Stevens hosts special symposium, "The Future of Skyscrapers: Can We Build Them? Will People Come?"
Stevens Institute of Technology will host a special symposium to explore the future of the skyscraper in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Specifically, the symposium will examine whether skyscrapers can be built well enough to protect their inhabitants from terrorism and whether people are still willing to work in them.
The symposium - The Future of Skyscrapers: Can We Build Them? Will People Come? - takes place Thursday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Stevens Institute of Technology's DeBaun Auditorium, Edwin A. Stevens Building, 5th and Hudson Street, Hoboken, N.J.
The symposium will consist of two panels, the first of which will include some of the nation's most authoritative experts on engineering and architecture who will discuss whether skyscrapers can be designed to endure such forceful attacks, or at least remain standing long enough to allow for inhabitants to escape to safety. It will also explore how such buildings can be protected from bioterrorism. This panel will be moderated by former U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ).
The second panel will explore whether Americans will ever feel safe in tall monumental buildings and whether they believe these structures should be built at all. Stevens Institute of Technology President Dr. Harold Raveche will moderate the second panel.
To provide a backdrop to this second panel, Stevens will unveil the results of a survey conducted by Zogby International that will offer a snapshot of how the public in the New York Metropolitan area feels right now about skyscrapers. John Zogby, president of the public opinion polling firm Zogby International, will be on hand to discuss the survey.
"These panel discussions will contribute to the ongoing discourse about the viability of skyscrapers after the attacks of September 11," said Dr. Raveche. "It's important that we look at it from both sides - engineering science's ability to design structures that can withstand a variety of major terrorist attacks and the public's acceptance of them in this new era."
Panelists:
Eric Darton, Author of "Divided We Stand: A Biography of New York's World Trade Center."
David Emil, President of the Windows on the World restaurant at the former World Trade Center.
William J. Faschan, Partner, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P. Firm provided extensive structural engineering services during the recovery and reconstruction of the WTC complex after the 1993 bombing (the namesake of the firm also served as lead engineer on the original World Trade Center construction).
Adam Foster, Senior Managing Director, Insignia/ESG, Inc., New York City's largest commercial real estate brokerage concern.
Robert F. Fox Jr., Senior Principal and co-founder, Fox & Fowle Architects, an architectural, interior design and planning firm located in New York City. Firm has worked on many New York City buildings, including the 20-story Reuters Building at Three Times Square.
Dr. Sophia Hassiotis, an Associate Engineering Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and an expert on finding the location and extent of damage in structures such as bridges, buildings, space frames and airplanes.
Dr. George Korfiatis, Co-founder of PlasmaSol and a Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. Dr. Korfiatis has over fifteen years of research experience specializing in modeling and development and implementation of pollutant remediation technologies in soil, water and air.
Joel Simon, Senior Partner in Serko & Simon, LLP, a customs law firm and an original World Trade Center tenant.
Dean Starkman, a Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter since 1996 and the paper's commercial real estate reporter since June 2000.
Richard Tomasetti, President, Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers, one of the world's leading structural engineering firms, which creates structural design on projects including sports arenas, museums, hospitals, schools and high-rise towers.
Tom Wright, Executive Vice President of the Regional Plan Association, the nation's oldest private, non-profit regional planning organization. The Association works to improve the quality of life in the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area.
Click for Real Audio: Panel 1 discussion | Panel 1 conclusion and Zogby Survey results | Panel 2 discussion
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University TM , lives at the intersection of industry, academics and research. The University's students, faculty and partners leverage their collective real-world experience and culture of innovation, research and entrepreneurship to confront global challenges in engineering, science, systems and technology management.
Based in Hoboken, N.J. and with a location in Washington, D.C., Stevens offers baccalaureate, master’s, certificates and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences and management, in addition to baccalaureate degrees in business and liberal arts. Stevens has been recognized by both the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Excellence in the areas of systems engineering and port security research. The University has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with almost 450 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America as well as strategic partnerships with industry leaders, governments and other universities around the world. Additional information may be obtained at www.stevens.edu and www.stevens.edu/press.
