Attended Central High School and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts on scholarship (1912-1920).
Graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1924.
Became a prominent architect in the 1950s.
Travelled extensively in Europe, studying historical and modern buildings.
Career Highlights
1925-26: Senior draughtsman in a design office, later chief of design.
1930: Joined the office of Paul Cret as a designer.
1932-33: Director of research at the Architectural Research Group, focusing on city planning and housing.
1935: Registered with the American Institute of Architects.
1936: Organized exhibition of government housing at MoMA.
1946-52: Consulting architect for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.
1947: Started independent practice.
1947-57: Professor of architecture and chief critic at Yale University.
1950-51: American Academy in Rome; travelled in Italy, Greece, and Egypt.
1956: Professor of Architecture and Planning at MIT.
1954-74: Professor of architecture, University of Pennsylvania.
1960: Fellow at Princeton University; lectured at Yale, Harvard, and other universities.
Awards and Recognition
1960: Arnold Brunner Award prize.
1961: Graham Foundation Fellowship for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts Medal for Achievement.
1969: Silver medal, University of Connecticut; Gold medal of Philadelphia.
1970: Gold medal of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects; Gold medal of the American Institute of Architects; Gold medal from RIBA.
1992: Landmark Building Award for Margaret Esherick House.
Honorary doctorates from Polytechnic Institute, University of North Carolina, Yale University, La Salle College, Maryland Institute of College of Arts, and Bard College.
Khan's Design Philosophy
Form: Includes new and ancient forms, subordinate to an eternal order.
Geometry: The visible expression of form; uses existing forms to harmonize individual ideas.
Space: An entity autonomous with form, representing a single element in the floor plan.
Light: Daylight is essential for the specific character of space.
Construction: Determines space with structure, giving space-giving force.
Material: Shows material in its natural quality.
Famous Buildings
Trenton Bathhouse (1955): Early work with changing rooms and pyramidal roofs.
Margaret Esherick House: Influenced all his work to follow and won Landmark Building award from the Philadelphia chapter of American Instit of Architects
Richards Medical Research Building: Research facilities with flexible lab space.
Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Labs designed around a courtyard with a stream connecting to the ocean.
Phillips Exeter Academy Library: Designed with books at the center and study carrels on the periphery.
Kimbell Art Museum: Famous for its lighting system and concrete walls.
Buildings in India and Bangladesh
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad: Used local bricks and concrete; some dormitories faced demolition.
National Assembly Building, Dhaka: Stands on an artificial lake; construction started in 1961, opened in 1982.