The Sky’s the Limit

Engineer involved with world’s tallest building tells students to dream big

BY BRITTANY BELLI

Not too long ago it would have seemed impossible for man to walk, let alone live or work, among the clouds. But Larry Novak, director of structural engineering at the Portland Cement Association, has made those dreams a reality with his contributions to the design for the world’s tallest structure: the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The multiuse skyscraper stands over half a mile tall at 2,717 feet. Condominiums, offices, a hotel and retail space fill the 3- million-square-foot reinforced concrete tower.

Novak shared the details behind the design for the structure at OSU CEAT’s Halliburton Global Innovators Series, where he spoke about the importance of structural engineering in modern construction.

“Structural engineering is part of the natural fabric that ties us all together,” Novak says. “What we do occurs on all scales, from the nano scale of cement to the size of a beam to an entire building and even something the size of a national transportation system.”

“Construction [on the] building took about five to six years to complete, and there were many challenges to overcome, such as how to deal with the wind with such a tall structure,” Novak says. “The engineers worked closely with the architects to develop a building that is both structurally sound and elegant.”

Adrian Saenz, a civil engineering major with an environmental option, was inspired by Novak’s passion and innovation.

“I find it absolutely amazing that someone can design and build something like the Burj Khalifa, and I use it as a source of inspiration for my own career path,” Saenz says.

Even though he has no plans to take on the challenge of beating the Burj Khalifa in height, Saenz says Novak’s advice is still applicable.

“I’m a unique case because I’m more focused on the environment and water aspect instead of structure,” Saenz says. “I don’t want to build the world’s tallest building, but with technology and creativity, a lot of the same ‘wow’ factors can be carried over to design, whether it’s a stream restoration or a water treatment system. The inspiration and innovation can be put toward a lot of different directions.”

Before his lecture, Novak toured several engineering facilities such as the Bert Cooper Engineering Laboratory. He advised students to take advantage of the impressive opportunities available at OSU.

“OSU is one of the few universities in the world that has the equipment to do certain tests such as slump, cone and concrete pumping tests,” Novak says. “And that is really, really cool.”

Saenz definitely agrees that students receive a first-rate engineering education at OSU, especially since he is experiencing it himself.

“If you think about the labs and spaces Novak presented in and visited, they’re all geared toward our dean’s initiative to make the college more friendly toward our students,” Saenz says. “Novak is a professional, so he can look at our tools, draw similarities to the real world and see that our college and OSU does a fantastic job of providing its students with the right resources to be successful.”

While Novak can add “tallest building in the world” to his résumé in addition to other impressive projects, he wanted to remind students “to dream big.”

“I think it’s important that the students understand there are tremendous opportunities out there,” Novak says. “Think of the buildings we had 30 years ago versus the buildings we have now, and imagine the years of opportunity and the structures they could be building when they’re my age.”