Great Structural Engineers

7/28/2019 Great Structural Engineers

1/8

Great Structural Engineers

Engineers have always made a difference. They are the thinkers and innovators thatshape our world. Find out here about some of the greatest engineers of all time.

Ove Arup (1895 - 1988)

Sir Ove Nyquist Arup is generally considered one of the foremost engineers of thetwentieth century. Groundbreaking use of precast concrete, structural glue andcomputer analysis helped to make Arup's reputation, and that of his firm, Arup. Themulti-disciplinary company provided engineering, architectural, and other services forthe built environment.

Notable projects include the The Sydney Opera House, which Arup worked on from1957 to 1973. Before his death Arup received a Knighthood from both the British andDanish monarchy along with a plethora of industry commendations.

Sir John Fleetwood Baker (1901-1985)

Sir John Fleetwood Baker was one of the first winners of the Institution's Gold Medalaward. During the 1930s Baker carried out tests on buildings which brought a


2/8

revelation that led to Bakers life work on the development of the plastic theory of design.

During the Second World War, Baker was appointed Scientific Adviser to theMinistry of Home Security, focussing on reducing the impact of bombing of

buildings, especially industrial sites and factories. For residential homes without agarden, Baker invented an indoor air raid Morrison Shelter, named after the HomeSecretary, Herbert Morrison MP.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 - 1859)

Considered the father of modern engineering, Brunel was the son of another eminentengineer, Marc Isambard Brunel. I K Brunel was elected to the Royal Society in 1830,when he was just 24. In 1833 he became chief engineer for the Great WesternRailway.

As well as bridges, lighthouses and tunnels, Brunel designed the famous steamshipsSS Great Western (1837), SS Great Britain (1845) and SS Great Eastern (1858). Eachship was the largest in the world at the time of its launch.

Marc Brunel

French-born Marc Brunel worked on an enormous number of ingenious projects,including a suspension bridge, a series of (ultimately impracticable) compressed airengines, and the first double-acting marine steam engine. His last and greatest work,the construction of the Thames Tunnel was completed in 1843.

Gustav Eiffel (1832 - 1923)


3/8

A talented French engineer, Eiffel was most famous for his bridges and viaducts.Eiffel liked to work with new technology, especially wrought iron, designing theEiffel Tower using this material. Another notable design was the Statue of Liberty, agift from the people of France to the people of New York.

Oscar Faber (1886-1956)

Oscar Faber was the son of the Danish Commissioner of Agriculture in London. From1911 onwards, Faber was influential in the development of the use of reinforcedconcrete in the UK, at a time when many engineers were distrustful of the material.

Faber pioneered simple deflection load tests, and from them developed his theory of Plastic yield in concrete, and the resistance of reinforced concrete beams to shear.

Key projects include the bank of England, the House of Commons, including heating,ventilation and air conditioning, as well as Africa House and India House in London,and many factories. In 1992 he co-authored the book Reinforced Concrete Designwith P.G.Bowie a text which was to become a standard work. Oscar Faber wasawarded a CBE in 1951 for his work on the house of commons.

Tony Hunt (1932 - present day)


4/8

Tony Hunt is one of Britains most highly regarded structural engineers. His career,spanning six decades, has involved working with a number of prominent architectsand writing many authoritative books.

Hunt has wide experience in building structures of all types and materials but hisspeciality is in sophisticated steelwork, working closely with most of the leadingarchitects in the UK and also in France. He is first and foremost a designer and isactively involved in the design development of projects. He lectures regularly in theUK, Europe, USA and Canada, acts as jury member for competitions and is a regularbook reviewer.

His work has included a number of award winning structures including theSchlumberger Research Facility, Cambridge; Waterloo International Station, Londonand The Eden Project, Cornwall.

Fazlur Khan (1929 1982)


5/8

Khan was regarded as the Einstein of structural engineering, epitomising bothstructural engineering achievement and creative collaborative effort between engineerand architect. Khan's central innovation in skyscraper design and construction was theidea of the tube and bundled tube structural systems for tall buildings, and x-bracing.These innovations reduced loads, allowing skyscrapers such as the Sears tower inChicago to be built.

Apart from many high rise buildings, Khan planned and designed the Hajj Terminal atthe International Airport Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Airforce Academy and TheUnited Airlines Building complex.

Throughout his career Khan was presented with many honours, including the OscarFaber medal from the Institution in 1973.

Guy Maunsell (1884-1961)


6/8

Guy Maunsell was the British civil engineer responsible for the design of the

acclaimed World War II naval sea forts and army forts used in the defence of theUK's Thames and Mersey estuaries. Maunsell is best known for his innovative,practical maritime engineering which included the army seaforts. His view wasalways that the interests of the client would be best served by an integrated approachto design and construction.

In 1955 he founded the UK firm of Maunsell & Partners, a practice famed for itspioneering work using pre-stressed concrete in major bridges. The most famousexample is the Hammersmith Flyover, completed in 1961, which made revolutionaryuse of pre stressed concrete as a construction method.

Peter Rice (1935 - 1992)

Peter Rice was an Irish structural engineer who worked on a number of high profile

projects including the Centre Pompidou, the Sydney Opera House, Lloyd's of London,the Louvre Pyramid, the Mound Stand at Lord's Cricket Ground, Kansai InternationalAirport and Stansted Airport.

Rice was known for his sympathetic attitude to design, along with a strategicapproach, having a cool head and managing to realise ambitious artistic designs inconcrete.

Felix Samuely (1902 1959)


7/8

Born in Germany in 1902, Felix Samuely first came to England in 1933. He is knownas the engineer who carried out the structural analysis of the ramps, for the famousBerthold Lubetkin Penguin Pool at London Zoo, and for designing the first all-weldedsteel structure in the UK the De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill.

Before the Second World War, Samuely pioneered welded tubular steel construction.Known during the fifties as the architects engineer, Samuely engineered the famousSkylon, the iconic symbol of the 1950 Festival of Britain. He pioneered spacestructures and folded slab construction in concrete, steel and timber.

Robert Stephenson (1803 - 1859)

Robert Stephensons 'Rocket' placed the firm of Robert Stephenson & Co at theforefront of steam locomotive design. Robert Stephenson became Chief Engineer of the London and Birmingham Railway in 1833. During the 1840s he was consultantengineer on a great many railway schemes.

Stephenson was famed for the many bridges he designed, including the High LevelBridge in Newcastle upon Tyne (1849), the Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai

Straits in Wales (1850) and the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick upon Tweed (1850).


8/8

Thomas Telford (1757 - 1834)

In 1787 Telford became surveyor of public works for Shropshire. In 1790 Telfordbuilt a bridge over the River Severn at Montford, followed by a canal to link theironworks and collieries of Wrexham with Chester and Shrewsbury. This involvedbuilding the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, over the River Dee using a new method of construction consisting of troughs made from cast-iron plates and fixed in masonry.

After the completion of the Ellesmere Canal Telford moved back to Scotland to buildthe Caledonian Canal. Other works include the Menai Suspension Bridge (1819-

1826), St Katherine's Docks (1824-1828) in London and more than 1,000 miles of road, including the main road between London and Holyhead.

source: www.istructe.org

Subramanian

Great Structural Engineers

Documents

Transcript of Great Structural Engineers