Jerome F. Hajjar, Northeastern professor of civil and environmental engineering, says that building sustainably is paramount to good design.
A 1,907-foot-tall building could soon be erected as the tallest skyscraper in the United States. Can you guess where it can be manufactured?
New York or Chicago would probably be on the list. Maybe San Francisco or Boston. Maybe Miami too.
How about Oklahoma City?
Last week, the developers behind the upscale Boardwalk at Bricktown development under construction in the city announced plans to increase height of the project's “supertal tower” from 1,750 feet to 1,907 feet. This would make it the tallest building in the country and the sixth tallest in the world.
Oklahoma City isn't exactly known for its impressive skyline. The tallest building currently in the city is the Devon Energy Center, standing at 844 feet. The next tallest after that is the BancFirst Tower at 500 feet. Oklahoma City has two buildings at 500 feet or more, New York has more than 300.
Oklahoma is also one of the many states that are located in the middle of Tornado Alley, an area in the United States known to be more prone to tornadoes. Other states in the alley include Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa and Ohio. Oklahoma alone had 74 tornadoes last year, according to the National Weather Service.
Jerome F. Hajjar, a Northeastern professor of civil and environmental engineering, says projects like these highlight not only the work of developers but also the wider region and the area's future. And building with sustainability and safety in mind comes first, he says.
“Signature structures like these say a lot about the area,” he says. “They speak volumes for the potential for the future. I worked to help change the profession so that sustainability and durability are our top design goals. I think any building, especially one with a signature like this, needs to think about these things.”
One World Trade Center in New York City currently holds the title of tallest building in the country, standing at 1,776 feet. Worldwide, it is the seventh tallest.
The Oklahoma City high-rise, officially named Legends Tower, is just one component of a larger 5 million-square-foot development — in front of the high-rise structure will be three smaller 345-foot buildings.
Once complete, the $736 million development will be home to two Hyatt hotels, 1,776 residential units and over 110,000 square feet of retail space.
Matteson Capital, the real estate developer behind the project, says it will seek a variance from the city to approve the building's increased height. However, city officials they said the change will essentially require the property to be repositioned.
Northeastern Global News caught up with Hajjar to get his thoughts on growth and the importance of sustainable development.
These answers have been edited for clarity and brevity:
Oklahoma is in the middle of Tornado Alley. What could be done from an engineering standpoint to ensure that this building is protected from tornadoes?
Tornadoes are a significant hazard in this area and this structure should be designed for it, not only for the integrity of the structure as a whole, but also for the integrity of the cladding.
Note: Cladding, which serves as the “skin” of the building, covers the exterior of the building with protective and decorative materials. The construction technique protects a building from external elements such as weather, UV rays and temperature fluctuations.
Can you talk about the advances in structural engineering over the past few decades that have allowed developers to build these high-rise buildings?
There have certainly been significant developments and approaches that we can use to predict the behavior of these structures, design and ensure stability for extreme events. In this area, we have developed excellent capabilities to use wind tunnels to better understand these wind loads. We have improved the stability theories that we use to design so that this allows us to deliver material efficiency so that we can use less material than a few decades ago.
In order to design this, we are constantly innovating with respect to the structural configurations available to withstand extreme loads. Sometimes there may be innovations and new materials that can be used. All of this helped to trigger something like this.
What were some of your initial thoughts when you first heard about this project?
With any building we propose and construct, it is always important to think about purpose. Building construction generally uses about 40% of the material flow, creates about 40% of all waste, creates 40% of all energy use, creates about 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
It is good to think about why we do this. What kind of people are going to use it? How does it enhance the area? I worked to help change the profession so that sustainability and durability are our top design goals. I think any building, especially one with a signature like this, needs to think about these things.
This building is to be part of a larger development called The Boardwalk in Bricktown. Once completed, the project will include 1,700 residential units, two Hyatt hotels and 110,000 square feet of commercial space. With that in mind, what are your thoughts on how this structure stands in this larger development?
Something like that could obviously be an anchor point. In many ways there can be efficiencies in builds like this, although there is a cost premium as you go higher and higher just in terms of material usage required. It certainly can be an efficient use of land.
I know you are really focused on sustainability. What are some broader points about the topic that you think are important to drive home?
From an engineering perspective, I believe they have one of the top engineering companies in the world. Technically, I'm sure something like this could be done.
