William F. Baker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

William F. Baker - Essay Example This is because both of his late grandfathers were also engineers though their fame did not equal that of Baker as a skyscraper designer. In his early schooling, Baker used to excel in Maths, Physics and History though before his graduation he had no idea of what he wanted to study while in University (Baker, 2010). Baker’s strong desire to pursue engineering as a career started after undergoing aptitude test confirmation where he proceeded to the University of Missouri and graduated in 1975 (Baker, 2010). Equipped with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, Baker worked for various oil companies in 1970s though he decided to quit within a very short time to pursue Masters Degre (Wallace, 2011). To his peers, Baker seemed to have made a wrong decision but in he knew better than they did (Wallace, 2011). This is by going back to school to study Masters in Structural Engineering at the University of Illinois (Wallace, 2011). Baker’s Masters Degree was extremely deman ding due to the course’s many subjects supposed to equip him with right knowledge concerning how to tackle varied tasks that characterized his field of specialization. After graduating, Baker joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (SOM) firm whose staff comprised of talented experts from his former school (Baker, 2010). Here he worked under the supervision of Fazlur Khan who also mentored him on how to design and evaluate tallest buildings besides other structures. Consequently, this was revelation to the young Baker who by then he hardly knew that experience acted as a preparation for great, complex and fascinating projects in future, for instance, Burj Dubai Tower (Baker, Pawlikowski & Young, 2009). Throughout his career, Baker has always collaborated with other numerous and different experts like architects while undertaking extremely involving design projects (Baker, Pawlikowski & Young, 2009). 2. Problem / Issue identification Baker was a structural engineer, but most of his works required architects’ intervention, especially when he was drawing certain figures that entailed refined details. The two fields’ core role encompasses producing effective structural designs that will support and ensure safety to all people. This is by ensuring the load of every designed structure can adequately withstand varied inevitable natural forces, for instance, wind and gravity (Baker, 2010). This study seeks to relay Baker’s experience, expertise and career achievements that have prompted him to the most renowned structural engineer in the world (Baker, Pawlikowski & Young, 2009). Literature Review Mainly, Baker’s major role in every designing project encompasses coming up with a strong and effective plan that will not only meet client’s aesthetic value, but also ensure evenly distribution of the entire structure’s weight. The designing of the entire structure that will be free from adverse effects resulting from gravity a nd wind is the task that cannot be complete without the intervention of architects. This is evident in the recent completed Burj Dubai Tower which, according to Baker and his team, comprises one of the current famed breakthroughs. According to Baker, for a skyscraper to meet client’s specifications, it ought to fulfill key inevitable engineering principles. These are insignificant for the client, but experts must employ them while erecting the required structure as per the stated specifications. For instance, Burj’s design had to be efficient, considerable wide base to support the expected load but narrow enough such that the building is economically viable (Baker, 2010). Therefore, the building despite designed to meet all the client’