Education
Born in Stuttgart in 1909, Leonhardt studied at Stuttgart University and Purdue University.
engineer university professor civil engineer
Born in Stuttgart in 1909, Leonhardt studied at Stuttgart University and Purdue University.
His book Bridges: Aesthetics and Design is well known throughout the bridge engineering community. In 1934 he joined the German Highway Administration, working with Paul Bonatz amongst others He was appointed at the remarkably young age of 28 as the Chief Engineer for the Cologne-Rodenkirchen Bridge.
In 1954 he formed the consulting firm Leonhardt und Andrä, and from 1958 to 1974 taught the design of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete at Stuttgart University.
He was President of the University from 1967 to 1969. In 1988, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) by the University of Bath.
Throughout his career, Leonhardt was as dedicated to research as to design, and his major contributions to bridge engineering technology included: development of a launching system for prestressed concrete bridges, first used in his 1963 bridge over the Caroní River in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela the "Hi-Am" anchor for cable stays, in collaboration with the Swiss firm B.B.R.V. anchorages in prestressed concrete experiments during the 1930s on steel orthotropic decks.
Heidelberg Academy for Sciences and Humanities.