Recognized transit architect joins HNTB

Thomas Grassi, AIA, PMP, has joined HNTB Corp. as senior project manager for infrastructure and transportation architecture. He is based in the firm’s Empire State Building offices in New York City.

Grassi comes to HNTB from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where his efforts included leading the reconstruction and restoration of the World Trade Center’s transit facilities immediately following 9/11.

He brings more than 30 years of experience in managing the planning, design, and construction of some of New York City’s programs, including the iconic World Trade Center Transportation Hub. He also led the planning and design of the AirTrain systems at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

At HNTB, Grassi is working on multiple transit and intermodal station planning and design projects with a focus on transit clients in the New York region, as well as pursuits throughout the country.

A graduate of the Pratt Institute with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, Grassi is a registered architect in New York and New Jersey, and a certified project management professional. He serves as an adjunct professor of construction management at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate, and as an adjunct professor in urban placemaking and management at the Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture.

Grassi is a member of the American Institute of Architects, recipient of numerous awards including the AIA’s “Architects of Healing” Presidential Citation for rebuilding work at the World Trade Center, and author of many professional articles.

HNTB’s architecture practice is involved in the design and construction of many rail- and transit-related programs including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s South Station expansion, the Newark Liberty International Airport’s AirTrain replacement for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the reconstruction of Chicago Transit Authority’s Wilson Station.