David Scott, a structural engineer and principal at Arup (New York), a global consulting and engineering firm, has been named to chair the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. His three-year term begins officially on February 1, 2006.
The council is an international body and independent authority on planning, design, construction and operation of tall buildings and urban areas.
"David’s appointment heralds the continued expansion of the Council’s activities and influence in the field of urban and tall building design and construction," said Ron Klemencic, president of Magnusson Klemencic Associates and outgoing chairman of the Council. "His leadership, expertise and commitment will enhance the organization‚s stature as the preeminent guiding force and touchstone for the planning, design and construction of urban landscapes globally."
Scott has led Arup’s structural design work on large building projects throughout the world. His career in tall buildings started with Sir Norman Foster’s Hongkong Bank in 1981, where he was involved from concept to completion, as designer to site engineer. Based in New York since 1998, he has been involved in projects such as the master planning and structural schemes for the Freedom Tower with Daniel Libeskind, and overseas projects in London and Korea.
Scott noted the recent „enormous new investment and re-commitment to tall buildings, which makes it a very interesting, important time for tall building design. New technologies, and a greater understanding of how these buildings perform under normal and extreme conditions, are making tall buildings more robust, more efficient and more sustainable.
"The current tallest building in the world is Taipei 101 at 508m; Emaar’s Burj Dubai, by SOM, now under construction, will set the new world record when it tops out at approximately 750m. These buildings are enormous and demonstrate a very high level of confidence in the performance of tall buildings. But few new buildings are targeting the tallest spot, and the drive to be tallest has moved out of reach for most developers," Scott said.
