Lichtenstein Distinguished Lecture - William F. Baker

THEORY IS PRACTICAL: The Philosophy of Design

The founders of modern structural engineering created structures that were inspiring in their form and economical in their execution. While this economy was undoubtedly driven by financial pressures, it was also a result of the ideological purity of the design. Best exemplified by structures such as Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge or Paddington train shed, this structural clarity demonstrates high design skill, as complicated structural designs were simply beyond an engineer's ability to calculate. However, within the past few years, the explosion of computational power has enabled engineers to design and create structures that are extremely complex and beyond one's ability to comprehend without the aid of a computer (some are conceptually unfathomable even with a computer). Our modern analytical tools can yield a more efficient structure than one achievable through simpler means, but these same tools can also enable the creation of overly complicated structures that are financially and materially expensive. From designing bridges to designing buildings that are bridges, Bill Baker will propose a design philosophy to “bridge” the divide between design and analysis.

Speaker: William F. Baker, Partner in Charge of Structural Engineering, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP

Throughout his distinguished career, Bill has dedicated himself to structural innovation. His best known contribution is development of the buttressed core structural system for the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest man-made structure. While widely regarded for his work on super tall buildings, his expertise also extends to long-span roof structures, such as the Korean Air Lines Operations Hangar and the Virginia Beach Convention Center, as well as specialty structures like Broadgate-Exchange House and the GM Renaissance Center-North Lobby. He received the CTBUH Fazlur Rahman Khan Medal in 2008, the Fritz Leonhardt Preis award in Germany in 2009, the Gold Medal from the U.K. Institution of Structural Engineers in 2010, and the ASCE Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Lifetime Award for Design in 2011. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2011.

Host: Hojjat Adeli (phone: 614-292-7929)