Fazlur Khan

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FazlurRahmanKhan

FazlurRahmanKhan 3April1929 Dacca,BengalPresidency,BritishIndia (nowDhaka,Bangladesh) 27March1982(aged52) Jeddah,SaudiArabia GracelandCemetery, Chicago,Illinois,USA Bangladeshi

Born

Died

Restingplace Nationality Education

BengalEngineeringandScience University,Shibpur,Bangladesh

UniversityofEngineeringand Technology,UniversityofIllinoisat UrbanaChampaign Engineeringcareer Engineering discipline Significant design Architectural,civil,structural JohnHancockCenter,WillisTower,Hajj Terminal,KingAbdulazizUniversity,One MagnificentMile,OnterieCenter AgaKhanAwardforArchitecture, IndependenceDayAward,AIAHonor AwardforDistinguishedAchievement

Significant awards

Fazlur Rahman Khan (Bengali: , Fozlur Rhman Khan) (3 April 1929 27 March 1982) was an Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect. Considered the "father of tubular designs", Khan revolutionised sky scraper construction by initiating structural systems that still form the basis of tall building construction today.[1][2][3][4] He thus became an icon in both architecture and structural engineering.[5] He is the designer of super tall landmark buildings like the Willis Tower second-tallest building in the United States and tallest in the world for nearly 25 years - and the John Hancock Center, as well as ingenious large scale low level solutions like the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah. He also helped in initiating the widespread usage of computers for structural engineering.

Contents

1Biography o 1.1Education o 1.2Career o 1.3Awards o 1.4Supportforhisnativecountry o 1.5Personalinterests o 1.6Death 2ProfessionalAchievementsandInnovations o 2.1Tubestructuralsystems 2.1.1Framedtube 2.1.2TrussedtubeandXbracing 2.1.3Bundletube 2.1.4Concretetubestructures 2.1.5Influence

2.2Skylobby 2.3HajjTerminal 2.4Computersforstructuralengineeringandarchitecture 3Appraisal 4Listofbuildings 5Seealso 6References 7Furtherreading 8Externallinks

o o o

Biography
Fazlur Rahman Khan was born on 3 April 1929 in Dhaka, Bangladesh (erstwhile Bengal Province of British India). He was brought up in the village of Bhandarikandii, Faridpur District, near Dhaka. His father, Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman Khan, BES was Additional Director of Public Instruction (ADPI) of Bengal and after retirement served as Principal of Jagannath College, Dhaka.

Education
In 1944, Khan received his matriculation from Ballygunge Government High School and was subsequently admitted to Presidency College, both in Calcutta.[6][7] Top of his class, he received a Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, in 1950.[8] Khan went on to teach at Ahsanullah Engineering College,[8] University of Dhaka, until 1952. In 1952 he received a Fulbright Scholarship and a Pakistan government scholarship to pursue advanced studies in the United States at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In his three years there, Khan earned two Master's degrees one in structural engineering and one in theoretical and applied mechanics and a PhD in structural engineering.

Career
In a career marked by innovation in structural engineering and collaboration between engineering and architecture, Khan introduced design methods and concepts that set new standards for efficient use of material and suggested new possibilities for building architecture. From 1955 to 1957, he was employed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) in Chicago, Illinois. In fulfilment of his scholarship conditions, he returned to Pakistan and worked as a technical advisor to the Chief Engineers Office of the Karachi Development Authority in West Pakistan.[8] In 1960, he and his Austrian wife Liselotte returned to the USA, and Khan resumed his career at SOM.[8] He was made an Associate Partner in 1966 and was the first engineer to be made full Partner in 1970.[6] He enjoyed a particularly close working relationship with his colleague and SOM partner Bruce Graham. In 1967, Khan became a naturalised American citizen .[9] During the 1960s and 1970s, he became noted for his designs for Chicago's 100-story John Hancock Center and 108-story Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world from 1974 to 1998, surpassing the recently finished World Trade Center (1972). He is also responsible for designing notable buildings in Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Fazlur Khan K was also o an influent tial teacher at a the Illinois s Institute of f Technology y, Chicago, where, in nvited by SO OM architect t Myron Goldsmith, he ta aught from 1961 1 until hi is death.[4]

Awards s

nENR FRKhanin

Among Khan's K other accomplish hments, he re eceived the Wason W Meda al (1971) and d Alfred Lin ndau Award (1 1973) from the t American n Concrete Institute I (AC CI); the Thom mas Middleb brooks Awar rd (1972) an nd the Ernes st Howard Award A (1977) ) from ASCE E; the Kimbr rough Meda al (1973) from m the American n Institute of f Steel Cons struction; the e Oscar Fabe er medal (1973) from the e Institution of Structura al Engineers, , London; th he Internation nal Award of o Merit in St tructural Eng gineering (1983) from the Internationa al Associatio on for Bridge e and Structu ural Enginee ering IABSE E; the AIA D d Achieveme ent (1983) fr rom the Ame erican Institu ute of Archit tects; Institute Honor for Distinguished and the John J Parmer Award (198 87) from Stru uctural Engineers Assoc ciation of Illi inois and Illi inois Engineer ring Hall of Fame F from Illinois I Engineering Cou uncil (2006).[10] Khan wa as cited five times t by Eng gineering Ne ews-Record as among th hose who ser rved the best t interests of the constr ruction indu ustry, and in 1972 he was s honoured with w ENR's Man M of the Year Y n 1973 he wa as elected to o the Nationa al Academy of Engineeri ing. He rece eived Honora ary award. In Doctorates from Nor rthwestern University, U Lehigh Unive ersity, and th he Swiss Fed deral Institute e of [4] Technolo ogy (ETH) Zurich. Z The Coun ncil on Tall Buildings an nd Urban Ha abitat (CTBU UH) named an award aft ter him calle ed the Fazlur Khan K Lifetime e Achieveme ent Medal an nd several other awards have h been es stablished in n his honour si ince his pass sing, along with w a chair at a Lehigh Un niversity. Pr romoting edu ucational

activities and research, the Fazlur Rahman Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture honours Khan's legacy of engineering advancement and architectural sensibility.[4]

Support for his native country

In 1971 the Bangladesh liberation war brokeout. Khan was heavily involved with creating public opinion and garnering emergency funding for Bengali people during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. He created the Chicago-based organisation known as Bangladesh Emergency Welfare Appeal. In recognition, he was postumously awarded the Government of Bangladesh's Independence Day Award in 1999.[11]

Personal interests
Outside of work, Khan enjoyed spending time with his family (wife Liselotte and daughter Yasmin). He enjoyed singing, poetry his favourite poet was Rabindranath Tagore. He also liked playing table tennis.

Death
Khan died of a heart attack on 27 March 1982 while on a trip in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at age 52. He was a general partner in SOM, the only engineer holding that high position at the time. His body was returned to the USA and was buried in Chicago.[12] Fazlur Khan's personal papers, the majority of which were found in his office at the time of his death, are held by the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Fazlur Khan Collection includes manuscripts, sketches, audio cassette tapes, slides and other materials regarding his work.