05/27/2026
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This week, we highlight Dr. Fazlur Rahman Khan (April 3, 1929 – March 27, 1982). Dr. Khan was a pioneering Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect widely known as the "father of tubular designs" for high-rises. Frequently called the "Einstein of structural engineering," Khan is best known for inventing the revolutionary "tube" structural systems for skyscrapers. By turning the exterior of a building into a rigid structural frame, his designs made supertall buildings significantly stronger, lighter, and more economically feasible to construct. He designed iconic landmarks like Chicago’s Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and the John Hancock Center.
Before Khan's breakthroughs, skyscrapers relied on rigid, heavy internal steel frameworks that became prohibitively expensive and inefficient as buildings scaled past 40 stories. Khan famously utilized the structural physics of a hollow bamboo stick to fundamentally change how tall structures handle lateral forces like wind and earthquakes.
Khan was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he studied engineering locally at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) before earning a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he completed two degrees and a PhD within three years. Beyond math and physics, Khan believed in deep cross-disciplinary collaboration and bridging the gap between engineers and architects. He famously stated: "The technical man must not be lost in his own technology. He must be able to appreciate life, and life is art, drama, music, and most importantly, people." He passed away from a sudden heart attack in 1982 at age 52 and is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.
