Page 22 - Pakistan Link - November 19, 2021

P22 – PAKISTAN LINK – NOVEMBER 19, 2021 COMMENTARY
Book & Author

Professor Dr Mir Ali: Art of Skyscraper — The Genius of Fazlur Rahman

n By Dr Ahmed S. Khan earthquake the lower level would
Chicago, IL dissipate energy and isolate the up-
per floors from any damage…Thus
r Fazlur Rahman Khan designing the entire building to
was one of the greatest resist high earthquake forces, the
Dstructural engineers of the bottom story of building is allowed
twentieth century. His contribu- to distort with earthquake, thereby
tions and innovative approach screening out most of the forces
to tall building design and at- there. The upper part of the struc-
tention to aesthetic detail to the ture remains unaffected and be-
field have been so significant that haves as an elastic system, whereas
he has been called ``the Einstein the lower story behaves as an elasto-
of structural engineering” and plastic bilinear system…Following
“the father of modern skyscrap- an earthquake in Yugoslavia in the
ers.” For his contributions to the 1960s, he saw a few damaged build-
field, he has not only received the ings where the bottom story was ex-
highest international awards for cessively deformed. This triggered
engineering but also recognized the idea of a shock-absorbing lower-
for his architectural creativity. To story in his mind..”
honor this world-famous engineer In the process of writing the
a chair has been established in Dr book, Professor Ali interviewed a
Khan’s name at Lehigh University; number of Dr Khan’s colleagues,
the Structural Engineers Associa- friends and advisers and included
tion, Illinois, has installed a Khan their impressions about Dr Khan’s
Sculpture in Sears Tower; and the abilities. Commenting on Dr Khan’s
city of Chicago has named one of abilities, his co-adviser for gradu-
the streets in downtown Chicago engineer and professor emeritus at N.M. Newmark, and Ralph Peck… to happen, he replied, “Faz was un- ate studies, Narbey Khachaturian,
“Fazlur R. Khan Way.” Had there the University of Illinois Urbana- Khan departed for Urbana-Cham- usually brilliant, and we could make recalled: ““He (Khan) was a univer-
been a Nobel prize in engineering, Champaign, Illinois, USA. He grew paign from Dhaka, an old city in the an exception for someone like him” sal man, a man who would look at
he surely would have won it. up in a small town of Patuakhali in heart of Bangladesh (formerly East (p.24). all aspects --- social, architectural,
Dr Fazlur Rahman Khan revo- coastal Bangladesh, got his college Pakistan). He had studied engineer- Professor Ali has also included aesthetic, you name it – the entire
lutionized the construction of tall education and work experience in ing at Bengal Engineering College a number of examples of Dr Khan’s universe. Khan was also a very good
building by inventing “braced tube” Dhaka, and then travelled to Can- Calcutta, India, and moved to Dha- contribution to the field of struc- and perceptive listener. He could
and “bundled tube” structural sys- ada and the United States, where ka after the creation of East Paki- tural engineering, providing techni- grasp very quickly what you would
tems which made it possible to he earned his graduate studies and stan…It is not known how Khan cal details with relevant background tell him. He had that unusual men-
construct the 100-story John Han- gained work experience to become got admission to the University of information. The author presents a tal ability.”
cock Center and the110-Story Sears a leading structural engineer of Illinois, since it was extremely com- detailed description of Dr Khan’s Professor Mir Ali reveals that
Tower in Chicago (a building so the world; and in the process be- petitive for foreigners --- particu- “braced tube” and “bundled tube” Dr Khan was aware of the fact that
tall that it needed Federal Aviation friended Fazlur Rehman Khan and larly for those coming from a new approaches which are widely known his success was not solely due to his
Administration approval before the worked with him in Chicago on country like Pakistan…”(p.20). in the field of advanced structural own genius and expertise, but also
construction could commence). some tall building projects at Skid- The author provides an ac- analyses. The author also discusses due to the help and collaboration of
Dr Khan’s structural system inven- more, Owings & Merrill (SOM), an count of the academic brilliance of some of his contributions that are his associates, fellow architects and
tions play a fundamental role in the organization considered as a leader Dr Khan, specifically how he com- significant but not well known to engineers. In 1981, Dr Fazlur Rah-
design of modern high rise build- in the design of skyscrapers. pleted three graduate degrees in a the general public. Regarding Dr man Khan, paid tribute to his advi-
ings. His efforts were not only lim- Reflecting on the reasons that short span of three years. Professor Khan’s contributions for design- sor for his success and innovations.
ited to structural engineering but Dr Khan selected the University of Ali writes: “Khan got enough course ing building in seismic zones, the He said: “It is not always easy to pin-
also played an important role in the Illinois for pursuing graduate stud- credit by taking courses in both civil author writes: “ A further innova- point the most important reason for
form and architecture of the build- ies, Professor Ali writes: “Fazlur engineering and theoretical and tion by Khan, and something that my occasional successes in innova-
ing he worked on. Rahman Khan went to University applied mechanics simultaneously is not as well known, is his original tions…I have come to realize that
In Art of the Skyscraper: The of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in to get two master’s degrees in two concept of dissipating energy as the three years I spent at the University
Genius of Fazlur Khan, Professor 1952 to pursue graduate studies in years. He completed his Ph.D. thesis lower story of buildings in seismic of Illinois first under the advisership
Dr Mir M. Ali presents a vivid por- structural engineering. He was at- in the very short time of one year af- zones…He thought of a shock-ab- of Thomas Shedd, but more signifi-
trait of Fazlur Rahman Khan (1929- tracted to this institution because of ter that. When Siess (Khan’s adviser) sorbing soft-story concept in which cantly under the research environ-
1982). In sixteen chapters spread its reputation worldwide in the field was asked about how Khan man- “stability wall,” neoprene pads, and ment and advisership of Chester
over 240 pages, the author has done of engineering. This reputation was aged to get three graduate degrees deformable cables would be used in Siess have indeed been the most sig-
a marvelous job of telling the story due to names of renowned people in three years and how the Civil En- the lowest most level in a predeter- nificant and responsible factors in
of a highly technical man in both like Hardy Cross, Thomas Shedd, gineering Department allowed that mined fashion such that during an shaping my attitudes and approach
technical and non-technical man- to structural design” (p.20).
ners. Dr Ali covers different phases Dr Khan was far more than an
of Dr Khan’s life: from his birth in innovative structural engineer; he
Dhaka (April 3, 1929) to graduation was also a philosopher, a thinker
in Civil engineering from Univer- and a humanitarian. His designs not
sity of Dhaka (1950); from coming only reflect technical innovations,
to the University of Illinois Urbana- but also meet the local demands
Champaign for graduate studies on and cultural expectations. He paid
a scholarship (1952) to the comple- attention to the minute details of his
tion of two Master of Science de- designs. Commenting on his own
grees in Civil engineering and Theo- thinking process about design, Dr
retical and Applied Mechanics and a Khan said: “when thinking design,
Doctor of Philosophy degree in Civ- I put myself in the place of a whole
il engineering (1955); from working building, feeling every part. In my
for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill mind I visualize the stresses and
(SOM) Chicago(1955) to returning twisting a building undergoes.” Dr
to Pakistan (1957); from working Khan also made sure that his designs
as Executive Engineer with Karachi were people-friendly too, he placed
Development Authority in Pakistan people first because people were so
(1957-60) to marrying Liselotte close to his heart. In this regard,
Anna Olga Turba and returning to the author has reproduced a com-
Chicago to join SOM (1960); from ment by Engineering News-Record
working as Project Engineer, Asso- (1972): “Invariably, when Khan lec-
ciate Partner, and Partner at SOM, tures on high-rise buildings, he first
Chicago (1962-82) to teaching in goes through a brief slide-supple-
the School of Architecture, Illinois mented history of tall buildings, and
Institute of Technology (IIT), Chi- then explains the details of some of
cago (1962-82); and, from going for his innovations. Suddenly, shots of
Hajj to Mecca (1976) to his death in crowded, smog-covered Chicago
Jeddah ( March 27, 1982). and New York City appear on the
Dr Mir. M. Ali is uniquely screen. Khan then cuts to shots of
qualified to tell the story of Dr F R buildings with tree-filled, people-
Khan. He is a professional structural filled plazas. While this is going on
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