The Stereo World of Engineer Shukhov

Vladimir Shukhov is Russia’s most famous engineer of all times; he is our Russian Gustav Eiffel who is known throughout the world. In his inventions, Shukhov found himself on the threshold of a groundbreaking new system of interpreting buildings as “space shells”. The architecture of such buildings is essentially their structure. Shukhov is admired by many architects –because his input in the construction technology ensured a new degree of freedom in working with space and shape. This second, “architectural” genius of his, though, was only appreciated in the second half of the XX century, while his contemporaries more appreciated his developments of a purely practical nature. The lightweight innovative structures were rather simple to assemble, were cost effective material-wise, and were capable of spanning considerable amounts of floor space.