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Leslie E. Robertson Receives the International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering, IABSE The International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering underlines the importance of the work done by engineers. It is conferred for outstanding contributions in the field of structural engineering, with special reference to their usefulness to society. The 2011 International Award of Merit will be conferred to Leslie E. Robertson, USA, whose work in the realm of tall buildings is unsurpassed. A global innovator, his theories and work on skyscrapers, museums, bridges, and long-span roofs, provide practical technological breakthroughs which transformed architects' and developers' dreams into buildable concepts. Shown in his concern for beauty, culture, technical innovation and the environment he recieves the award "for forging the future of structural engineering through inspirational designs which render architectural dreams into reality." Leslie E. Robertson Associates Announces 2011 Promotions Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP (LERA) announces the appointment of six new associates, Jeffrey Chan, Sangho Han, Patrick Hopple, Antonio Rodriguez, Hiroshi Shirako, and Jae Ik Song. Jeffrey Y. Chan, P.E. joined LERA in 2005. Mr. Chan was recently involved in the design of several academic facilities, including Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY, and an Advanced Science Research Center, both part of the CUNY system . He is currently working on World One Tower, a mixed-use development in Mumbai, India. Mr. Chan has also participated in the design of World Trade Center-Tower 4, and an addition to the New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY. Mr. Chan earned his Masters in Civil Engineering from Cornell University, where he also completed his undergraduate studies. Sangho Han, P.E. (US & Korea), LEED AP joined LERA in 2006. Mr. Han is currently Project Manager for the design of Sky Forest Residential Towers in Mumbai, India. Other projects include work on Tower 4 at the World Trade Center site in New York, the Butler College Dormitories at Princeton University, a 555 meter Lotte Jamsil Super Tower in Seoul, Korea, and peer reviews for the Busan Lotte Tower, also in Korea, and 1 World Trade Center, Freedom Tower in New York. Mr. Han earned his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois and holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. Prior to joining LERA, Mr. Han was employed as a structural engineer in Korea from 1997 to 2002. Patrick L Hopple, P.E. joined LERA in 2006. Patrick has been working on several projects, including a new facility at Columbia University Medical Center, a new school of Public health at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, NY, and a new courthouse on Staten Island. Recently completed projects include the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, PA, an edible schoolyard at P.S. 216 in Brooklyn, and a new Gateway Building at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. Mr. Hopple holds a Master of Architectural Engineering from Penn State University, where he completed both graduate and undergraduate studies. Antonio Rodriguez, P.E. joined LERA in 2006. Antonio has been involved in several academic and cultural facilities, including the 70,000-sf new Gateway Center at Westchester Community College, the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, PA, and most recently the Broad Art Museum in Los Angeles. Additionally, Antonio has contributed to the design of multiple project renovations, including the Union Square North Pavilion, Hudson Park and Boulevard, and the New York Historical Society. Mr. Rodriguez earned a Postgraduate Degree in Advanced Structural Design and Analysis and a Master in Numerical Methods for Engineering Design from the Universitat Politecnica De Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Universidat Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela. Hiroshi Shirako, P.E. joined LERA in 2005. Mr. Shirako has served as project manager on several recently completed projects including a LEED Platinum maintenance facility in Battery Park City, NY, a gut renovation and addition of Ives Hall at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, as well as a new 291,000-sf school in Mott Haven, Bronx, for which he was project manager during construction. Current projects involve infrastructure upgrades on the United Nations complex and field inspection for the new World Trade Center Tower 4. Mr. Shirako earned his Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Cornell University, where he also completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering. Jae Ik Song, P.E. joined LERA in 2005. Mr. Song is currently Project Manager for Minerva Tower, Oberoi Prisma Office Tower and Oberoi Garden City Phase 2 Residential Towers in India. Outside of India, Mr. Song was involved in the design of the Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a 68-story office tower which recently opened this year, as well as contributing to the design of Tower 4 at the World Trade Center in New York. Academic projects include Butler College Dormitories at Princeton University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice for the City University of New York. Mr. Song earned his Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of California in San Diego and holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Dong-A University in Busan, Korea. Bitexco Financial Tower Opens as Vietnam's Tallest Tower, October 2010 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam-- Designed by architect Carlos Zapata Studio and structural engineer- Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA), the Bitexco Financial Tower became Vietnam's tallest landmark building when it opened its doors October 31, 2010. The development consists of a 68-story office tower; with a five-story retail podium, four levels of parking below-grade, and a helipad ' with a tapered steel cantilever girder ' 50 floors up. The shape of the tower is modeled after a lotus flower bud, the national flower and an emblem of the nation's emergence into the global community of trade, business, and commerce. Standing tall and slender, the 870-ft (265-m) structure helps meet the growing demand for office space in Vietnam's largest city through the provision of 1,230,000-sf (114,000-sm) of area. LERA faced numerous structural challenges during design, including poor soil conditions, wind-induced building sway, and an unconventional building shape. Solutions included steel outrigger and belt trusses to stiffen the tower against swaying motion, the use of high strength concrete, and an intricate bored pile support mat foundation. According to Nayan Trivedi, LERA's newest Partner, and Bitexco's project manager, 'This innovative structural system, combined with the use of the highest strength concrete that could be supplied in the Vietnamese market, proved to be the most economical and constructible structural system.' Battery Park Maintenance Facility Receives LEED Platinum Rating In collaboration with Dattner Architects, this 40,000-sf (3,700-m) project consists of administrative and maintenance garage space for the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. Some program elements include the design for a high bay storage rack requiring a super flat floor, an overhead hoist system, and a double glazed wall at the entry. Sited within a high rise building designed by another architect, a centerpiece of the project is a grand atrium that allows natural light into all portions of the structure. The double-glazed exterior walkway assists in cooling the space in summer months, as well as heating the space in winter months through controlling air circulation patterns. The facility has been designed to achieve a LEED Platinum rating for Corporate Interiors. NASCAR Hall of Fame and Museum Opens May 2010 Charlotte, NC-- Designed by architect Pei Cobb Freed and Partners and structural engineer- Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA), the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Museum opened its doors to the public on May 11, 2010 in Charlotte, NC. The total construction cost was $130 million. Overall, the project scope includes the 180,000-sf Hall of Fame, a 100,000-sf ballroom expansion to the existing Charlotte Convention Center, over 1,000-space parking garage, and a 100 ft (30-m) long pedestrian bridge link, which connects Hall of Fame ballroom and the Charlotte Convention Center. Other amenities include the Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar, the High Octane Theater, and a gift shop. The NASCAR Hall of Fame and Museum is the centerpiece of a five-acre complex. Evocative of the sinuous shape of the racetrack, curved and sloped forms are motifs repeated throughout the museum. A distinctive architectural feature of the museum is its stainless steel façade, which twists in the form of a Mobius strip, which spans 153 feet, to form a unique canopy. LERA worked closely with the design-build contractor of the Ribbon to realize the Architect’s vision. The Mobius is constructed of a 4-ft diameter pipe, with pairs of W-shape cantilevers radiating from the pipe, each pair tilting at a different angle to form the skeleton from which the stainless steel panels are attached. Another signature element is a curved ramp which banks from a flat surface to 33 degrees, the maximum allowed in NASCAR, as visitors take in a series of exhibits. “The thoughtful use of appropriate structural systems and materials is instrumental to the success of this complex project,” said SawTeen See, LERA’s Partner-in-Charge. Winnie Kwan, LERA’s Project Manager, spent some time at the site assisting the construction manager, Turner/BEK, and the contractors with field issues. “The fast-track schedule required our issuing structural engineering documents in advance of the other design team members.” Founded in 1923, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP is an 85-person engineering organization operating on a national and an international scale. We provide design services for the entire spectrum of building types including: office, retail, mixed-use, hotel, residential, educational, institutional, aviation, sports and entertainment facilities, laboratories/research facilities, museums, cultural facilities, and other specialty structures. Sara Delano Roosevelt House Wins Preservation Award LERA teamed with Ennead Architects in the restoration of this 20,000-sf (1,900-sm), six-story high, building which was donated to CUNY Hunter College in 1942 by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. This complete gut renovation included an expansion and a major redistribution of the vertical load carrying system to accommodate a new auditorium. Some columns were relocated, some were transferred and some were simply eliminated, all to create the desired column free space in the auditorium. The project also included significant replacement of water-damaged floor framing and a variety of ADA compliant features. This project was awarded the Lucy G. Moses Preservation by the New York Landmarks Conservancy on April 21, 2010. The award recognizes team efforts to preserve the beauty and utility of this New York structure, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We have renovated the facility to accommodate Hunter College's new Public Policy Institute, which contains state-of-the-art academic conference and lecture uses. Leslie E. Robertson Associates Announces 2010 Promotions Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP (LERA) announces the appointment of a new Partner, three new Senior Associates, and two new Associates. Nayan B. Trivedi has been named Partner, and Seokkwon Jang, Hari S. Nair, and Matthew D. Melrose, have been named Senior Associates. Hugh D. Kelly was promoted to Associate. LERA’s newest Partner, Nayan B. Trivedi, P.E. joined LERA in 2000, was advanced to Senior Associate in 2006, and Associate Partner in 2008. Mr. Trivedi has been integrally involved in the firm’s client relations in South Asia, spearheading the opening of the firm’s Mumbai office. In India, Mr. Trivedi is managing the structural design of a range of projects including the Hyderabad Office Tower and the 60-story Oberoi Skyz Residences. Other projects Mr. Trivedi has managed include the 68-story Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the 442meter Canal Point Hotel in Dubai. Mr. Trivedi has served as 2005-06 Chairperson of the ASCE Metropolitan Section Structures Group and the Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects (SIAEA), for which he was 2008 Vice President. Mr. Trivedi was recipient of the 2009 SIAEA Achievement Award and was recognized by Building Design and Construction Magazine in their 2007 40-under-40 Competition. Mr. Trivedi holds a Master of Engineering (Structural) from Gujarat University in India and earned his Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from North Gujarat University. Seokkwon Jang, Ph.D., P.E. joined LERA in 2004 and was named Associate in 2009. Mr. Jang is currently Project Manager for the design of prototypical building studies for super-high rise structures in his home country of Korea. He has also served as project manager for an addition to the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University and the Hanoi Marriott Hotel in Vietnam. Recently, Mr. Jang had worked on the design of the Hyderabad Office Tower in India, the Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and World Trade Center Tower 4 in New York, and had performed security enhancements for government facilities in the Northeastern United States. Mr. Jang holds a Doctoral degree in Structural engineering from Lehigh University, and earned his Master of Science from the University of Minnesota. His Bachelor level studies were completed at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea. Matthew D. Melrose, P.E. joined LERA in 2002, and was named Associate in 2007. Mr. Melrose is currently involved in the design of the Staten Island Courthouse in New York and served as surveillance engineer for the Newseum in Washington, DC. He has contributed to the design of other structures including the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Expansion in New York and Public Farm One, an innovative, sustainable structure on view at the MoMA/P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in 2008. Presently, Mr. Melrose is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture at Columbia University. He holds a Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological and Environmental Engineering, with distinction, from Cornell University. Hari S. Nair, P.E. first joined our firm in 2001, and relocated to Dubai in 2004. In 2009, he rejoined LERA as the Manager of our Mumbai office. Currently, Mr. Nair is managing the design of several residential projects in Mumbai, including a Mixed-Use Development for the Lodha Group. While with LERA’s New York office, Mr. Nair was project manager for the Buffalo Life Sciences Complex in New York and the Bentonville Plaza in Arkansas. He has also been involved in the design of structures including the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Arkansas; a Capital Master Plan for the United Nations; the 47 East 91st Street Residences in New York City; the Baseball Hall of Fame Renovation in Cooperstown, NY; and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Visitor Center in Nevada. A native of India, Mr. Nair holds a Master of Engineering from the University of Florida and a Master in Computer Aided Structural Analysis from Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, India. His Bachelor level studies were completed at South Gujarat University in Surat, India. Hugh D. Kelly, P.E. joined LERA in 2005. Mr. Kelly was recently involved in the design of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, in Charlotte, NC. Mr. Kelly has also participated in the design of the Butler College Dormitories at Princeton University, New York’s Cooper Square Hotel, and a peer review of the Parc1 Mixed Use Development in Seoul, Korea. Mr. Kelly earned his Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Princeton University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Bucknell University.