Observations of Building Performance at WTC Site
 

Wednesday, October 16, 2002
 

Presented by:
 

Donald Friedman, P.E., LZA Technology
 

The tragic events of September 11, 2001 will be forever etched in history, and have had an immeasurable impact on the lives of the individuals and families that were affected. In the aftermath of this event, an evaluation of building performance at the site is a vital tool for increasing public safety. Specifically, examining how structural systems and architectural life-safety systems failed in collapsed and partially damaged buildings can improve future designs. The condition of buildings examined varies from catastrophic failure to minor damage, based on both the inherent characteristics of each building and external conditions. All of the major buildings surrounding the site will be reviewed for performance. Our discussion tonight will review the management of these efforts.

Donald Friedman is the Director of Preservation and a Senior Associate at LZA Technology, the building investigation and restoration design division of the Thornton-Tomasetti Group, Inc., a 400-person organization providing engineering and architectural services. Mr. Friedman holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Mr. Friedman's design experience includes the integration of modern Construction into existing buildings with archaic structural systems, repair and restoration of structures, and investigation of historic buildings to determine structural type and condition. He is responsible for managing historic preservation, structural design, and investigation projects, including the development of details for combining new and historic structures, and repair and restoration. In addition to Mr. Friedman's project work, he is a recognized leader in the field of conservation engineering. He teaches engineering of historic buildings in the Building Conservation Program at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; he has spoken at numerous conferences and has numerous publications on these topics.