The Google Doodle for Monday (3rd April 3, 2017) honored the life and legacy of Fazlur Rahman Khan, a Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect. Fazlur Rahman Khan was born in Dhaka on April 3, 1929 and was responsible for advances in the field of high-rise and large-scale design.
Khan is renowned among architectural circles as the creator of the “tube” structural system, which is used by most tall buildings to this day. He designed the Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower) and John Hancock Center in Chicago. Khan also designed the Hajj terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport and King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.
His influence can be seen in other areas of the world as well. Khan’s Structural systems enabled buildings to reach heights taller than ever before, while increasing efficiency and safety and reducing costs.
The revolutionary architect passed away in 1982 at the age of 52, but his legacy is visible in many famous skyscrapers erected since then. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong’s Bank of China Tower, Shanghai’s Jin Mao Tower and even the world’s current tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, all make use of his systems.
