Guy Nordenson

Guy Nordenson and Associates, Partner,
Structural Engineers LLP,
New York, NY;

Professor of Architecture and Structural Engineering,
School of Architecture
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Working Structures
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Friday, April 7, 2023 - 4:30 pm

Location: Whitaker Lab 303, Lehigh University,5 E. Packer Avenue, Bethlehem, PA

Guy Nordenson is a structural engineer and professor of architecture at Princeton. He was the engineer for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC, the International African American Museum, and Emmanuel Nine Memorial, both in Charleston SC and oversaw the design and engineering of David Hammons’ Day’s End sculpture in the Hudson River. Nordenson is the author of books on climate adaptation and engineering design. He was a Commissioner of the NYC Public Design Commission (2006-2016) and a member of the NYC Panel on Climate Change. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Working Structures. What is the role of the structural engineer in her and his collaborations with architects and artists? Fazlur Khan and Joseph Colaco collaborated with William Hartmann on the 1967 Chicago Picasso. How do we characterize that role as compared to the collaborations on Khan’s more famous works? What are the critical concepts that can account for the creative contributions of the different participants in key works of architecture? And what civic roles can engineers play in addressing the pressing needs of cities both in the climate crisis but also in the case of transformative events such as 9-11? This talk will review these questions from the perspective of the speaker’s participation in recent projects with architects and artists and also efforts to address the challenges of coastal resilience.