Mario Salvadori
Encyclopedia
Mario G. Salvadori was a structural engineer
and professor of both civil engineering
and architecture
at Columbia University
.
, Italy
in 1907. His father, an engineer who worked for the telephone company, became the chief engineer of the city of Genoa
when the phone company merged with their French counterpart. Salvadori's father later became the head of the gas and electric company in Spain
. As a consequence, Salvadori spent many years of his youth in Madrid
and only returned to Italy in 1923. Two years later, when he was 18, he started what the first student jazz
band in Italy; one of his youthful dreams was to become a concert conductor, although his parents did not encourage this.
He earned doctoral degrees in both civil engineering and mathematics
from the University of Rome
in 1930 and 1933 respectively. The next two years he did graduate research in photoelasticity
at University College London
. Subsequently, he returned to Rome, where he served as an instructor at the University of Rome. Salvadori was an outspoken critic of the regime of Benito Mussolini
, and he subsequently left Italy in 1938 or 1939 for New York
at the recommendation of his teacher and friend, Enrico Fermi
.
until 1940, developing time and motion studies that so impressed the president that he was made an offer to become CEO, which he turned down. During World War II
he was – unbeknownst to himself at the time – a consultant on the Manhattan Project
for three years. After the war, he took up teaching at Columbia University
, where he would become a professor in 1959 in the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; he taught at Columbia for 50 years. As he reached retirement age, he began volunteering to work with under-privileged minority students from inner-city New York public schools. Developing a hands-on method of teaching kids about the built environment, he was able to reach out to thousands of students and teachers, giving them an appreciation of the usefulness of mathematics and science. In 1987 he founded the Salvadori Educational Center on the Built Environment, since renamed the Salvadori Center, a non-profit educational center on the campus of City College of New York
which uses the "city as classroom" to help teachers and students master the core subject areas in their curricula.
From 1954 to 1960, Salvadori worked as a consultant and then principal at Weidlinger Associates, an engineering firm in New York City
. He then became a partner until 1991, when he became honorary chairman. As a structural engineer
, Salvadori became known for the design of thin concrete shells as he strove to create great architecture
in all of his projects, including the concrete structural system for the CBS Building
in Manhattan, designed by Eero Saarinen
, and the seashell restaurant at the hotel La Concha
, in San Juan, Puerto Rico
. He was also considered to be an authority on structural failure, and, as a forensic engineer
helped to investigate numerous building failures due to natural disasters such as earthquakes and human error in construction or design.
in Manhattan
, New York City
on June 25, 1997 of natural causes, at the age of 90. He was at the time the James Renwick Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering and Applied Science and Professor of Architecture Emeritus at Columbia.
and books for the lay reader. Among the fifteen titles he wrote are Numerical Methods in Engineering (1953), Structural Design in Architecture (1967), Why Buildings Stand Up (1980), Why Buildings Fall Down (1992), and Why The Earth Quakes (1995). Salvadori is also known for his translation of Leonardo da Vinci
's notebooks into English, and of Emily Dickinson
's poems into Italian.
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
and professor of both civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Early life
Salvadori was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1907. His father, an engineer who worked for the telephone company, became the chief engineer of the city of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
when the phone company merged with their French counterpart. Salvadori's father later became the head of the gas and electric company in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. As a consequence, Salvadori spent many years of his youth in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and only returned to Italy in 1923. Two years later, when he was 18, he started what the first student jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band in Italy; one of his youthful dreams was to become a concert conductor, although his parents did not encourage this.
He earned doctoral degrees in both civil engineering and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from the University of Rome
University of Rome La Sapienza
The Sapienza University of Rome, officially Sapienza – Università di Roma, formerly known as Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a coeducational, autonomous state university in Rome, Italy...
in 1930 and 1933 respectively. The next two years he did graduate research in photoelasticity
Photoelasticity
Photoelasticity is an experimental method to determine the stress distribution in a material. The method is mostly used in cases where mathematical methods become quite cumbersome. Unlike the analytical methods of stress determination, photoelasticity gives a fairly accurate picture of stress...
at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Subsequently, he returned to Rome, where he served as an instructor at the University of Rome. Salvadori was an outspoken critic of the regime of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, and he subsequently left Italy in 1938 or 1939 for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at the recommendation of his teacher and friend, Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
.
Career
In the United States, Salvadori first worked for the Lionel Train CompanyLionel
Lionel may refer to:as a male given name*Lionel Atwill, English actor*Lionel Barrymore, American actor*Lionel Bart, British composer*Lionel Blair, British dancer and actor*Lionel Hampton, American jazz musician*Lionel Jeffries, English actor...
until 1940, developing time and motion studies that so impressed the president that he was made an offer to become CEO, which he turned down. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was – unbeknownst to himself at the time – a consultant on the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
for three years. After the war, he took up teaching at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he would become a professor in 1959 in the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; he taught at Columbia for 50 years. As he reached retirement age, he began volunteering to work with under-privileged minority students from inner-city New York public schools. Developing a hands-on method of teaching kids about the built environment, he was able to reach out to thousands of students and teachers, giving them an appreciation of the usefulness of mathematics and science. In 1987 he founded the Salvadori Educational Center on the Built Environment, since renamed the Salvadori Center, a non-profit educational center on the campus of City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
which uses the "city as classroom" to help teachers and students master the core subject areas in their curricula.
From 1954 to 1960, Salvadori worked as a consultant and then principal at Weidlinger Associates, an engineering firm in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He then became a partner until 1991, when he became honorary chairman. As a structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
, Salvadori became known for the design of thin concrete shells as he strove to create great architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in all of his projects, including the concrete structural system for the CBS Building
CBS Building
The CBS Building in New York City, also known as Black Rock, is the headquarters of CBS Corporation. The building, opened in 1965, was designed by Eero Saarinen. It is located at 51 West 52nd Street, at the corner of Sixth Avenue . The 38 story building is tall and measures approximately 872,000...
in Manhattan, designed by Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
, and the seashell restaurant at the hotel La Concha
La Concha Resort
La Concha Resort is a modern chic luxury resort located at the Condado oceanfront within the district of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-History:...
, in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. He was also considered to be an authority on structural failure, and, as a forensic engineer
Forensic engineering
Forensic engineering is the investigation of materials, products, structures or components that fail or do not operate or function as intended, causing personal injury or damage to property. The consequences of failure are dealt with by the law of product liability. The field also deals with...
helped to investigate numerous building failures due to natural disasters such as earthquakes and human error in construction or design.
Death
Salvadori died in Mount Sinai HospitalMount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 25, 1997 of natural causes, at the age of 90. He was at the time the James Renwick Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering and Applied Science and Professor of Architecture Emeritus at Columbia.
Awards and honors
- 1953: Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper, American Concrete InstituteAmerican Concrete InstituteThe American Concrete Institute is a non-profit technical society and standard developing organization . ACI was founded in 1904 and its headquarters are currently located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA.- ACI History :1904-1929:...
- 1991: Pupin Medal, Columbia University, for outstanding service to the nation in architecture and engineering
- 1993: Hoover MedalHoover MedalThe Hoover Medal is an American engineering prize.It has been given since 1930 for "outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity"...
, awarded jointly by five engineering societies, American Society of Civil EngineersAmerican Society of Civil EngineersThe American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward... - 1993: Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. American Institute of ArchitectsAmerican Institute of ArchitectsThe American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
and Association of Collegiate Schools of ArchitectureAssociation of Collegiate Schools of ArchitectureThe Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is a 501 nonprofit, membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education in the United States and abroad....
; the first engineer ever to receive this award - 1997: Founders Award, National Academy of EngineeringNational Academy of EngineeringThe National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
- Honorary degrees: Columbia (doctor of science, 1978), New School for Social Research (fine arts, 1991)
Works
Salvadori was the author of both well-respected textbooks on architectural structures and applied mathematicsApplied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
and books for the lay reader. Among the fifteen titles he wrote are Numerical Methods in Engineering (1953), Structural Design in Architecture (1967), Why Buildings Stand Up (1980), Why Buildings Fall Down (1992), and Why The Earth Quakes (1995). Salvadori is also known for his translation of Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
's notebooks into English, and of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
's poems into Italian.
External links
- Mario Salvadori, Architect, Engineer. By Kim Brockway
- The Salvadori Center: the educational non-profit he established to carry on his teaching
- Article in the New York Times
- Obituary in the New York Times
- Obituary in the Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
Record