A giant among skyscraper engineers- Dr Fazlur Rahman Khan
by Abdullah Talukder
 | Who has heard of Fazlur Rahman Khan? Most people probably would never have heard of him, but to the Construction Engineer he is a giant in the field of Skyscraper Construction Industry.
He is so well commemorated that in 1971 he was voted the Construction Engineer of the year and since that time he was cited five times by Engineering News-Record as among those who served the best interests of the construction industry. He has won many awards and in 1998 he even had a street in Chicago (USA) named after him.It was through his vision that the basis of the Skyscraper Construction came into being. In 1974, he was responsible for having the tallest building in the world built at that time – The Sears Tower (now Willis Tower). He was a Muslim whose ancestors were from Bangladesh. |
Dr Fazlur Rahman was born in 1929 and died at the age of 52. Although he died relatively young, he left behind a great legacy in the Construction Industry, and he was also well decorated during his life. He was known as the Einstein of Structural Engineering, to the extent that all known tall buildings employ his innovative techniques of building tall structures using tubular technology. His work being noticed by the Saudis then extended to a requisition for the provision of architect services for the Hajj Terminal in Saudi Arabia, and more recently Barack Obama mentioned F.R. Khan’s achievement in a speech to a public audience.
So what is the history of this individual?
Fazlur Khan was born in British India, in present day Bangladesh. He studied at BUET, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology and later moved to the US in 1952 after receiving the Fullbright Scholarship. Once in the United States, Khan achieved three degrees in only three years from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana — a master’s in structural engineering, a master’s in theoretical applied mechanics, and a Ph.D. in structural engineering.
His technical contribution
Khan was employed as an engineer for a US firm, he brought about a new innovative technique that used the outside of the building as the support structure. Variations on the tube design include the “framed tube,” the “trussed tube,” and the “bundled tube.” Tube construction not only led to safe construction at new heights, but also allowed tall buildings to escape the traditional box-like structures that previous methods dictated. Trussed-tube construction and X-bracing also made buildings more efficient. This technique, employed in construction of the John Hancock Center, used only 145 kilograms of steel per square meter, whereas the Empire State Building required 206 kilograms of steel per square meter.
His concept revolutionized tall building construction. Most buildings over 40-storeys constructed since the 1960s now use a tube design derived from Khan’s structural engineering principles.
In the 1960s, the tallest building in the world was the Empire State Building, a massive 102-story steel-frame structure. This building was topped in 1972 with completion of the north tower of the World Trade Center — not one of Khan’s designs, but one that used his tube-frame construction technique to reach 1,368 feet. Just two years later, in 1974, Khan’s company constructed Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) which topped the height of the World Trade Center. This 1,451-foot-tall structure is to this day the tallest building in the United States, and the fifth tallest structure in the world.
Khan also designed several notable structures that are not skyscrapers. Examples include the Hajj terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport, completed in 1981, which consists of tent-like roofs that are folded up when not in use. The terminal’s structure has been made to adapt to the harsh desert conditions. The tent-like tensile structures advanced the theory and technology of fabric as a structural material and led the way to its use for other types of terminals and large spaces. The King Abdulaziz International Airport received several awards, including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, which described it as an “outstanding contribution to architecture for Muslims”
Khan also designed the King Abdulaziz University, the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. His techniques influenced the World Trade Center, Petronas Towers, Jin Mao Building, and most other supertall skyscrapers since the 1960s.
So what can we learn from Dr Fazlur Rahman Khan?
One of the things we can learn from his example is that Muslims can perform well and achieve the highest levels of achievements, no matter, which country we happen to be from. We can also learn that to excel in a field and being the best is what muslims should be aiming for.
So next time you go on hajj and see the hajj terminal, or see a very tall building, think of Dr Fazlur Rahman Khan – a giant among skyscraper engineers.
| Dr Fazlur Rahman Khan (1929 – 1982)
|
