Contents
Fazlur Rahman Khan
Developing structural systems that made very tall buildings more efficient.
John Hancock Center · Sears Tower
- Born
- 3 April 1929
- Birthplace
- Dhaka, present-day Bangladesh
- Died
- 27 March 1982
More people
Fazlur Rahman Khan
Fazlur Rahman Khan was a Bangladeshi-American structural engineer whose work helped reshape the modern skyscraper.
Early life
Bengal upbringing
Grew up in what was then British India.
Engineering education
Studied in South Asia before postgraduate work at the University of Illinois.
Career
- 1950s
Chicago practice
Joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
- 1960s
Tubular structures
Developed new ways for high-rise frames to resist loads.
- 1970s–1980s
Landmark projects
Applied these systems to major towers and other structures.
Structures & projects
John Hancock Center
Used an expressive braced-tube structure.
Sears Tower
Used bundled tubes to support exceptional height.
Hajj Terminal
Helped develop a vast lightweight roof system in Jeddah.
Beyond engineering
Collaboration
Worked closely with architects, including Bruce Graham.
Bangladesh
Supported relief efforts during the country’s independence struggle.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗SOM: engineering legacy ↗Photo: Teresa Grau Ros from Barcelona. CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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