Google celebrated the 88th birthday of a man who has become near and dear to millions of Chicagoans, even if they don't know it.
Monday's Google Doodle, a daily drawing housed on the site's homepage, honored Fazlur R. Khan, the engineer of Chicago's John Hancock Center and Sears Tower. It pictures his image alongside a drawing of the Hancock.
"As a youth my father never imagined that one day he would be building skyscrapers," Khan's daughter, Yasmin Sabina Khan, wrote in a statement.
"A humanitarian in his personal as well as professional life, he was inspired by the belief that his work had a positive impact and he encouraged other engineers not to lose track of the purpose of their profession," Sabina Khan said.
Khan designed the 100-story Hancock building in 1965 using the “trussed tube” structural system, and in 1971 he designed the Sears Tower, now the Willis Tower, "using his latest innovation, the 'bundled tube.'"
At the time, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world. It would retain that title for 22 more years.
At age 42, Khan was named him Construction’s Man of the Year by Engineering News-Record in 1972. When he was awarded the honor, he said, “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.”
"His innovations subsequently formed the basis of tall building design," his daughter said.
Khan worked for the Chicago design firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill until his death in 1982, she said.
