Engineering Architecture: The Vision of Fazlur R. Khan [Hardcover]

Yasmin Sabina Khan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2004

The structural engineer responsible for Chicago's John Hancock Center and Sears Tower, Fazlur R. Khan (1929-1982) pioneered structural systems for high-rise design that broadened the palette of building forms and expressions available to design professionals today.

Through detailed examination of projects at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, this study of Khan's career provides insight into architectural and engineering practice. 200 illus.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fazlur R. Khan is one of the most influential structural engineers of the 20th century… his daughter has written an account of his achievements and laced his creative timeline with descriptions of his theories and practices. (Mia Jacobi - Desert Living )

Seldom is the life and work of a designer described so abundantly as in this book about Fazlur Kahn (1929-1982). Written by his daughter, Yasmin, who has earned her own record as designer, this book is very personable story of a driven technician with a deep love of his profession... [R]eads like a novel. (Bouwen met Stall )

[A] moving tribute to an important figure--one that would surely make him as proud of his daughter as she clearly is of him. (Civil Engineering )

Yasmin Sabina Khan has written an engaging intellectual biography of her father. . . . This lengthy book is rich with ideas relevant to historians of technology...[A]n excellent variety of illustrations... Khan’s carefully researched work contributes substantially to the literature on mid-twentieth century large-scale building. (Sharon Irish - Technology and Culture )

[W]ell presented and has materials of great interest for structural engineers. (The Structural Engineer )

In her book about her father, Yasmin Khan establishes herself in the company of the most admired science writers, for she presents complex engineering matters in such a straightforward and accessible manner that they are immediately understandable, and delightfully so, to the lay reader.  Moreover, she recounts her father's success as one of the world's most revered structural engineers as a highly readable human biography. (David M. Childs, S. O. M. )

A worthy and delightfully written tribute to a remarkable man. (Architectural Science Review )

[A] much needed book… The prose reads swiftly, the chapters are well-organized, and, most important, the stories they narrate are compelling. (Joseph Siry - Journal of Architectural Education )

A great read. Khan's daughter both understands and honors his work, and it would be difficult to find a better book about this master of modern strctures. (W. R. Hasbrouck - Prairie Avenue Bookshop Newsletter )

Here is a book that will make you proud to be a part of the design/construction community… [A]n inspiring biography. (Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities )

[A]n inspiration to the engineer as well as the architect. (Shahin Vassigh - Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians )

Among several eminent Kahns and Khans in…American construction, none better deserves a full study…[S]upplants the only previous book-length study (Construction History: Journal of the Construction History Society )

About the Author

Yasmin Sabina Khan is Fazlur Khan's daughter. She writes: In Engineering Architecture I set out to both record the significance of my father's accomplishments and shed light on the indescribable creative process by exploring how my father defined and worked through his design problems. I am sincerely pleased to hear that within his experience readers have discovered not only example but also inspiration.

I am happy about all of the encouraging reviews the book has received. They highlight my father's place in Chicago history and his role as a world leader in the design field. But the concluding words of one review, in the Journal of Architectural Education, are especially meaningful to me, as you can imagine: "[Fazlur] Khan also must have been a human being of extraordinary spiritual depth. He appears as a model of what many would like to be."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393731073
• ISBN-13: 978-0393731071
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The " How To Book" for Architects and Engineers, September 17, 2004

By 

Michael Hogan (Toronto, Canada.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engineering Architecture: The Vision of Fazlur R. Khan (Hardcover)

This is an outstanding work by an acomplished structural engineer, Yasmin Khan, about her father, Fazlur R. Khan, often cited as the father of the modern skyscpaper.

Yasmin Khan is uniquely qualified and presents very difficult structural concepts developed by her father (Sears Tower, John Hancock Center, One Shell Square, etc.) in a manner everone can understand.

This book is a must for anyone contemplating a career in Architecture or Civil Engineering.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational Read, April 7, 2010

By 

Chin-Chin Yeh (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Engineering Architecture: The Vision of Fazlur R. Khan (Hardcover)

Ms. Khan's book about her father and his work is a wonderful and inspirational read. Dr. Khan was an extraordinary person in addition to his engineering talents. Ms. Khan does a fabulous job of relaying her father's philosophies and thoughts in both engineering and life. While the book may be about engineering, Ms. Khan does an excellent job of explaining concepts so that even a lay person such as myself can easily comprehend the concepts. Dr. Khan was a much revered and loved figure in Chicago and Ms. Khan shows us why. This book will inspire you!

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account of the life of Fazlur Khan arguably the 20th century's greatest structural engineer, September 18, 2010

By 

R. Emmott (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Engineering Architecture: The Vision of Fazlur R. Khan (Hardcover)

This book provides a fascinating account of the life of Dr Fazlur Khan as written by his daughter. My interest in the book was especially the development of steel usage in tall buildings, and this is covered well although perhaps with a little too much technical language. I would imagine that other structural engineers will find the book fascinating. Those that are not will be enlightened at Khan's insights into how buildings could be made taller using new structural systems that pushed structural engineering and architecture to the limits and gave us buildings such as the John Hancock Center and Sears Tower (Now Willis Tower) in Chicago.

What also emerges is an engaging portrait of a man at the peak of his profession when he died tragically of a heart attack at the age of 52. He seems to have had an unusual intellect and focus combined with an ability to work with and get the best of people - not unlike Warren Buffet in those respects. Yet outside his profession, he remained virtually unknown since his death in 1982. Which is a shame. This book will help to maintain his legacy.