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Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP Announces 2008 Promotions Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP (LERA) announces the appointment of a new Partner and a new Associate Partner, and the promotion of two Associates. Elias S. Matar, P.E. has been named Partner and Nayan B. Trivedi has been named Associate Partner. Seung-Je Lee and Jason B. Stone have been named Associate. LERA’s newest Partner, Elias Matar joined the firm in 1990. Currently, he is in charge of the design of a new tower in Paris, France and a new convention center and hotel in Albany, NY. Mr. Matar is also responsible for several projects in New York City including a 23-story residential building at 315 East 46th Street, a 24-story residential building at 250 East 49th Street and a new Courthouse in Staten Island. Mr. Matar was LERA’s Project Manager for the award-winning 36-story Espirito Santo Plaza tower in Miami. An Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture at Columbia University, Mr. Matar holds a Bachelor of Science with Distinction, a Master of Engineering and an MBA from Cornell University. In 1993, he was awarded the World Trade Center Medal for Individual Acts of Valor in recognition of his efforts in the aftermath of the World Trade Center bombing. Nayan B. Trivedi, P.E. joined LERA in 2000. Selected by Building Design and Construction Magazine in their 2007 40-under-40 Superstar Competition, Mr. Trivedi is currently LERA’s project manager for the Oberoi Skyz project, a 60-story residential tower in Mumbai, India. He is also project manager for the Canal Point Hotel Tower, a 442 m tall tower in Dubai, a 50 story residential tower in Moscow, Russia, and the Financial Tower of Ho Chi Minh City, a 70-story office building located in Viet Nam. Prior to joining LERA, Mr. Trivedi was employed as a structural engineer in Saudi Arabia and India from 1995 to 2000. A member of the Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects, Mr. Trivedi served as its Vice President in 2006. He also served as a Chairperson in 2005-2006 for ASCE Met Section Structures Group. Seung-Je Lee, P.E. was promoted to Associate. A graduate of Stanford University, Mr. Lee is currently managing the design of two residential towers in Manhattan and two elementary schools in Passaic, NJ. With LERA since 2001, Mr. Lee is also involved in the design of several of the firm’s overseas projects including Esentai Tower Residential Complex and JW Marriott Hotel in Almaty, Kazakhstan; Oberoi Spas Residential Tower in Mumbai, India; Canal Point, a 1.7 million-sf (155,000-sm) hotel and residential tower in the United Arab Emirates; and Mabarak Center in Lahore, Pakistan. With LERA since 2002, Jason B. Stone, P.E. was promoted to Associate. Mr. Stone is currently managing the Cooper Square Hotel and the construction phase of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Expansion Project, both in Manhattan. He has also been involved in some of the firm’s major projects including: the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK; the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar; and the Shanghai World Financial Center in China. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mr. Stone earned an M.S. in Structural Engineering from Stanford University. Mr. Stone participated as a mentor in the New York City Chapter ACE (Architecture Construction Engineering) Mentor Program aimed at attracting high school students to the Engineering Profession. Museum of Islamic Art Wins CIB Award The Concrete Industry Board of New York selected The Museum of Islamic Art for an Award of Merit at its 46th Annual Roger H. Corbetta Awards dinner held at the Marina del Rey in the Bronx on November 13, 2007. Designed by architect I.M. Pei and structural engineer, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P. (LERA), the museum is the centerpiece of Qatar’s strategy to become a tourist destination of choice and a center of learning in the Middle East. The CIB Awards jury selected the project for the exquisite beauty achieved using Architecturally Exposed Concrete (AEC). The jury stated: “The purity of the architectural concrete in the atrium belies the complexity of the design and the careful attention to detail and coordination required during both design and execution. This was truly a team effort with all participants putting their best effort forward.” The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Quatar is located at one end of Doha Bay on a man-made island. The prominent location provides a stunning environment to showcase the Museum’s extensive store of treasures from across the Islamic world. The construction of the island posed a number of challenges. The island was to be built in the corrosive salt waters of the Arabian Gulf; it had to provide safe adequate foundations for the Museum. Additionally, the stone clad walls needed to emerge vertically out of the water with very tight tolerances on the stone mounting. The solution was the use of precast pre-stressed concrete sheet piles to form the island walls. The Museum also makes extensive use of reinforced concrete. The concrete work covers the whole spectrum of concrete construction, including pre-cast pre-stressed concrete sheet piles, auger cast-piles, pile caps, two-way pressure slabs, columns, shear walls, flat slabs, beam and slab, spanning transfer walls, post-tensioned concrete, as well as feature elements such as the architecturally exposed concrete domed slabs, the atrium incline/tapered walls, and the architecturally exposed concrete grand stair. LERA’s structural design required very careful detailing and design to control and minimize cracking in the concrete. The Museum represents a new standard for construction in Qatar as evidenced in the seamless integration of structure and architecture. Certain to become the cultural center envisioned by the Qatari Ministry of Municipal Affairs, as well as a must-see destination for visitors to the Middle East, the building’s complexity required an imaginative structural design to accommodate the architect’s dramatic vision. Shanghai World Financial Center Tops Out Shanghai – A topping out ceremony for Shanghai’s tallest building was held 14 September 2007. Designed by architect Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) and structural engineer Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP (LERA), the 101-story, 492-metre tower Shanghai World Financial Center is the world’s third tallest building, and the tallest in China. Developer is Mori Building Company of Japan. When complete, the Shanghai World Financial Center will house 70 floors of office space designed to accommodate 12,000 people, with a hotel, restaurants, conference centers, trading, museum and retail malls. The most distinctive design feature is the geometric shape of the tower. The observation deck on the 100th floor, 472-meters up, will be the world’s highest public observation platform. Designers of iconic high-rise buildings worldwide, LERA designed a light and efficient structural system involving a diagonal-braced frame with outrigger trusses. Originally begun in 1993, the initial design (completed by others) was for a lower (460 m) and smaller building. In 1997 LERA was retained to provide an alternative structural design for the contractor of that original design. The piling for the original building was constructed in 1995, but construction halted because of the economic crisis in Asia. When the project resumed in 2000, the Mori Building Company decided they wanted a taller and bigger tower and the design grew to 1,614-ft (492 m). LERA was brought on board in 2001 to develop a structural design that would support a taller building, still using the existing piling -- something many said could not be done. LERA’s innovative structural design made use of the existing pilings and resulted in a 7% increase in height. Despite the fact that the proposed taller building would have about 15% more floor area, the new structural system, designed by LERA, reduced the weight of the building by more than 10%. This was accomplished by reducing the weight of the structural steel and volume of concrete through an innovative, more efficient structure, yet providing enhanced robustness and redundancy in the structural system. Pioneers in wind engineering, LERA was able to present and obtain from Shanghai building authorities reductions in the code-stipulated wind speeds to more rational, realistic wind speeds. This resulted in significant reductions in the wind loads and in the cost of the project. LERA’s more robust and redundant structural system, was designed for earthquakes with a 2000-year return period and typhoon winds with a 200-year return period. KPF’s iconic design and programmatic configuration of the Shanghai World Financial Center will support the building’s role as a major Asian landmark and a symbol of redevelopment in Shanghai. The diverse and dynamic mixed-use development will incorporate facilities that not only support Liujiazui’s current activities as a business district, but also create a sense of vitality and activity after working hours. The uniqueness of the Shanghai World Financial Center will establish it as a powerful new icon for the City of Shanghai. Leslie E. Robertson Made Fellow of Engineers Ireland Leslie E. Robertson was invited to become a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. Mr. Robertson traveled to Ireland where he lectured on his life, work and many of his renowned structures famous for their economic, imaginative and responsible solutions to engineering problems including the Twin Towers, New York; Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong; The Miho Museum Bridge, Shingraki, Japan; and the Shanghai World Financial Centre, China. Mr.Robertson also met with the young engineers of the future when he addressed a younger audience on February 20th as part of the Engineers Ireland Engineered! A Week of Wonder at the University of Limerick. With over 22,000 members, Engineers Ireland is the country's largest professional body. Engineers Ireland is the operating name of The Institution of Engineers of Ireland, which was founded on the 6th August 1835 and recently celebrated its 170th anniversary. Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P. Announces Staff Promotions Promoted to Senior Associate: Wing-Pin (Winnie) Kwan, Ph.D., P.E. (CA) Onur Güleç, P.E. Adrian G. Parkinson, P.E. A native of Hong Kong, Wing-Pin (Winnie) Kwan joined LERA in 2000. Currently, she is LERA’s Project Manager for the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC, designed by Pei Cobb Freed and Partners and for Esentai Tower, Kazkommertzbank, and JW Marriott Residences of Esentai Park, part of a development in Almaty Kazakhstan, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill. She was Assistant Project Manager for the 1,614-feet (492-meter) Shanghai World Financial Center designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Winnie holds a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. She attended Princeton University for her undergraduate studies, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, with Highest Honors. Hailing from Turkey, Onur Güleç holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Bogazici University, Istanbul. Onur also earned a Certificate in International Business and Finance from New York University in 2002. Currently Onur is LERA’s project manager for the 70-story Bitexcoland Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, designed by Wood & Zapata. He was LERA’s project manager for the award-winning William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK, designed by Polshek Partnership. He co-authored “Commanding Presence – William J. Clinton Presidential Center published in Civil Engineering Magazine. With LERA since 2000, Adrian Parkinson is currently working on the design of World Trade Center Tower 4, with architect Maki and Associates. Adrian also participated in the Javits Convention Center Renovation and Expansion with the Richard Rogers Partnership and the design of two restaurant attractions including Stephen Starr’s Morimoto restaurant with Tadao Ando Architects. He was also LERA’s Project Manager for the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, which received an ACEC Engineering Excellence Award in 2005. Adrian holds a Master of Science degree from the University of California at Berkeley in Structural Engineering with an emphasis in Earthquake Engineering. He received dual undergraduate degrees from the University of California at Davis in Civil Engineering and Studio Art. Promoted to Associate Murat Baykal, P.E. Matthew D. Melrose, P.E. (CA) A native of Turkey and a graduate of the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Murat Baykal joined LERA in 2005. Murat earned his Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. He is currently one of LERA’s project managers for the Zayed Center in Lahore, Pakistan. He participated in the design of the new 620,000-sf academic building at John Jay College in New York City. Skidmore Owings and Merrill is the architect. He also worked with SOM on a peer review of the Freedom Tower, the centerpiece building of the new World Trade Center complex currently planned for Lower Manhattan. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). Matthew D. Melrose holds an M.S.degree in Structural Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Biological and Environmental Engineering (magna cum laude) from Cornell University. With LERA since 2002, Matt has worked on projects both nationally and internationally. Currently Matt is project engineer on the Jacob Javits Center expansion being designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership LTD. Matt was project engineer for I.M. Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar; Tate Snyder Kimsey’s Satellite D Expansion at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas; and Polshek Partnership’s addition to the New York Hall of Science in Flushing, Queens, NY. Most recently, Matt was LERA’s site engineer for the Newseum, another Polshek Partnership project on the last developable site on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. Promoted to Marketing Director Kinshasa Peterson Kinshasa Peterson began working with LERA on a freelance basis in 2002 and joined the firm as Marketing Manager the following year. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College with an emphasis in anthropology, Kinshasa is responsible for directing LERA’s overall marketing effort. Her strong interest in global development has facilitated the firm’s worldwide marketing efforts. Kinshasa also works to further the firm’s efforts in sustainable design as a member of LERA’s Green Team. SawTeen See Receives 2006 Asian Women In Business Leadership Award SawTeen See, LERA’s Managing Partner, was recognized for her entrepreneurial and leadership accomplishments at AWIB's Eleventh Annual Awards Dinner held Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at the Hilton New York. Over 650 supporters of Asian Women In Business attended the dinner to toast the accomplishments of Asian women as entrepreneurs and corporate leaders Ms. See was selected for the award based on her demonstrated leadership qualities and her skillful management of a growing international consulting engineering practice. She embraced and advanced her firm’s mission to design structures that are innovative, contain high craftsmanship, and are both constructible and economical. Francis Lombardi, Chief Engineer at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey provided Ms. See’s introduction at the Awards Ceremony. The emcee for the event was Vivian Lee, WNBC, News Channel 4. Leslie E. Robertson Elected to ASCE Honorary Membership On October 20, 2006, Leslie E. Robertson was elected to the grade of Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, (ASCE), at their National Conference. Honorary Membership is the highest honor that ASCE can bestow on an individual member. Since 1853 only 555 individuals have been elected to this distinguished grade of membership. The ASCE Citation reads: “Leslie E. Robertson, P.E., S.E., NAE is recognized for his pioneering innovations in the design of skyscrapers, domes, bridges and long-span roofs that have transformed engineering theory into practical technological breakthroughs, freeing architects and engineers to construct the stuff of dreams.” Mr. Robertson joins his wife, SawTeen See who was elected to Honorary Membership in 2004. The pair is the first husband-wife team to be so honored. Mr. Robertson and Ms. See have collaborated on numerous projects and worked together on the Shanghai World Financial Center, which will extend to a height of 492 meters (1614 feet) when completed. SawTeen See Featured in Book on Women Engineers SawTeen See was among a select group of engineers profiled in "Changing Our World: True Stories of Women Engineers". Published by the ASCE as part of the Extraordinary Women Engineers Project (EWEP), the book was launched in February as part of Engineers Week 2006. Through its real-life stories, the book will serve as a fresh perspective on engineering for young women and their parents. The project hopes to inspire young women to enter the engineering field and to develop a new generation of role models. For more information about the book, please go to: http://www.engineeringwomen.org/stories.html Clinton Presidential Center Wins Engineering Excellence Award The Clinton Presidential Center encompasses the vision of President Clinton and captures the imagination of the millions of visitors who pass through its doors or linger in its gardens. Polshek Partnership Architects developed the integrated architectural and site design which transformed a former industrial site of old warehouses and undeveloped open space to create the presidential complex. Reminiscent of the nearby train trestles, the Museum Building’s 5-story steel structure, measuring 420 ft long x 46 ft wide, is supported by a pair of 37 ft deep trusses. The trusses, which cantilever 90 ft at each end of the building, are supported at three locations with a maximum clear span of 150 ft between supports. In addition to the trusses of the Museum Building, the project features a number of exposed structures including Monumental Interior Stairs, the Perforated Metal Exterior Stair, the Executive Level Sunscreen, and the Entrance Canopy. Each required a tight integration with architectural systems and each share a common design philosophy. The structures are designed to be efficient, minimal and honest and represent an effort on the part of the design team to reduce the structure to its essential elements. In so doing, the structure contributed to the project’s LEED Silver Rating. LERA received an ACEC New York 2006 Engineering Excellence Award for the project. SawTeen See named Fellow by NYAS SawTeen See was awarded the distinction of Fellow by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) in September 2005. One of the highest honors bestowed by the NYAS, Fellows are nominated from within the organization’s worldwide membership by Academy peers. This year, twelve individuals were selected out of 23,000 possible candidates. Ms. See was the sole engineer among the 2005 honorees. The National Constitution Center wins 2005 Engineering Excellence Award The National Constitution Center, established to promote greater public understanding of the Constitution of the United States of America, is a museum of complex geometries articulated in limestone, granite, glass and structural steel. Henry N. Cobb, Senior Partner of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners developed an architecture requiring an elaborate frame of interconnected steel systems designed to achieve the building’s bold structural forms. The sophisticated architecture demanded an elegant and an innovative structural design. ACEC New York recognized the project with a Platinum Award for its structural engineering achievement, which centered on developing economical and buildable long span solutions and special connection details to accommodate the building’s complex geometries and vast, open spaces. Saw-Teen See was LERA’s Partner-in-Charge of the project. LERA Opens Stamford Office LERA has opened an office at Stamford’s flagship waterfront office complex, Stamford Landing. “Our growing workload in Connecticut is the primary reason for the new office,”reports LERA Partner, Richard Zottola. Our Stamford contact information is: Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P. Two Stamford Landing, 68 Southfield Avenue, Suite 290 Stamford, CT 06902 Tel: (203) 487 2600 Fax: (203) 969 7484 Currently working on the Stamford 9th Grade Center and Stamford Hospital’s Darien Imaging Center, LERA decided that Stamford was the ideal location for its Connecticut operation. “We had been contemplating an office in the state for sometime to better serve our growing client base there,” states Benjamin Cornelius, LERA’s Senior Associate in charge of the new branch office. Pam Loeffelman, Principal of Perkins Eastman Architects’ Stamford office, said, “We are delighted that LERA is locating here. We’ve enjoyed working with them on several projects. The Stamford 9th grade addition is a complex buildover project. LERA’s structural solutions were responsive to our architectural design and sensitive to the school’s need to keep the building operational throughout the project.” Established in 1923, LERA worked with Pei Cobb Freed & Partners on the Pitney Bowes Corporate Center in Stamford in the early ‘80’s. LERA provided structural engineering services for the award-winning Choate Rosemary Hall Science Center in Wallingford, CT, also with Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. SawTeen See Elected Honorary Member of ASCE On October 23rd, 2004, SawTeen See, P.E., Managing Partner of Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P. was elected to the grade of Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the highest honor that ASCE can bestow on an individual member. Over ASCE’s entire history of 152 years, only 522 persons, less than 0.01% of the membership, have been so recognized. The citation reads: "Ms. See was selected for her innovative contributions to the field of structural engineering through the design of many of the world’s signature buildings and for her leadership as Managing Partner of one of the premier structural engineering firms in the world. Ms. See has embraced and advanced LERA’s mission to design structures that are innovative, of high craftsmanship, and which are both constructible and economical. Through publications, symposia, and conferences, on these and other projects, Ms. See has been a prolific and generous contributor to the profession of structural engineering." Leslie E. Robertson Honored by The Institution of Structural Engineers and the Council on Tall Buildings Leslie E. Robertson was awarded the Institution Gold Medal by the Institution of Structural Engineers, United Kingdom. The citation states that Mr. Robertson was selected "for his unique contributions to structural engineering. Mr. Robertson is being recognized as one of the world's leading designers of tall buildings, including the World Trade Center and the Shanghai World Financial Center." The Institution Gold Medal is the highest honor that the Institution can accord, and has been awarded only 36 times since its inception in 1922. The award ceremony took place in London on November 10, 2004. Mr. Robertson was presented with the Fazlur Rahman Khan Medal for his leadership in the structural design of tall buildings. "His close collaboration with countless architects and engineers has led to the advancement of tall building technology, creating some of the most memorable buildings in the world. In addition, his leadership in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat helped promote the benefits of interdisciplinary interaction resulting in more efficient yet beautiful buildings". The award was presented at the Council's Third Annual Awards Dinner, on November 17 at the Illinois Institute of Technology's S. R. Crown Hall in Chicago. Espirito Santo Plaza wins ACEC New York Engineering Excellence Award Espirito Santo Plaza, the newest addition to the Miami skyline, is a sparkling 37-story tower. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P. were charged with creating an iconic design to meet the Owner’s goals of creating a global landmark structure that will define Miami and represent Group Espirito Santo in the United States. William J. Faschan, P.E. was LERA’s Partner-in-Charge of the project. Because the office, hotel and residential floors each required different column layouts, LERA designed a complex column transfer system to accommodate the building’s three occupancies. Concrete outriggers were designed to increase the lateral stiffness of the tower and resist Miami’s hurricane force winds. The front façade of the tower, with its sloping face and graceful parabolic arch will likely become a well-known feature of the Miami skyline. The geometry of the tower is created by the intersection of the vertical concave surface inside the arch with the inclined plan around it. The project was honored with an ACEC New York Chapter Engineering Excellence Award