Leslie E. Robertson

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Leslie E. Robertson (born 1928) is a structural engineer who has designed hundreds of buildings around the world including the World Trade Center in New York, the Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, the United States Steel Headquarters in Pittsburgh, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, Puerta de Europa in Madrid and the Continental Airlines Arena in the New Jersey Meadowlands, as well as museums in Berlin, Portland (Maine) and Seattle, and the Miho Museum Bridge in Japan.

1 Career
2 Experience
3 Innovations
4 Projects

[edit] Career

Robertson's engineering career began in 1952, when he graduated from the Berkeley school of civil engineering. Robertson and his business partner John Skilling were the original structural engineers for the WTC Twin Towers. Later on, Robertson established his own firm, Leslie E. Robertson Associates. In the early 1960s, Roberston was a leader of a young group of structural engineers who specialized in imaginative, and daring, approaches to grand-scale construction. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, debate about the safety of his rent-space-maximized designs have engaged the profession (see Collapse of the World Trade Center) but most would agree that the design of the WTC actually withstood the impact of the plane. By withstanding the impact the building allowed many thousands get out. The downfall of the WTC was the fire. Robertson's design actually helped save many people. He does feel very sad about what happened but he had designed the buildings to withstand the biggest plane around when they were built.

[edit] Experience

1958 to Present - Leslie E. Robertson Associates
1957 to 1958 - Raymond International
1954 to 1957 - John Blume & Associates
1952 to 1954 - Kaiser Engineers

[edit] Innovations

Ceramic Decking to allow rain to fall gently on to the ground and reduce erosion.
rent-space-maximized designs. Central core with outer shell connected by spandrels and trusses
many others

[edit] Projects

[edit] Office buildings

World Trade Center, New York City, NY
Reconstruction of The World Trade Center after the Explosion of 26 Feb. 1993, New York, NY
US Steel Headquarters Building, Pittsburgh, PA
Sony Building (New York City) (formerly A T & T Corporate Headquarters) New York, NY
Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong
Espirito Santo Plaza, Miami, FL
Korean Mission, New York City, NY
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Richmond, VA
PPG Industries Corporate Headquarters, Pittsburgh, PA
Pitney Bowes Corporate Headquarters, Stamford, CT
Graha Kuningan, Jakarta, Indonesia
Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China

[edit] Mixed-use

Capital Place, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines
Harbour City retail/office/apartment complex, Hong Kong
Megaworld Place, Manila, Philippines
Pontiac Marina Hotel and Millenia Mall, Singapore
Pacific Place, Hong Kong
Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

[edit] Long span facilities

Miho Museum Bridge, Shigaraki, Japan
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California
Saitama Arena, Saitama, Japan
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, TX
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, IL

[edit] Museums and libraries

Miho Museum, Shigaraki, Japan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH
Clinton Center at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, Little Rock, AK
Portland Art Museum, Portland, ME
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
Temporary Exhibitions Building at the German Historical Museum, Berlin, Germany
The Flynt Center of Early New England Life, Deerfield, MA
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
The Latvian National Library, Riga, Latvia
National Library of France, Paris, France