|
The "Famous Engineers" Series
|
|
| |
|
"The
Einstein of Structural Engineering" |
| |
|
Completion of the Eiffel Tower in
1898 was the catalyst for a skyscraper race in the early 20th
century. A number of skyscrapers were built in the U.S.
in the first half of the century, most notably the Empire
State Building in New York. However, by 1960, buildings
taller than 30 stories were still the exception, not the rule. |
| |
|
The technology was proven, so why
were no high rises being built? Quite simply, they were
too expensive. Higher wind loads for taller buildings
required more structural steel. As a result, skyscrapers
cost much more to build per square foot of rentable floor
space than shorter buildings. |
| |
|
As a result of the post-WWII baby boom, central
business districts in a number of U.S. cities were quickly running
out of space by the early 1960's. Building developers could
no longer expand laterally - they needed to build towards the sky.
But, constructing taller buildings was not commercially feasible. |
|
|
|
It was at this critical time in the development of
our nation's cities that an "out of the box" engineering solution
was needed. The massive, clunky designs of the past would
need to be dramatically improved. But, could high rises ever
be made to be economical? And who was willing to tackle this
enormous technical challenge? |
|
|
|
One brilliant young engineer was
undeterred by the mindset and technological difficulties that
hindered tall building design in the 1960's. In the early
1960's, he designed the 43-story DeWitt-Chestnut Apartments in
Chicago using a revolutionary framed-tube structure.
|
|
|
|
He improved on his design
by developing the "trussed-tube" structural system for the
100-story John Hancock Center in Chicago. A few years later,
in 1973, he introduced the groundbreaking "bundled tube"
design for the 110-story Sears Tower, which was the tallest
building in the world at the time. Modern skyscrapers today
are still constructed using his tube-unit designs, based on
fundamental structural engineering principles. |
|
|
|
He is referred to as the "Einstein
of Structural Engineering". Who was this brilliant
engineer?
read more |
|
|
 |
|
Find Answers to Your Questions |
|
|
There's never a fee to access PDHengineer courses. |
| |
| 6/30 |
|
|
| |
|
|
| NH |
30 PDH |
Based on Engineer's Birthdate |
| NY |
36 PDH |
Based on Engineer's Birthdate |
| OK |
30 PDH |
Based on Date of Licensure |
| SD |
30 PDH |
Based on Date of Licensure |
| TN |
24 PDH |
Based on Date of Licensure |
| |
|
Check Your State's Requirements |
| |
|
|
PDHengineer News and
Discounts |
| |
 20%
Discount - Expires 7/31/06 |
| |
|
|
Engineer Humor |
| |
|
During
the heat of the space race in the 1960's, NASA decided it needed a ball point
pen to write in the zero gravity confines of its space capsules.
|
|
After considerable research and development, NASA engineers
developed the Astronaut Pen at a cost of $1 million. The pen
worked and also enjoyed some modest success....
read more |
| |
|
|
