Paul A. Gossen, P.E., F.ASCE

Principal Emeritus & Senior Engineer

Education

  • DPL. ING., Technische Engenieur Fachhochschule, Berlin, Germany

Career Synopsis

Paul Gossen was an associate with Geiger Associates, also known as Geiger Berger, from 1970 to 1973 and from 1979 to 1988. One of the founding principals of Geiger Engineers, Paul was initially the firm's Chief Engineer and subsequently its President. In more than forty-five years of professional practice, he has had a significant role in over 30 built spectator sports facilities, including five domed stadia. Paul has also conducted more than 12 significant structural investigations of building structures in his career. He is a member of the IASS Working Group 16 Retractable Roofs and a member of the ASCE Cable Committee. Paul has authored numerous technical papers on long-span and sports facility structures. Paul retired as a Principal of the firm in 2013 but continues to work part-time on projects he finds to be of interest.

Project Experience

In-house Expert Consultant: 
  • Las Vegas NFL Stadium Construction Engineering, Las Vegas, NV 
  • Syracuse University Stadium (aka Carrier Dome) New Roof, Syracuse, NY  
  • U.S. Bank Stadium, Precast Design Review, Minneapolis, MN 
  • Colorado State University Stadium Construction Engineering, Fort Collins, CO 
  • Canada Place Roof Cable Recoating, Vancouver, BC  
Long-Span Structures, Sports & Recreation Facilities
Principal in Charge of:
  • Harbor Center Construction, 3rd Party Reviews, Buffalo, NY
  • U.S. Bank Stadium, Precast Design Review, Minneapolis, MN
  • Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Roof Membrane Replacement, Minneapolis, MN
  • Pegula Ice Arena Construction, 3rd Party Reviews, Penn State University, University Park, PA
  • Cincinnati Reds Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
  • Flushing Meadow Corona Park Pool + Rink, New York, NY
  • SUNY New Paltz - Athletic Center, New Paltz, NY
  • Carolina Center Arena, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
  • Littlejohn Arena Renovation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
  • Hannover Arena, Hannover, Germany
  • RBC Center, Entertainment & Sports Arena, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
  • Alltel Arena, Little Rock, AR
  • Crown Center at Cumberland County Coliseum Complex, Fayetteville, NC
  • Charles V. Schaefer Athletic Center, Stevens Institute , Hoboken, NJ
  • Real Madrid Arena, Madrid, Spain
  • University of North Carolina, Student Activities Center, Charlotte, NC
  • Asbury Park Casino and Boardwalk Arcade, Renovation and Reuse
  • Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, England
  • Palasport Milano, Milan, Italy
  • Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
  • Federal Office Building, GSA Megastructure, Denver, CO
Chief Engineer and/or Project Manager for
  • Carrier Dome Improvements Study, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
  • 2002 World Cup Stadium Roof Canopy, Seoul, Korea
  • Resch Center Arena, Green Bay, WI
  • Bon Secours Wellness (formerly BI-LO) Arena, Greenville, SC
  • Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
  • Victoria Centre Arena, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
  • North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC
  • The Carrier Dome, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
  • The Hubert Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN
  • Taoyuan Sports Arena, Taoyuan County, Taiwan, R.O.C.
  • Carver-Hawkeye Arena, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
  • + Lowell High School Fieldhouse and Natatorium, Lowell, MA
  • Korean Olympic Arenas, Gymnastics, Fencing, Seoul, Korea
  • USAir Arena, Landover, MD
  • + Robin Hood Dell Open Air Concert Hall,Philadelphia, PA
  • + Hampton Road Coliseum, Norfolk, VA
  • Pizzitola Memorial Sports Center, Brown University, Providence, RI
  • Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester, NY
  • Eastern Airlines L-1011, Overhaul and Maintenance Hangar 25, Miami, FL
Project or Design Engineer for:
  • Qingdao Stadium Canopy, Qingdao, China
  • Peng Hu Community Center, Peng Hu , Taiwan, R.O.C.
  • Redbird Arena, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
  • Indiana Convention/Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, IN
  • BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Dakota Dome, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
  • UNI-Dome, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA
  • +Feasibility study and preliminary design of sports stadium, Honolulu, HI
  • +Princeton Cage, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Special Projects
Principal in Charge or Project Manager of:
  • Aqua Theater Performance Lifts, Le Reve, Wynn Casino and Resort, Las Vegas, NV
  • Woodstock '94, Structural Review, Saugerties, NY
  • Olympic Venue Temporary Video boards, 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Genesis We Can't Dance Tour 1992, Stage & Special Effects, North America 
  • 1993 Presidential Inaugural Gala, Stage Rigging, Washington D.C.
  • World Youth Day '93, Papal Stage, Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO
  • Phantom of the Opera, Touring Production Effects, North America
  • Octos or Conference Bike, eight-occupant human-powered sculpture, New York, NY
  • Pink Floyd Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, Flying Effects
Office and High Rise Buildings
  • +IDS Office Building, Minneapolis, MN
  • +AETNA Life Insurance, Corporate Headquarters, Indianapolis, IN
  • Market Street Office Building, SanFrancisco, CA
  • Continental Office Center (40-Story) NewYork, NY
  • The U.S. Embassy Complex in Moscow: SOM Architects
Structural Investigations of Existing Buildings and Peer Reviews
  • Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Peer Review, Orlando, FL
  • Investigation of Roof Collapse and Peer Review of 2002 Olympic Speed Skating Venue, Oquirrh Park, Jordan, UT
  • Fargo Dome Roof Investigation, Fargo, ND
  • Giants Stadium Evaluation, Meadowlands Sports Complex, E. Rutherford, NJ
  • Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark), Peer Review, Phoenix, AZ
  • +Co-Op City, Investigation of settlement problems and development of remedial measures, New York, NY
  • Sheraton Hotel, Investigation into conversion to Chinese Embassy expansion, New York, NY
  • +Pleasants Power Station, Investigation of Cooling Tower #2 collapse, Belmont, WV
  • +Hartford Coliseum, Roof Collapse Investigation, Hartford, CT
  • +Investigation of failures in concrete retention tank, Maraven, Venezuela
  • +Veterans Administration - Investigation, seismic evaluation and retrofit of 258 masonry buildings, mainly hospital facilities
  • +Walson Army Hospital, Investigation and repair of deteriorated facade, Fort Dix, NJ
  • Bushwick Houses, Investigation of collapse of partially completed structures and quality control recommendations, New York City Housing Authority, New York, NY
Research and Development Projects
  • Operable Fan Dome Development Study, U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, IL
  • +Study and design of various transmission tower concepts, Henry Dreyfuss - Architect
  • +Development and design of a 100 ft. high, non-metallic microwave link tower for the FAA, McCook, IL
  • +Dynamic analysis of Elevated Train, Philadelphia, PA
  • +Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Study of the economic and technical value of PRT system, Morgantown, WV+ Indicates work with firms other than those noted in Career Synopsis.

Professional Honors

  • Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize, American Society of Civil Engineers
  • AIA Award, Westchester County Chapter, 1985

Teaching Activities

  • Associate Professor at City College, City University of New York, NY
  • Guest Lecturer, School of Architecture, Columbia University, New York, NY
  • Cooper Union, New York, NY
  • Boston Architectural College, Boston, MA

Publications

  • "Design Experience with Nonlinear Tension Based Systems: Tents, Trusses and Tensegrity", Proceedings, LSA98 Conference, Sydney, Australia, published by LSAA
  • "The First Rigidly Clad Tensegrity Type Dome", The Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina", Proceedings, IASS-ICSS International Congress ‘98, Moscow, Russia, published by ICSS
  • "Study of a 610 m Broadcast Tower", Proceedings, International Symposium on New Perspectives for Shell and Spatial Structures, IASS-APCS 2003, published by National Taiwan University
  • "Seoul 2002 World Cup Stadium Canopy Roof Structure", Proceedings, Sixth Asian Pacific Conference on Shell and Spatial Structures, Vol. II, pp 1025-1032, October 2000, published by Hakmun Publishing Inc.
  • "Tensioned Fabric Membrane Roofs for "Tensegrity" Domes", Proceedings, ASCE Structures Congress XIII\'95, Boston MA, published by the ASCE
  • "Air-Supported Roof Redux", Civil Engineering Magazine, May 1995, Volume 65, Number 5, published by the ASCE
  • "Effects of Spatial Triangulation on the Behavior of "Tensegrity" Domes", Spatial, Lattice and Tension Structures, IASS-ASCE International Symposium\'94, published by the ASCE
  • "Current State of Development and Future Trends in Employment of Air-Supported Roofs in Long-Span Applications", Spatial, Lattice and Tension Structures, IASS-ASCE International Symposium\'94, published by the ASCE
  • "Long-Span Spatial Truss Systems Developed For Sports Facilities", Innovative Large Span Structures, IASS-CSCE International Congress 1992, published by the CSCE, Montréal, 1992
  • "Design Details of an Elliptical Cable Dome and a Large-span Cable Dome Under Construction in the United States", Proceedings, 1st Oleg Kerensky Memorial Conference, London, England, 1988
  • "Sheffield International Arena ", The Structural Engineer, Journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers, Volume 69, Number 8, 16 April 1991, London, England
  • "Sheffield International Arena", Steel Construction, Journal of the Steel Construction Institute, Volume 5, Number 4, STADIA, 4 July 1991, England
  • "The Carrier Dome, Syracuse New York", PCI Journal, March/April 1981
  • "King Post Truss Systems Cuts Roof framing Costs by 30%", Civil Engineering Magazine, June 1977
  • "GRP replaces steel section of RML tower", Plastic Engineering, October 1976

Patents

  • US Patent #4,371,279: Structural Joint, (for use in space frame connections). Co-inventor: John Prussen

Professional Societies

  • Diplomat, The American College of Forensic Examiners
  • Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers
  • IASS - International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, Working Group No. 16, Retractable Roofs
  • Consultant to National Research Council for Built Environment, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
  • Member, American Welding Society
  • Former Member, Research Council for Structural Cables, American Society of Civil Engineers
  • Former Member, Committee for Fabric Tension Structures, American Society of Civil Engineers
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