Engineering architecture : the vision of Fazlur R. Khan
"Structural engineer Fazlur R. Khan (1929-1982) shaped the skyline of cities around the world with his pioneering structural systems for high-rise design. Working closely with architect Bruce J. Graham and his other partners at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Khan developed building systems in the 1960s and 1970s that form the basis for tall-building construction today: the framed tube, the bundled tube, the composite steel-concrete system - all initiated in his own design projects - and the superframe. Khan's innovations encompassed the technical and the aesthetic, ensuring architectural integrity through structural logic. His designs for the John Hancock Center and the Sears Tower (still the tallest building in the United States) in Chicago exemplify this integrity. The grace and articulate form of the Hancock Center was founded on a bold and exceptionally efficient structural system; the Sears Tower, groundbreaking in its potential for shaping architectural space, introduced Khan's bundled-tube concept for large-scale construction. His designs for long-span roof structures were similarly progressive. For the Hajj Terminal to the international airport Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Khan melded historical context with sophisticated technology to create a meaningful environment for travelers while advancing the field of tensile structure construction." "In Engineering Architecture, Yasmin Sabina Khan - Khan's daughter and herself a structural engineer - describes Khan's development of structural systems through an analysis of select building projects. Presenting new material on SOM projects, her account examines the architectural building program that guided each design and conveys the complexity of the design process, providing insight into the concerns of architectural and engineering practice."--Jacket
Print Book, English, 2004
1st ed
W.W. Norton, New York, 2004