Author Archive
Berger, Horst
Horst Berger
Personal Website
Work History (1)
Wayss and Freitag – Member of Bridge and Special Structures Department (1955-1958)
F.H.Kocks – Headed the Structural Department (1958-1960)
Severud Associates (1960-1968; 1990-1994)
Geiger Berger Assoc. – Principal Consultant (1960-1983)
Horst Berger Partners – Principal Consultant (1983-1990)
De Nardis Engineering, LLC – Principal Consultant (1994- Current, January 2011)
Engineering Specialties:
Structural Engineering
Design Consultation
Feasibility & Schematic Studies
Pre-Fabricated Systems
Tensioned Membrane Structures
Long Span, Light Weight Structures
Concrete Structures
Steel Structures
Personal History
Horst Berger, the principal consultant of De Nardis Engineering, LLC is a structural engineer and designer who has been named as one of the top three structural engineers in the past 125 years by Engineering News Record. He gained international recognitions for his developments in incorporating lightweight fabric structures into permanent architectural designs. During the last twenty years, more than 40 projects have been built using his architectural technology in fabric engineering including the United Terminal at the Denver International Airport. Mr. Berger was listed as one of “The modern world’s structural engineers who have contributed substantially to architecture” by Architectural Record. (2)
Horst Berger was born in Heidelberg, Germany in 1928, and grew up in a very rural life that had not changed much since medieval times. While in high school , he was drafted to serve the Nazi Army as an anti-aircraft gunner in World War II. While in Manheim, Germany, he saw the city reduced to rubble by the Allied forces strategic bombing of the city. After the war had ended he went back home to Heidelberg and saw that the city had been had been decimated and struggled to find food. In 1946, he was able to complete high school and showed great aptitude in both math and writing. Upon graduation, he obtained a position as an apprentice automotive engineer at the Daimler Benz Auto Plant. Finding the automotive work not to his liking, after six months he was able to transfer to a bridge construction company that was replacing the destroyed main river bridge in Heidelberg. He immediately loved bridge work. In 1949, Mr. Berger applied for a program that granted a select few to come to an American college and come to school; he was selected and attended Iowa State College. He loved the freedom to travel while in America and visited as many places as he could while attending school. He returned to Germany following his stint in America and got a degree in civil engineering from Stuttgart University. (3)
Mr. Berger started his career in 1955 in the Bridge and Special Structures Department of Wayss and Freitag in Frankfurt, Germany, designing concrete bridges, shells, and domes. From 1958 to 1960 he headed the structural department of a large A/E office (F.H.Kocks) in Iran. In 1960 he joined Severud Associates in New York City. There he participated in the design of the St. Louis Arch, Madison Square Garden, the Marina City Towers in Chicago, and Toronto City Hall. As an associate he designed numerous structures including the Annenberg Tower of Mount Sinai Hospital, the University of Virginia Field House, the Hofstra University Bridge, and the Wesleyan University hockey rink. In 1968, Mr. Berger along with David Geiger formed Geiger Berger Assoc. and designed some of the most advanced projects of the period. In 1983, Mr. Berger formed Horst Berger Partners, and the team continued to work on developing numerous lightweight dome structures including retractable systems. Mr. Berger joined De Nardis Associates’ Light Structures division in 1994, which is now a unit of De Nardis Engineering, LLC. This reunited Mr. Berger with Joseph A. De Nardis, and other firm personnel, who started their careers at Geiger Berger Associates. (4)
Published the book, “Light Structures – Structures of Light” in June 2005. Buy It Here
Selected Projects
Denver International Airport – Denver Colorado – 1994
San Diego Convention Center – San Diego, California – 1990
Jay Street Tower – Brooklyn, New York, 2006
Sebonack G.C. – Club House – Southhampton, NY, 2006
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center For The Performing Arts – Woodlands, Texas, 1990,2009
King Fahd International Stadium – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1986
The Exibition Hall Enclosure of Canada Harbour Place – Vancouver, B.C. Canada, 1985
De Nardis Engineering
De Nardis Engineering, LLC
Main Office: White Plains, New York, USA
History
De Nardis Engineering has experiences in diverse types of projects including residential and commercial buildings, educational and institutional facilities, stadiums, convention centers, skyscrapers, airport facilities and theatres. Today, with its more than 50 years of experience, De Nardis Engineering is famous for originating designs that are innovative, economical, and technically refined. Because of the diverse experience and technical abilities that the staff of engineers have, they have been able to develop many highly successful projects. Their website states that “Our staff excels in the art of structural analysis, design, and detailing of structures.” Some of their famous works are The San Diego Convention Center, The Mitchell Center, The New York Museum of Modern Art at Queens, Palm Spring Regional Airport Terminal, and Jay Street Tower. (1)
Engineering Specialties:
Structural Consultation
Pre-Fabricated Systems
Tensioned Membrane Structures
Long Span, Light Weight Structures
Concrete Structures
Steel Structures
Timber Structures
Special Foundations
Forensics Engineering
Number of Employees:
10
Selected Projects
San Diego Convention Center – San Diego, California – 1990
Jay Street Tower – Brooklyn, New York, 2006
Sebonack G.C. – Club House – Southhampton, NY, 2006
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center For The Performing Arts – Woodlands, Texas, 1990,2009
Notable Engineer:
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