In the early 1970's, Citibank Corporation had begun to undertake the planning for a new corporate headquarters that would symbolize the strength and longevity of the company. In the planning phase of the construction, an engineering consulting firm headed by a Mr. William LeMessurier was employed to develop a design for the building. LeMessurier was a highly respected civil engineer with a talent for new and innovative designs. He was also a respected professor at Harvard University in the civil engineering field.

The design of the new Citibank offices was unique in that it had to be built on a plot of land with an existing Church structure. The Church agreed to grant "air rights" to Citibank, if Citibank would rebuild the Church in its current location. Citibank agreed, and LeMessurier was challenged with the task of designi

The building was completed in 1977 and a year later, another professor questioned LeMessurier on the design rationale. LeMessurier concluded that this design was sound, but decided to investigate, on his own, the effect of quartering winds (winds that hit two sides of the structure at the same time). New York building codes did not require quartering winds design criteria, but LeMessurier thought that it would be an interesting study. A few weeks prior to the study, LeMessurier also found out that the construction contractor for the Citibank building had substituted bolts for the welded joints in the original design. This substitution was driven by cost reductions and the time schedules of the general contractor.

The results of LeMessurier's quartering wind calculations resulted in projections of a 160 percent increase in the load placed on the structural members of the building. LeMessurier also discovered that the construction company had not taken this into consideration when substituting the bolts for the welded joints. Subsequent analysis showed that if a severe storm were to hit the Citibank building, that a "total structural failure" could occur. The devastation of such an accident would be horrific.

Several moral issues are brought to the surface during this potential disaster. The first of which relates to the issue of individual moral responsibility versus that of organizational or corporate responsibility. In this particular case, LeMessurier had completed his job designing the building and specifying the appropriate welded joints. What responsibility did he have just to investigate his design further?

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Approximate Word count = 1225
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)