ABSTRACT
Architect Louis I. Kahn (1901-1974) and structural engineer August E. Komendant (19061992), who were both born in Estonia, must have found a kindred spirit in each other when they first met in 1956. It would mark the beginning of a friendship that would strengthen with their appointment to the faculty of the School of Architecture of the University of Pennsylvania in 1957 and 1959, respectively. For Kahn, it was a special honor since he had graduated from that school in 1924 and was awarded the prestigious Paul Philippe Cret professorship, named after his mentor. Equally significant was the fact that the first project that brought Kahn and Komendant together was the Richards Medical Research Laboratories of 1957-61 in the University of Pennsylvania (Fig. 1), the building that won them international acclaim.
