We are pleased to announce MKA Senior Principal Sean P. Clifton has been named a member of Building Design+Construction’s (BD+C’s) 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. BD+C editors recognized Sean for his roles as an industry pioneer, knowledgeable sustainability authority, role model for new engineers, and service to industry organizations and the local community.
Sean has emerged as MKA’s go-to resource for advancing Performance-Based Wind Design (PBWD), which aims to enhance safety and reliability while reducing materials, costs, and embodied carbon in high-rise structures. He is the Principal-in-Charge for the structural design of 321 West 6th Street—a 671-foot-tall building in Austin, Texas, representing the first American skyscraper to incorporate PBWD into its design. Engineering News-Record recognized Sean as one of 25 Newsmakers in 2023 for his efforts in championing PBWD.
Sean also steered MKA’s development effort for Hines’ Embodied Carbon Reduction Guide, which serves as a resource for the development, design, and construction communities to accelerate actions toward reducing embodied carbon in the built environment.
After earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Structural Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, Sean joined MKA in 2008. At age 38, Sean is the youngest of MKA’s 13 shareholders. He has designed scores of high-profile mixed-use, office, and residential projects worldwide, including many in the Philippines and Indonesia. His project résumé includes over 70 high-rise towers, many of these in areas of extreme seismic activity.
He also actively engages in MKA’s community outreach programs outside of project work, including an annual fundraiser for Food Lifeline and an annual Community Service Project.
Read more about Sean online here and in the magazine’s September/October print edition.
Congratulations, Sean!