Frank Gehry’s accomplishments as an architect are
well known, and he has received many distinguished,
international awards in architecture, including the profession’s
highest accolade, the Pritzker Prize. However,
his ability to spawn wakes of technology and process
innovations in the tradition-bound architecture, engineering,
and construction (AEC) industries is another
important part of his legacy. Consider, for example, the
following sample of the innovations during the design
and construction of the Peter B. Lewis Building in
Cleveland, Ohio (Figure 1).
In that one project:
(a) the structural engineering firm invented a new
method for designing a steel roof with dramatically
curved surfaces, which won an industry award for engineering
innovation;
(b) the drywall contractor invented multiple patentable
ways to frame undulating wall surfaces, and began
a new line of business, consulting on high-profile construction
projects;
(c) the Cleveland fire marshal developed new techniques
for modeling smoke evacuation, which were then
presented at their national training academy;