LESLIE E. ROBERTSON
P.E., C.E., S.E., D.Sc., D.Eng., Hon.M.ASCE, NAE, F.ASCE, AIJ, JSCA, AGIR, Chartered Structural Engineer

Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P.

Amongst many other structures, Dr. Robertson is responsible for the structural design of the World Trade Center (New York), the United States Steel Headquarters (Pittsburgh), the Bank of China Tower (Hong Kong), and the Puerta de Europa (Madrid) as well as exceptional museums and the award-winning Miho Museum Bridge (Japan). He is an Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and has received the IStructE Gold Medal, the Gengo Matsui Prize as the outstanding Structural Engineer in the world, the AIA Institute Honor; and was recognized as ENR's Construction 'Man of the Year'. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, has been awarded four honorary doctorates, currently is teaching at Princeton University, and is Distinguished Engineering Alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley. He received ASCE’s Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Award, AISC’s J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award, Tokyo Society of Architects Honorary Fellowship and Medal, and is the first recipient of the Henry C. Turner Award and of the Fazlur Rahman Kahn Medal.

Mr. Robertson is currently working with I.M. Pei and the Pei Partnership on the Macao Science Center in Macao, China, and has completed designs for the Suzhou Museum in Suzhou, China and the Museum for Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.  He is also working with Kohn Pedersen Fox on the Shanghai World Financial Center, which will extend to a height of 492 meters (1614 feet).  Additionally, Mr. Robertson is collaborating with Dynamic Architecture of Florence, Italy to develop prototypical designs for the Rotating Tower. 

Professional Achievements

While the firm was established in 1923, Mr. Robertson began his engineering career in 1952, leading to the eventual name change for the firm to Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P., with the guiding principle of providing an imaginative and responsible approach to engineering problems.  Mr. Robertson’s groundbreaking structural designs that have influenced the design and construction of tall buildings include:

• The first high-rise building to use a composite megastructure space frame to resist all loads imposed by typhoon winds and the weight of the building (The Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong, 1989),

• The creation of mechanical damping units to reduce wind-induced swaying (World Trade Center, New York, circa 1968),

• The first use of prefabricated multiple-column and spandrel-wall panels to resist the lateral force from hurricane winds and to allow column-free interior space (World Trade Center, New York, circa 1972),

• The first use of a space-frame megastructure and outrigger or hat system for a high-rise building (the World Trade Center and the United States Steel Headquarters, Pittsburgh, Pa. – now USX, 1963/1965), and 

• The creation of the shaftwall system now almost universally used for fire-resistive walls in high-rise buildings.

Mr. Robertson has earned numerous awards and honors as well as serving on the board of several cultural and professional organizations including New York City’s Skyscraper Museum, the Architectural League of New York and the MacDowell Colony.  The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana; Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Rensselaer, NewYork, have awarded him honorary doctorate degrees in engineering, and the University of Western Ontario in Canada presented him with an honorary doctorate in science.

With his innovations in structural engineering, Mr. Robertson has set new standards in the design and construction of tall buildings.  A pioneer in the application of computers to design, he has advanced the art and the science of structural engineering theory.  Mr. Robertson's work on skyscrapers, domes, bridges and long-span roofs has transformed engineering theory into practical technological breakthroughs that free architects to build the stuff of dreams.

Responsible for the structural design and construction of three of the world’s eight tallest buildings, Mr. Robertson received the 1993 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology for his structural design of the World Trade Center that withstood the 1993 terrorist bombing.  As well, he was awarded the World Trade Center Individual Exceptional Service Medal for his work in the re-construction of the twin towers.

Mr. Robertson is a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), having been selected as the IStructE’s 2004 recipient of the Institution of Structural Engineers Gold Medal.  In 2004 he was presented with the first Fazlur Rahman Khan Medal for his leadership in the structural design of tall buildings.  He is a 2003 recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) award for lifetime contributions in design.  He was awarded the first Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology in 2002.  The prize was established by the National Building Museum and by Turner Construction Company for notable advances and high achievement in the process of construction.  The award recognized Mr. Robertson’s 50-year career as a structural designer, which has significantly advanced the engineering and construction of tall buildings around the world. 

Professional Licenses

• Structural Engineer - California

• Professional Engineer - New York.  Licensed or eligible   in all 50 states.  N.C.E.E.

• Civil Engineer - California.  Licensed or eligible in all 50 states.

• First Class Architect and Professional Engineer, Japan

• Chartered Structural Engineer, U.K.

Professional Activities

Mr. Robertson has been an active member of the professional engineering community.  He is a member of many major engineering professional societies.  His participation includes the following:

• National Academy of Engineering

• Honorary Member: American Society of Civil Engineers

• Past Chairman: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

• Cornell Engineering College Council, Emeritus

• Vice President: The Architectural League of New York

• Fellow: Singapore Structural Steel Society

• U.S. National Committee for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction

• Senior Member: International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering

• Member: Japan Structural Consultants Association

• Advisory Board Member:  The Structural Dynamics Research Centre, University of Hong Kong

• Committee on Defensive Architecture: National Research Council

• Committee on Bombing Preparedness: Japan Institute of Architects

• Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems Committee on Federal Construction Design Criteria

• Past Chairman: Wind Engineering Research Council

• Structural Engineers Association of New York, Honorary Member

• The American Institute of Architects – New York Chapter, Honorary Member

Civic and Humanitarian Activities

Truly a man for all seasons, Mr. Robertson’s vision extends beyond the boundaries of his profession to include the aesthetic, economic and functional needs of society, the enhancement of the quality of urban life and deep concern for the educational development of young people. 

Mr. Robertson volunteers his time to several humanitarian organizations including:

• Board of Directors of Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) since 1985

• Committee on Human Rights of the NY Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. 

• The Architectural League of New York

• The Skyscraper Museum

A tireless speaker at colleges and universities, Mr. Robertson has also participated in the following:

• Review committees and juries for student presentations at numerous institutions including Penn State, Columbia and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

• Volunteer speaker for numerous student chapters of ASCE

• Volunteer Speaker for Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

• Cornell Engineering College Council

• University of California at Berkeley’s Engineering College Council.