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Fazlur R. Khan, Bruce Graham, Albert Lockett, Lew Brunner, and Richard E. Lenke present a model of John Hancock Center, Chicago, 1969 

In 1969, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill structural engineer Fazlur R. Khan, architect Bruce Graham, partners Albert Lockett and Richard E. Lenke, and American Institute of Steel Construction representative Lew Brunner developed the John Hancock Center in Chicago, Illinois. Khan, known as the “father of tubular design,” was born in Bangladesh and received a Fulbright scholarship in 1952 to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Khan’s signature designs, which allow for vertical durability in high-rises, were inspired by the bamboo that grows in Bangladesh and laid the foundation for the 100-story building.  

Fazlur R. Khan Collection, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, Art Institute of Chicago. Digital file #199207_141006-002.