 1995, Bums has led the structural design team on many projects, including Soldier Field, UBS Tower, 191 N. Wacker Drive and the ABN AMRO Technology Center in Chicago, as well as the Indianapolis International Airport Midfield Terminal. Heis current projects include the Santiago Calatrava's Chicago Spire, the tallest building in North America, and on the headquarters building in Abu Dhabi.