Dr. Vasudev V. Nori, Chairman of Shirish Patel Associates Consultants Pvt. Ltd, is a civil engineer whose interests include conceptualisation and implementation of innovative structural designs of a variety of structures, setting out office procedures for design, analysis and drafting procedures with a view to render high quality professional service, and interaction with academic institutions.
“To be a true leader in our profession it is necessary that we resolve never to deviate from ethical code of conduct; be transparent in our transactions and work with mutual trust with other professionals who are involved in the project,” Dr. Nori told Projectmonitor. “A successful project is never a single man’s effort. Share the joy of success with everyone who is a part of the project.”
Dr. Nori joined Shirish Patel Associates Consultants Pvt. Ltd in 1965 as senior engineer. Prior to that, he acquired Bachelor of Engineering Civil (Hons.), University of Bombay, in 1957, and Docteur es sciences techniques, EPFL, Lausanne, Swizerland, in 1965. He is a Fellow of Institution of Engineers India and Life Member of Indian Concrete Institute and Consulting Engineers Association of India.
Dr. Nori’s contribution to the field of structural engineering has been recognised through numerous awards conferred on him, such as, National Design Award 1993 from Institution of Engineers (India); FIP award 1994 for most outstanding structure, in Washington at XII FIP Congress; felicitations by Dr. Adam Neville for excellence in design of concrete structures by American Concrete Institute – India Chapter, in 2003; Outstanding Concrete Technologist Award by Indian Concrete Institute in 2005; S.B. Joshi Memorial Award for Excellence in Structural and Bridge Engineering, Pune, in 2009; Lifetime Achievement Award by Indian Concrete Institute (Maharashtra Chapter) in 2011; and Gourav Award for Most Significant Contributions to Civil Engineering Consultancy from Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India) in 2012.
Some of his more important and pathbreaking ‘first time in India’ designs include:
- Incremental launching for a 423m long prestressed concrete bridge with 40m spans and with tall pier heights up to 65m above the river bed
- Panval Nadi viaduct for Konkan Railway Corporation (winner of ACI Maharashtra India Chapter Award for most outstanding structure, 1995)
- Factory building in precast concrete using pretensioned hypar shells (2.5m wide & 20m span) with 20m x 20m column spacing and 14.5m high precast panels designed for future extensions, for L&T Bengaluru, 1975
- Factory building in precast concrete with funicular trusses 30m spans, 12m span pretensioned purlins and 17m high precast branched columns for BHEL, Hyderabad, 1983
- Precast prestressed elevated viaduct of 7 km length with integral form of construction in Dwarka sub-city for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, 2004.
- Precast prestressed elevated viaduct four-lane flyover with metro viaduct running above supported on a single pier in Jaipur for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, 2013.
- 45m x 90m aircraft hangars in structural steel fabricated at ground level and lifted to final position about 12m above ground level, 1981.
- Administrative building for ECC-L&T in Chennai. The upper four stories of the structure are supported on four overlapping prestressed hollow pyramids and four hollow piers. Winner of FIP Award for most outstanding structure, 1994, Washington.
Nori says that without the encouragement, understanding and patience of all those who collaborated with him, none of the projects described above would have been realised.
He has published more than 30 technical papers and has been a keynote speaker at several international conferences.
Dr. Nori has a word of advice for the engineering fraternity: “One should show concern for the welfare of the society which reposes its trust in us. An engineer should demonstrate his passion for innovation and design elegant structures that require little maintenance,” he said.
