John R. Viise, PE, SE, CEng, LEED AP

John Viise is the Managing Principal of DeSimone’s Chicago office. His experience includes high-rise and specialty structures around the world. His area of expertise includes wind and seismic engineering in tall building design.

Mr. Viise’s most recent work in Chicago includes 900 W Randolph, a 500-foot-tall, condominium tower that achieves a slender form without the need for costly outriggers, and Lincoln Yards, a 22-story, 637,000 square foot building comprised of ground floor retail, office space, and parking. Other domestic experience includes the proposed Paramount Tower, a 750-foot-tall residential high-rise in Nashville, Tennessee, which will be the city’s tallest building.

Mr. Viise’s portfolio of work in the Gulf Region includes The Burj Khalifa, a 2,717-foot tower in Dubai; a proposed 3,280-foot residential building known as The Dubai One Tower; the 1,250-foot Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid tower at the World Trade Center in Abu Dhabi; and Al Wasl Plaza, which consists of a steel trellis spanning 492 feet surrounded by two hotel buildings and three office towers. Al Wasl Plaza will debut as part of Expo 2020 in Dubai.

In Asia, his work includes the 1,017-foot Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China, the 853-foot Samsung China Headquarters in Beijing, and the award-winning Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Mr. Viise also led design on the Pasifik Ciftay EGO Landmark Tower, a 46-story office tower in Ankara, Turkey which is the city’s tallest building. The structure contains more than 1.6 million square feet and required Performance Based Seismic Design for approval.

Mr. Viise received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and his Masters of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In academia, Mr. Viise periodically lectures at universities around the country and participates in architectural jury work with institutions including The Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Lindel Reid is the Managing Principal of DeSimone’s London office. As Managing Principal, Mr. Reid oversees the strategic growth of DeSimone’s presence in the United Kingdom as well as contributing to projects in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

With more than 31 years of experience in structural and architectural engineering abroad, Lindel Reid has forged an international career with technical leadership and business development expertise in the UK and the Middle East. He has amassed a diverse portfolio of international projects including Dubai’s iconic Marina Gate Residences, a 3-building, multi-story residential towers cluster; Oman Regional Airports; London’s New Wembley Stadium and the Newcastle Opera House designed by Norman Foster; Zaha Hadid’s Opus Building in Dubai; Jean Nouvel’s One New Change Shopping Center in the City of London; and the International Center for Life Museum and Exhibition Center designed by Terry Farrell for Newcastle, England. As a 3D Analytical Modelling specialist, Mr. Reid also helped design 3D computer models for one of UAE’s first structural steel, diagrid systems for the Mubadala Masdar low energy headquarters.

Mr. Reid earned his BEng (Hons) degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture from the University of Leeds in the UK. Mr. Reid also achieved his Engineering Council Professional Chartership (CEng) in the UK for the Institute of Structural Engineers, and passed The Qatari Ministry and Municipality Urban Planning (MMUP) engineering exam, where he became an accredited Class-A Certified Engineer.

William R. O’Donnell joined DeSimone in 1990 and manages the firm’s Miami and San Francisco offices. His extensive experience includes hospitality, gaming, healthcare, transportation renovation, residential and infrastructure.

Mr. O’Donnell is currently leading the Miami office efforts on the $2 billion expansion of facilities for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. This work addresses multiple facilities which include a 3 million sf Hard Rock Hollywood expansion that creates a 1,000 guest room tower, an exotic arrival experience, a casino expansion, a conference center, retail and dining outlets, a central plant and various infrastructure.  The Tampa Hard Rock will also be expanded. This work involves 3 million sf and includes a 1,000 room tower situated above a podium that accommodates gaming, retail and dining outlets, back-of-house and an elevated pool deck.  Smaller expansions to the Coconut Creek and Immokalee facilities are also addressed in the effort.

Mr. O’Donnell recently completed Phase III of Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. This $600 million phase added two towers, a large arrival building, a conference center that includes the largest ballroom in the Caribbean, a new 30,000 sf spa, a casino, a nightclub expansion and various site work. Mr. O’Donnell and the Miami office have worked with Kerzner International, continuously since the first phase of Atlantis in 1994.

Mr. O’Donnell also has directed the Miami office on a multitude of high-rise projects including Marquis, 900 Biscayne, Met 1, Epic, Four Midtown, 1080 Brickell, Mosaic, One Bal Harbour, The Plaza at Harbor Island and Parkshore Plaza.  His experience also includes such notable projects as the recently inaugurated $230 million South Terminal Expansion for Miami International Airport, the 6-star Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key, the $120 million, 5-star Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Studios, the $250 million Our Lucaya Beach Resort on Grand Bahama Island, as well as several large facilities for Jackson Memorial Hospital and hurricane hardening of Miami Children’s Hospital.

Mr. O’Donnell received both his Bachelor degree and Masters degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Miami. Actively involved in the Miami community, he currently is the Chairman of the Youth Program at the Miami Rowing Club. Mr. O’Donnell and his wife have chaired the Ball of the Wild, Miami MetroZoo’s premiere annual fundraising event. He has also served the community in his role as a board member of the Miami Supportive Housing Corporation, a non-profit organization which develops, improves, and preserves affordable housing for low income persons and families with special needs.

Mukesh Parikh joined DeSimone in 1999 and is currently a Managing Principal in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Parikh has over 15 years of experience and specializes in the design of concrete and steel structures.

Mr. Parikh has managed many large-scale residential projects. He is currently managing 99 Hudson, a 1.4 million sf development along the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey consisting of two high-rise residential towers. Additional experience includes Tower 31, a 293,000 sf, 44-story residential building in New York; Riverhouse, a 600,000 sf, 32-story and LEED Gold residential tower in Battery Park City, New York; The Harrison, a 300,000 sf, 18-story, LEED Silver residential building on 76th Street in New York City; and Tower 111, a 500,000 sf, 48-story residential building on Sixth Avenue in New York City.

Mr. Parikh has also managed many hospitality projects including Mohegan Sun Project Sunburst in Uncasville, Connecticut; Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York and Isle of Capri Resorts in Mississippi and Louisiana. For the $1 billion expansion of Mohegan Sun, Mr. Parikh managed the design of the 3 million sf steel podium. He also designed the porte cochere canopies, as well as the complex exposed steel tube structures. His recent hospitality work includes the Vdara Tower, a 1.5 million sf, 55-story hotel condominium tower in Las Vegas, Nevada, the conversion of the Masonic Temple, a historic building in Providence, Rhode Island to the Providence Renaissance Marriott Providence Hotel and the Wyndham Hotel at Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey.

Mr. Parikh received his Masters of Science in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey.

Farro Tofighi joined DeSimone Consulting Engineers in 2005 to help open the firm’s Las Vegas office. His dedication to the field of structural engineering and excellent client service is an integral part of our firm’s business ethics.

Mr. Tofighi has 35 years of experience that covers a broad range of project types including: office buildings, high-rise condominiums, educational facilities, entertainment complexes, hospitality and gaming. He has extensive experience in seismic design standards and three-dimensional dynamic analysis of complex and specialty structures.

For the past 25 years, Mr. Tofighi has been involved in the structural design of many leading Las Vegas hotels and casinos as well as non-gaming projects such as the Clark County Government Center and the Las Vegas Federal Courthouse. He has also been the Principal-in-Charge for numerous Native American gaming projects throughout the nation.

Mr. Tofighi received his Bachelor of Science in Civil/Structural Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and is a registered Professional Engineer in several states, including California and Nevada. He is an active member of the Structural Engineers Association of Nevada and California, the American Institute of Steel Construction and the International Code Council. Mr. Tofighi is also currently serving as the co-chairman of the Southern Nevada Building Code Committee.

Mr. Hayda joined DeSimone in 1986 and was named Managing Principal in 2002. He is responsible for many award-winning projects and has amassed sizeable expertise in the evaluation of existing structures and the design of structural systems in concrete, steel, wood, and composite materials.

Mr. Hayda has directed and managed the design of large-scale projects for DeSimone, and the majority of his design has been for casino, hospitality, renovation, and industrial projects. Since 1988, Mr. Hayda has been responsible for designing DeSimone’s gaming projects, especially in Atlantic City.

Most notable is his work on the award-winning Mohegan Sun Project Sunburst: (a $1 billion, 4,000,000 sf gaming expansion), the largest private development project on the East Coast. Mr. Hayda designed the Element, a 36-story, 350,000 sf residential tower, which won the 2007 CIB Annual Award. Current projects on the boards include City Point, Empire Outlets, and Riu Hotel. Other notable casino related projects include: Trump Plaza East Tower, Caesar’s Casino Expansion, and Crystal Palace Hotel & Casino in the Bahamas. He has also completed numerous smaller projects for Atlantic City’s casinos and has significant gaming and theming experience in other states.

Prior to joining DeSimone, Mr. Hayda gained valuable industrial and construction experience, which has given him a firm foundation for renovation projects. He has been responsible for such major renovations as the Empire Hotel in New York and a complete seismic upgrade of the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles. Other notable renovation projects include the technical modernization of the St. Regis Hotel, the New Amsterdam Theater, and 90 West Street, all major New York City landmarks.

As Managing Principal, Mr. Hayda’s responsibilities include continuing professional development of the technical staff through in-house and other seminars, as well as overseeing the technical library. He also manages the CAD system and its standards. Mr. Hayda received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in 17 states and is an active member of several professional organizations including:

• American Concrete Institute (ACI)
• American Institute of Architects (AIA)
• American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ACEC)
• Jury, NYCN Best of 2002 Awards
• Committee Member, NYC Model Code – Program Structural Foundation
• Committee Member (Co-Chair), Structural Engineers Association of New York Wind Loads Committee
• Structural Engineering Institute
• Ukranian Engineers’ Society of America

Mr. Downing joined DeSimone in 1994 and is currently the Managing Principal of the New Haven office. Since joining DeSimone, Mr. Downing has developed a wide ranging repertoire of project experience, which includes the design of steel and concrete structures for commercial, residential and retail developments, as well as museums, hotels, casinos, parking structures and renovation projects.

Mr. Downing has significant experience working on large-scale gaming and casino projects such as Mohegan Sun Project Sunburst in Uncasville, Connecticut (a $1 billion, 4-million sf, 34-story casino/hotel expansion), the Isle of Capri Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi (an $80 million expansion which includes a new 14-story, 400-room hotel tower, 1,000-space parking garage), and the expansion and renovation of the historic Saratoga Gaming & Raceway (a 310,000 sf racing and casino project in Saratoga Springs, New York).

Mr. Downing recently completed the 400,000 Resorts World Casino, New York at the Aqueduct Race Track, the first of its kind in the City of New York. He is currently working on the design of Harborside Plaza VI & VII, a 1.2 million sf development consisting of multiple high-rise towers in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Mr. Downing received his Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from Columbia University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Connecticut and New York. Mr. Downing is a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction and Structural Engineers Coalition of Connecticut.

Mr. Osman joined DeSimone in 2004 and has headed the firm’s Abu Dhabi office since 2011. Mr. Osman has 24 years of extensive industry experience. His expertise features designing stadiums, long span roofs and high-rise structures in New York and around the world.

During his time at DeSimone, Mr. Osman has worked on several large-scale projects. His experience includes Project Manager for the Regent Emirates Pearl Hotel (a 55-story twisting hotel tower), Project Manager for the Al Hilal Bank Tower (one million square feet tower Class A office building) on AlMaryah Island in Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Khalifa Mosque.

Mr. Osman’s past experience includes the Great American Ball Park baseball stadium; home of the Cincinnati Reds and the steel roof for the Seoul World Cup stadium, a 68,000-seat stadium designed for the 2002 World Cup. His projects: Regent Emirates Pearl Hotel, HL23, One York Street and The James Hotel received multiple awards in New York and Nationally (USA). Ahmed authored and co-authored many articles in Concrete International and STRUCTURES magazines. He also lectures in universities and design firms.

Mr. Osman received his Bachelor’s degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt and his Master’s degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Mr. Osman is an active member of American Society of Civil Engineers, American Concrete Institute and American Institute of Steel Construction.