Fritz Leonhardt | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1909-07-12)12 July 1909 |
| Died | 30 December 1999(1999-12-30) (aged 90) |
| Education | Stuttgart University Purdue University. |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Structural engineer |
| Institutions | Institution of Structural Engineers |
| Practice name | Leonhardt und Andrä |
| Projects | Cologne-Rodenkirchen Bridge Stuttgart Television Tower |
| Awards | Werner von Siemens Ring Honorary Medal Emil Mörsch Freyssinet Medal of the FIP IStructE Gold Medal Award of Merit in Structural Engineering |
Fritz Leonhardt (12 July 1909 – 30 December 1999) was a Germanstructural engineer who made major contributions to 20th-century bridge engineering, especially in the development ofcable-stayed bridges. His bookBridges: Aesthetics and Design is well known throughout the bridge engineering community.
Born inStuttgart in 1909, Leonhardt studied atStuttgart University andPurdue University. In 1934 he joined the German Highway Administration, working withPaul Bonatz amongst others. He was appointed at the remarkably young age of 28 as the Chief Engineer for theCologne-Rodenkirchen Bridge.
In 1954 he formed the consulting firmLeonhardt und Andrä, and from 1958 to 1974 taught the design ofreinforced concrete andprestressed concrete at Stuttgart University. He was President of the University from 1967 to 1969.
He received Honorary Doctorates from six universities, honorary membership of several important engineering universities, and won a number of prizes including theWerner von Siemens Ring, the Honorary Medal Emil Mörsch, the Freyssinet Medal of the FIP, and the Gold Medal of theInstitution of Structural Engineers. In 1988, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) by theUniversity of Bath.[1]
Throughout his career, Leonhardt was as dedicated to research as to design, and his major contributions to bridge engineering technology included:
His major structures include theCologne-Rodenkirchen Bridge,Stuttgart Television Tower, Hamburg'sAlster-Schwimmhalle and various cable-stayed bridges inDüsseldorf.
He also worked on the design of severalcable-stayed bridges abroad, including thePasco-Kennewick bridge (1978) in the U.S., and theHelgeland Bridge (1981) in Norway.
This prize was established in 1999 on the 90th anniversary of Leonhardt's birth, to recognise outstanding achievements in structural engineering. The first prize was awarded toMichel Virlogeux.[3] Subsequent winners have includedJörg Schlaich (2002),René Walter (2005), andWilliam F. Baker (engineer) (2009).[4]
