The 279-meter (915 feet) Torre Koi, centerpiece of the VAO complex in the San Pedro Garza Garcia neighborhood of Monterrey, Mexico is now the tallest building in Mexico. The tower’s architectural design was substantially complete – and 30 percent of the residential units were already sold – when wind-tunnel testing identified excessive lateral displacements and acceleration in the structure at which point the building owner hired Thornton Tomasetti and local partner Stark + Ortiz to solve these problems.

Chris Crilly with Thornton Tomasetti discusses how TT and S+O developed a creative approach to fully address the tall-building structural requirements for large vertical gravity and horizontal forces, serviceability concerns of lateral wind and seismic load deflection, wind-induced horizontal building acceleration, and differential vertical-shortening of columns and walls caused by time-dependent concrete creep and shrinkage. The team embraced innovative approaches to solve difficult problems, employed advanced analytical capabilities and collaborated closely with the architect, owner and contractors to develop successful solutions to the project’s challenges.