THURSDAY November 16, 2017 at HESS (Houston Engineering and Scientific Society), 5430 Westheimer, Houston 77056. Tel: 713 627 2283
6:00 pm – Social
6:30 pm – Dinner
7:00 pm – Program
Click HERE to register for this event!
High-Rise Building Systems: A shift From Structural Steel to Concrete
In 1855, when Otis introduced the modern elevator, it signaled the beginning of urban high-rise structural design as we have come to know it. These original structures in their infancy were created primarily of steel and rose to great heights in their many incarnations. However, as advances have been made in material, technology, construction techniques, computer analysis, and economics, a shift has occurred: the rise of the concrete structural frame. I will present a chronological look at the change in structural norms going from steel to concrete over the past 50 years utilizing my personal experience to highlight this change that has allowed us to reach further and further into the sky.
Presented by Dr. P.V. Banavalkar, P.E.
Principal, Vertika Structural Engineers, LLC
With over 50 years of project experience and an extensive structural background, Dr. Banavalkar is widely regarded as one of the best high-rise structural engineers of the last 40 years. He was the recipient of the prestigious 2009 Fazlur Rahman Khan Liftetime Achievement Medal from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and also received the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Steel Construction. He was named by Engineering News Record among the “Men Who Made Marks” in 1986 and 1989. His notable projects include the 73-story US Bank Tower in Los Angeles, the 62-story Fountain Place in Dallas, the 75-story JP Morgan Chase Tower in Houston and the 56-story Capella Tower in Minneapolis. As a leading expert in his field, Dr. Banavalkar has authored more than 45 publications and lectured extensively on subjects of steel and concrete structures. His experience includes design of wind, seismic and blast resistant structures. Dr. Banvalkar has also designed and participated in the development of a number of unique structural systems for high-rise buildings.
