An Extraordinary Engineer, by Declan Phillips

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Sunday Miscellany 8 min 7 chapters transcribed 19 hours ago

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Why did the host first visit the Twin Towers in 1987 and what impression did they leave?

Declan Phillips 0:00

For many people, the Twin Towers are remembered only through the events of september eleventh, two thousand one. But my connection with the World Trade Centre began many years earlier, on a hot summer's day in nineteen eighty seven. At the time I was a structural engineering student. Along with four classmates, I travelled to the United States for the first time. The morning after we arrived in New York, there was one place we were determined to visit, the Twin Towers. It's easy to forget just how extraordinary the towers were. When they opened in nineteen seventy three they They were the tallest buildings on the planet. Even more extraordinary was the fact that the engineer selected to design their revolutionary structure was only thirty-five years old.

Declan Phillips 0:48

An age when most people's careers are only beginning to take shape. As we approached the towers, the Their scale seemed almost impossible to comprehend. Like thousands of visitors before us, We join the queue for the observation deck on the hundred and seventh floor of the South Tower. As the line slowly wound around the base of the building, the I stepped away from my friends and stood in the shade between the tower's massive aluminium clad columns.

How did a phone call to Leslie Robertson lead to a lifelong friendship and speaking invitation?

Declan Phillips 1:20

Leaning against the cool metal. My eyes followed the endless vertical lines of the structure as they disappeared into a brilliant blue sky. Clouds drifted overhead, creating a strange illusion. For a moment it seemed as though the tower itself was moving. Standing there, two thoughts crossed my mind. First. What would it be like to meet the engineer who designed these remarkable structures? Second. What would happen if the towers ever collapsed? At the time, these felt like impossible questions. Yet life would eventually answer both. By autumn two thousand five, I had joined the University of Limerick. where we were launching a new civil engineering program. And I had an idea for a guest speaker to come and talk to our students.

Declan Phillips 2:13

I called the New York office of Lira. The engineering firm of Leslie Earl Robertson, the lead structural engineer for the Twin Towers.

What challenges from Robertson’s early life shaped his approach to engineering?

Declan Phillips 2:22

I introduced myself to the receptionist and asked if Mr Robertson might be available. To my surprise, within moments I heard a warm voice say Hi, this is Les Robertson. I invited him to Ireland to speak about his remarkable career. and the responsibilities that come with being an engineer. To my delight, he agreed. That phone call marked the beginning of a friendship that has profoundly enriched my life. Over the years, our conversations ranged far beyond engineering. Les was a natural storyteller. Before becoming one of the world's most respected engineers, he had raced dock cars. Operated filling stations. and wash dishes and diners. He spoke about those experiences with the same enthusiasm he brought to discussing skyscrapers and bridges.

Declan Phillips 3:18

Born in Los Angeles in nineteen twenty eight. Let's overcame a difficult childhood marked by family separation. Instability. and poor experiences at school.

How did Robertson pioneer computer‑aided design and wind‑tunnel testing for the towers?

Declan Phillips 3:30

At sixteen, he dropped out of school, lied about his age to be admitted to the US Navy. His future seemed uncertain. But that decision opened an unexpected door. After leaving the service, still in his early twenties, he He attended the University of California, Berkeley. Through the GI Bill. There his fortunes changed and an extraordinary career in engineering began. Les Robertson was the kind of engineer who treated steel the way a master chef treats ingredients. Use only what you need. And make every bit count. Long before innovation became a corporate buzzword, Robertson was already pushing boundaries. In the early nineteen sixties the He was putting IBM computers to work to speed up the design process.

Declan Phillips 4:23

At a time when many engineers still trusted a pencil, a slide rule, and a strong cup of coffee. While working with architect Minuro Yamasaki on the Twin Towers, Les was among the first to use wind tunnel testing to understand how much the Twin Towers would sway on one of Manhattan's breeziest sites.

What innovative safety features did Robertson create to protect the towers and occupants?

Declan Phillips 4:45

Not content with that. He built a custom motion simulator and conducted experiments to figure out how people would actually feel hundreds of meters above the streets of New York.