Credits

THANKS

The idea for the exhibition The Modern Concrete Skyscraper, like the foundation mat of a supertall skyscraper, necessitated a long, continuous pour that, we hope, establishes a solid base for future studies. Groundwork was laid in the research for exhibitions as long ago as 2007, when we documented the design of Burj Dubai (now called Burj Khalifa), which was then under construction. That experience, guided by the architects at SOM and, especially, the tower’s structural engineer William F. Baker, pointed to the primary role of concrete in the creation of 21st-century skyscrapers. Bill Baker has been a continuous friend to the Museum since then, and he has been an indispensable advisor to this exhibition.

In 2021, in conjunction with our exhibition SUPERTALL, the Museum organized the 13-part lecture series WORLD VIEW, in which the architects and engineers responsible for the tallest buildings on the planet discussed their projects. Concrete was present everywhere, if not always visible. We thank our extraordinary speakers in that series: many of those lectures are cited in QR codes in this show.

As we began to plan this exhibition in 2023, we focused on a historical approach that would place the evolution of reinforced concrete into a longer narrative. Central to that thinking was Thomas Leslie, a professor of the history of architecture, engineering, and construction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who has been a valued collaborator for more than a decade. Tom signed on as guest curator for the exhibition and also guided the lecture series we began in the summer of 2023 that featured leading scholars and practitioners, including Geoffrey Goldberg, Vladimir Belogolovsky, Marko Pogačnik, Matthys Levy, Bill Baker, Joseph Colaco, David West, Katie Filek, and Tyler Sprague. We benefited greatly from their experience, research, and insights.

Many others assisted us in our research, responded to our questions, and helped source models, drawings, and photography for the exhibition. Special thanks are due to the firms that have assisted the Museum over the years, including: at SOM, Bill Baker, Scott Duncan, Mark Sarkisian, Colin Koop, Chris Cooper, Francisco López de Arenosa, Jin Chen, and archivist Karen Widi; at Pelli Clarke & Partners, Fred Clarke, Rafael Pelli, and Barbara Endres; at DeSimone Consulting Engineering, Stephen DeSimone and Dave Koren; at Thornton Tomasetti, Richard Tomasetti, Najib Abboud, John Peronto, Jerome Tobolski, and James Kent; at RVA, Román Viñoly and Raymond Lee; at KRJDA, Emon Roche and Linda Scinto; at RWDI, Greg Thompson and Derek Kelly; and again, Geoffrey Goldberg. Other longtime friends of the Museum who contributed images include: at KPF, James von Klemperer and Wai Chu; at Severud, Edward DePaola and Andy Mueller-Lust; at AS+GG, Peter Weismantle, Jocelyn Moriarty, and Ben Johnson; at Langan, George Leventis and Alan Poeppel; at Turner Construction Company, Christopher McFadden, CJ Chen, and Rini Fatin Fadzil; and at MdeAS, Dan Shannon, Tricia Ebner, and Carmen Johnson. We also received construction images from Merdeka PNB and Turner International, SBI Consultants, and Doka. Tom Leslie’s students at UIUC, Atousa Esmaili, Adam Berg, and Paige Zolnierek made models for the cases.

We also thank the archivists, librarians, and historians who helped us gather images and videos: Louisa Verma, Remi Braden, and Ashley Kizzire from the Portland Cement Association; Dave Hofer from the Art Institute of Chicago; Katrina Marshall & Kent Mulcahy from the Cincinnati Public Library; Chris Devaney from Heritage Great Britain; Katie Twomey from Portman Archives; Elsa Lam from Canadian Architect; and Cathy McCaster and Holly Forsythe from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Curators
Guest curator: Thomas Leslie, with contributions by Bill Baker
Carol Willis, Founding Director, with Daniel J Borrero

The Skyscraper Museum Team
Coordination: Daniel J Borrero; Graphics: Selin Ciftci & Imari Monroe; Videos: Ni Marqueti; Research and support: Stephanie Montalti, Xi Yu, Bruno Lora, Steven Shi, Kaleo Zhu, Korbin Vera, Pauline Barsegyan, and Lucia Hassen.

Reprographics: Special thanks to A. Estéban & Company
Installation: Peter Schenk & R. Scott Whipkey