The story of how Brooklyn born maths genius Barbara Res became head of construction for Trump Tower, despite deep-rooted sexism that sat at the heart of construction – and society in the 1970s and 1980s.

Project owner Donald Trump modestly called Trump Tower “the most important project in the world” and to deliver it, he appointed a 31 year old female engineer called Barbara Res. Having seen her in action on the Grand Hyatt project, Barbara had earned his respect as a hard worker, and someone who would always put the project first. And this she did, meeting Trump’s demanding schedule and driving down costs.

But delivering New York’s most iconic building, and others before it, was far from easy and didn’t just require battling with contractors and suppliers. Barbara had to fight against abject and relentless sexism on a daily basis. Only after two decades in the industry, when a high profile political injustice caught the nation’s attention, did Barbara stop to reflect on the way that working on site had changed her, and in 1991 she had an epiphany that changed her life.

GUEST:

Barbara Res, author of “All Alone On The 68th Floor”

The post #7 The woman who built Trump Tower first appeared on Engineering Matters.