"It is with great pleasure that we bestow this honor on Tom," says Gary Jelin, chairman of the awards subcommittee. "He has advanced architecture and therefore its art, by taking an active, leadership role in developing technology, national standards, and educational tools that are used globally."

During his 28-year career at SmithGroup, O'Connor has contributed to diverse projects including the Midfield Terminal Building at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Comerica Park, Chrysler Corporation Headquarters Building, and Fort Bragg US Army Hospital. Currently, he's responsible for the $73-million addition and renovation to the Detroit Institute of Arts.

As vice president of the building technology group, he oversees forensic investigations of problem buildings or systems. He also is a technical consultant for exterior cladding system design and development. A Livonia resident, O'Connor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in architectural engineering at Lawrence Tech in 1964. O'Connor stresses proper construction technology and solutions to building problems. For more than 25 years he taught those concepts at the University of Detroit Mercy. He has authored more than two dozen papers and articles and has presented at more than 20 conferences, seminars and symposia.