Wilem Frischmann

Wilem William Frischmann
Nationality	Anglo-Hungarian
Work
Engineering discipline	Structural engineer
Institution memberships	Institution of Structural Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers
Practice name	Pell Frischmann
Significant projects	Centre Point Tower 42 Drapers Gardens

Wilem William Frischmann, CBE, FICE, FIStructE is a leading engineer, the chairman of the internationally recognised firm of consulting engineers, Pell Frischmann and generally considered to be one of the foremost engineers of his generation due to his reputation gained on technically ground-breaking developments including Centre Point, Nat West Tower (Tower 42) and Drapers Gardens.^[1]

Early life and education

Wilem Frischmann was born in Ungvar, Hungary in 1931. He survived the Holocaust and came to England as a refugee at the age of 15. He attended the Hammersmith College of Art & Building and the Imperial College – University of London.^[1]

Private life

Frischmann is the father of singer and guitarist, Justine Frischmann.

Working life

He joined C. J. Pell & Partners in 1958, becoming a partner in 1961, and the Chairman in 1968.

Notable projects

Centre Point, London

Centre Point is one of the best known landmarks in London. He championed an innovative use of high-quality pre-cast concrete in its design. The external columns have specifically designed joints to provide continuity in the structure to prevent progressive collapse and it was constructed without any external scaffolding. As well as being the tallest building built with prefabricated elements, Centre Point was the first building using large diameter piles in London Clay. He carried out extensive testing of the distribution of loads by friction and bearing to estimate the settlement of the building. The resulting paper ^[2] earned the IStructE Research Diploma. In 2009 it won First Prize in the Mature Structures category at the Concrete Society Awards.^[3]

Tower 42 (formerly Nat West Tower), London

Main article: Tower 42

Frischmann was responsible for the design of this 52-storey landmark structure in London, the tallest building in London at the time of its construction. The firm carried out natural frequency tests and modelled the potential for progressive collapse. After the IRA bomb attack, PF carried out the same tests and found that the structure hadn’t been significantly damaged. The project won the European Award for Steels Structures from CECM Prix European De La Construction Metallique and the paper detailing the towers design ^[4] won an ICE award.

Drapers Gardens, London

During the construction of this twenty-eight storey building, PF tested and proved that the solid steel mullions provided adequate fire resistance without any need for fire protection. A paper on the development ^[5] won the Oscar Faber Bronze Medal awarded by the IStructE.

Aldersgate Street, London

He has helped bring the world of innovation which surrounds engineering to the public. PF were appointed to design the Aldersgate Street development in the centre of London, which has the deepest in London (14-storeys); and used a construction technique WWF had previously published a paper on.^[6] The techniques were covered in an article in The Sunday Times.^[7]

Contribution to the Engineering Profession

Ronan Point Collapse

Before the Ronan Point Collapse in 1968, Frischmann had already expressed his concern in the structural characteristics of non-continuous prefabricated buildings. After the event, he was appointed by the Treasury to write a report.^[8] He also appeared on David Frost’s television show, to demonstrate why Ronan Point had collapsed.^[9]

Collaborative Working

Before “collaborative working” became and industry buzzword, Frischmann was championing the benefits of cohesive teams and early contractor involvement, in his paper “Features in the design and construction of Drapers Gardens Development” he said:

“What is, in our opinion, worth noting is the fact that this building is the result of close cooperation of all parties under the leadership of the architect.”

A number of well recognized names in engineering and construction backed his opinion in a later discussion paper.^[10]

The Cross Channel Bridge

Frischmann has been a well publicised ambassador of engineering, not just in trade press but also the national press. He was vociferous in advocating the link across the channel and promoted a bridge solution rather than a tunnel, with the creation of a deep sea port for container vessels by extending the existing islands of Varne and Le Colbert. He appeared in the Observer Magazine ^[11] and on the cover of the Sunday Telegraph Magazine ^[12] in support of the link; as well as mentions in Construction News and The Times.

The Future of Tall Buildings

Frischmann is best known for his Tall Buildings, and wrote an important paper on the future of high-rise developments for vertical cities.^[13] The paper caught the public’s imagination and it was on the Tomorrows World program and covered twice in The Times ^[14] +.^[15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} New Civil Engineer Magazine, "Frischmann's Next Move", 3 October 1996
2. ^ The use and behaviour of large diameter piles in London Clay, The Structural Engineer, (Frischmann & Flemming, 1962)
3. ^ [1] Concrete Society Awards 2009
4. ^ National Westminster Tower: design (Frischmann, Lippard & Steger 1983)
5. ^ Features in the design and construction of Drapers Gardens Development (Frischmann, Brown & Prabhu, 1967)
6. ^ Top down construction of deep basements, (Frischmann & Wilson, 1984)
7. ^ "Innovation: Piles of parking in deep space - the ways builders are meeting the challenge of huge underground car parks taking shape in London" - The Sunday Times, February 21, 1988
8. ^ "High Flats Defended" - The Times, January 31, 1969
9. ^ "Greenwood Refuses TV Confrontation" - The Times, November 13, 1968
10. ^ Discussion on the paper Features in the design and construction of Drapers Gardens Development (Frischmann, Brown & Prabhu, 1967)
11. ^ "What about drving across the channel?" - 21 March 1971
12. ^ "A Tunnel or Bridge Across the Channel at Last?" - 13th September 1981
13. ^ "Tall Buildings" - Science Journal October 1965
14. ^ "Tower Cities' Two Miles High" - The Times, September 20, 1965
15. ^ "Can men emulate the termite?" - The Times, May 14, 1968

Persondata
Name	Frischmann, Wilem
Alternative names
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Date of birth
Place of birth	Uzhhorod
Date of death
Place of death