Wire report
Wilem Frischmann obituary
Structural engineer who worked with the architect Richard Seifert on striking modernist buildings As a modern high-rise city, London had its skyline shaped through the acumen of the pioneering structural engineer Wilem Frischmann, who has died aged 95. Widely considered among the most influential engineers of his generation, he was best known for his work with the modernist architect Richard Seifert . The 34-storey slab of Centre Point at the east end of Oxford Street, and the City’s NatWest Tower (now Tower 42), at 600ft high, once Europe’s tallest building, were landmark structures, establishing Frischmann’s reputation for engineering innovation. Conventional wisdom held that London’s soft clay soil could not support high-rise towers, but Frischmann proved otherwise, developing the use of large-diameter piled foundations that made such structures achievable. “I was told you can’t build
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Structural engineer who worked with the architect Richard Seifert on striking modernist buildings As a modern high-rise city, London had its skyline shaped through the acumen of the pioneering structural engineer Wilem Frischmann, who has died aged 95. Widely considered among the most influential engineers of his generation, he was best known for his work with the modernist architect Richard Seifert . The 34-storey slab of Centre Point at the east end of Oxford Street, and the City’s NatWest Tower (now Tower 42), at 600ft high, once Europe’s tallest building, were landmark structures, establishing Frischmann’s reputation for engineering innovation. Conventional wisdom held that London’s soft clay soil could not support high-rise towers, but Frischmann proved otherwise, developing the use of large-diameter piled foundations that made such structures achievable. “I was told you can’t build
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According to The Guardian’s source item, Wilem Frischmann obituary, Structural engineer who worked with the architect Richard Seifert on striking modernist buildings As a modern high-rise city, London had its skyline shaped through the acumen of the pioneering structural engineer Wilem Frischmann, who has died aged 95. Widely considered among the most influential engineers of his generation, he was best known for his work with the modernist architect Richard Seifert . The 34-storey slab of Centre Point at the east end of Oxford Street, and the City’s NatWest Tower (now Tower 42), at 600ft high, once Europe’s tallest building, were landmark structures, establishing Frischmann’s reputation for engineering innovation. Conventional wisdom held that London’s soft clay soil could not support high-rise towers, but Frischmann proved otherwise, developing the use of large-diameter piled foundations that made such structures achievable. “I was told you can’t build
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The development sits in VINI’s Culture file for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-08-28T16:54:07+00:00.
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Primary source: Wilem Frischmann obituary via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- Wilem Frischmann obituaryThe Guardian - 2026-08-28T16:54:07+00:00
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