Fazlur Rahman Khan: Man Behind the Skyscraper
He was called the “Einstein of Structural Engineering”
In the 1960s, engineers believed skyscrapers were approaching their practical height limits. Fazlur Rahman Khan disagreed. His revolutionary “tube” design made buildings stronger, lighter, and taller than ever before. The idea helped create Chicago icons such as the John Hancock Center and Willis Tower and went on to transform modern skylines across the globe. Today, chances are that the skyscraper you’re looking at was influenced by an idea Khan first imagined in Chicago.
Join us to learn more through an excerpt from filmmaker Laila Kazmi’s forthcoming documentary, Reaching New Heights: Fazlur Rahman Khan and the Skyscraper, followed by a conversation moderated by filmmaker Laila Kazmi with John Zils, Khan’s longtime colleague at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Dr. Mir M. Ali, an internationally recognized expert in tall buildings and structural engineering; and William F. Baker, who received the Fazlur Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and is one of the world’s leading structural engineers.
Discover the remarkable story behind the buildings that define our cities and the visionary who changed them forever.
Presented as part of Illinois Humanities’ Community Conversations initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
