Professor Ali Compiles Book on Lynn Beedle

BY Meghan Dufresne

Professor Mir M. Ali portrays the legendary tall building expert, Dr. Lynn S. Beedle from a variety of perspectives in his new book, Catalyst for a Skyscraper Revolution . This book uses photos, testimonials, correspondence, memoirs, and articles to give a panoramic view of this researcher's life.

There were three motivating factors from Dr. Beedle's youth that inspired him to study tall buildings: he was one of the first people to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco after it was completed; he joined the ROTC; and in an unusual move, he changed his major from architecture to civil engineering (Beedle's professor told him that usually students do the reverse). He continued his education with architecture as his minor.

From this point on, Dr. Beedle had the chance to work on structural, psychological, social, environmental, artistic and political issues related to his fascination-the skyscraper. He won numerous awards for his work, including one from the American Iron and Steel Institute, and the highest honor an engineer can receive-election into the National Academy of Engineering. The book traces his work with the Structural Stability Research Council and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (an organization he conceived in 1969).

Through numerous letters and testimonials, Dr. Beedle is revealed to be a warm, affectionate individual with a high degree of knowledge, skill, and motivation. Throughout the book, Beedle discusses his views on important tall building issues, such as the energy crisis, the Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project, the Petronas Towers, and the World Trade Center collapse.

The book also contains Dr. Beedle's correspondence before his death, a list of milestones, honors, articles, and books that he has published. Catalyst for a Skyscraper Revolution depicts the life and times of a man who was great at explaining complex engineering ideas in a simple, understandable manner. In the New York Times , he was described as "a visionary in the field of skyscraper design and effects." Dr. Lynn S. Beedle truly took the study of tall buildings to a new multidimensional level.