For Vice President: William Bast

William D. Bast, P.E., S.E., SECB

Principal

William D. Bast joined Thornton Tomasetti in 1998 and is the Principal in charge of the Chicago office’s investigation/restoration service sectors. As Principal, he works closely with owners, building managers, attorneys, architects and contractors, as well as internal project managers and engineers, in order to ensure the timeliness and quality of the projects he oversees.

With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Bast’s areas of technical expertise include structural engineering and design, building façade evaluation, remedial repair of distressed buildings, and restoration and preservation of old and historic structures. His work experience includes residential and office projects, commercial and retail facilities, and adaptive re-use of existing structures.

Mr. Bast has worked on many prestigious projects, including disaster response for a façade failure at One Indiana Square, Indianapolis, Indiana; façade restoration and renovation of the historic Metropolitan Tower, Chicago, Illinois; and forensic investigation of a partial building collapse at 1720 Oak Street in Evanston, Illinois.

He holds a master's degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Mr. Bast is the recipient of the 2005 Structural Engineers Association of Illinois’ Distinguished Service Award.

Mr. Bast has lectured and published articles on various topics of structural design. His speaking engagements and publications include “Knowing When to Call a Structural Engineer or Architect,” presented at the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2008, “Bolt Failure at Gabled Roof of a 42-story Building,” presented at the ASCE Forensic Conference, October 2006; “ASCE Guidelines for Forensic Engineering: Case Study of Partial Building Collapse,” presented at the Structural Engineers’ Conference & Expo, Chicago, Illinois, November 2005; and “A Good Move: U505,” Civil Engineering Magazine, November 2006.

In addition to his project work, Mr. Bast is involved in numerous organizations, serving as the President of the Structural Engineers Foundation, member of the Committee on Specifications for the American Institute of Steel Construction, and a member of American Society of Civil Engineers.