Professor, Structures
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 1977
Bachelor of Science, University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh, 1964
Professional Registrations
Licensed Structural Engineer, Illinois, 1991
Academic Experience
Professor, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1989-present
Chairman, Structures Faculty, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1993-2003; 2007
Coordinator, Structures Option, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1993-2003; 2007
Associate Professor, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1985-1989
Senior Lecturer, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; 1984
Professional Experience
Structural Engineer, Sargent & Lundy, Chicago, IL; 1983-84
Project Engineer, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Chicago, IL; 1980-83
Senior Structural Engineer, Albery, Pullerits, Dickson & Associates, Ontario, Canada; 1979-80
Structural Engineer, B. H. Martin Consultants Ltd., Timmins, Ontario, Sudbury, Canada; 1977-79
Publications
Book: Architecture of Tall Buildings, Principal Editor, McGraw-Hill, 1995
Book: Bangladesh Floods: Views From Home and Abroad, co-editor, University Press Limited, Bangladesh; 1998
Book: Art of the Skyscraper: The Genius of Fazlur Khan, Author, Rizzoli International Publications; 2001
Book: Catalyst for Skyscraper Revolution: Lynn S. Beedle—A Legend in His Lifetime, editor, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, 2004
Book: The Skyscraper and the City: Design, Technology, and Innovation, co-author, Edwin Mellen Press, 2007
Article: "Design of Foundations in Seismic Zones," Concrete International, vol. 19 no. 1; January 1997 (pp. 44-48)
Article: "Concrete Change," Civil Engineering Magazine, vol. 68 no. 2; February 1998 (pp. 70-72)
Article: "Rise of Concrete High-Rise," Indian Concrete Journal, vol. 75 no. 8; August 2001 (pp. 497-506)
Article: "Expressions in Islamic Architecture in America," The ARCHI, Alpha Rho CHi; November, 2003 (pp.3-9)
Editor: CTBUH Review, Journal of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat; 1999-2002
Lecture: "Fazlur Rahman Khan: Master Builder and Humanist," delivered at the Civil Engineering Department, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, August 24, 1999
Lecture: "Skyscrapers, Technology, Art and a Vision: Insights of an Innovator," delivered at the book-signing event, Prairie Avenue Bookshop, Chicago, IL; November 14, 2001
Lecture: "Designing the Impossible in the Aftermath of the World Trade Center Collapse," delivered at the ‘Know Your University’ 2002 Spring Lecture Series, University of Illinois YMCA, Champaign, IL; January 29, 2002
Lecture: "Architecture Seismic Design Concepts," delivered at Seismic Overview Seminar, co-sponsored by Mid-America Earthquake Center and five other organizations, Urbana, IL; December 2, 2004
Paper: "Protective Design of Concrete Buildings Under Blast Loading," proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Structures Under Shock and Impact, Montreal, Canada; May 2002
Paper: "Integrated Design of Safe Skyscrapers: Problems, Challenges, and Prospects," Proceedings of the CIB-CTBUH International Conference on Tall Buildings, Kuala Lumpur, Maylaysia; October, 2003
Research
Research: Structural History of Skyscrapers; Systems Integration of Tall Buildings; Structural Design for Natural Disasters, Sustainable Design, Low-cost Housing
Presentations and Lectures
Guest lecture on “Seeking Structural Logic in Architecture,” session of the UIUC extension course Arch N908 - The Built Environment: Architecture and You, Champaign, IL; April 8, 1997
Chaired session “The Place of Art, Architecture, and Culture in Islam,” International Islamic Conference ‘Islam in the New Century’, Chicago, IL; July 3-6, 1997
Offered 2-day extension course “Structural Planning in Building” organized by the UIUC School of Architecture/Building Research Council, Chicago, IL; July 27-28, 2000
Chaired session “Cities Spanning the Millennium” and workshop “Planning and Architecture” at the 6th World Congress on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Melbourne, Australia; February 26-March 2, 2001
Professional Memberships
Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers; 1998-present (member since 1987)
Member, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat; 1989-present
Member, Graduate Faculty, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 1989-present
Member, Architectural Engineering Institute; 1997-present
Professional and University Service
Member (elected/appointed), Promotion and Tenure Committees of the School of Architecture (1999-present) and the College of Fine Arts, 2006-present, UIUC
Chairman (appointed), Group PA - Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH); 1998-2006
Chairman (appointed), Committee on Architecture, CTBUH; 1990-98
Member (appointed), Steering Committee, CTBUH, 1998 -present
Member (appointed), Graduate Committee, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1993-present
Member (appointed), Curriculum Committee, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1993-2001
Member (appointed), UIUC-CERL Liaison Committee; 1989-94, 1997-present
Other Activities
Interviewed by New York Times on July 27, 2001 and quoted on August 19 on the Goldman Sachs Building in Jersey City, NJ in an article “City Life: Looking up at Jersey City’s Future…”
Interviewed, quoted, and aired by newspapers, magazines, and radio stations following World Trade Center collapse by New York Times, Chicago Daily Herald, Toronto Star, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Daily Illini, Architectural Record, WILL AM Radio, Illinois Radio Network, National Public Radio, etc. ; September 11-October 15, 2001
Feature article, “Urge to Build Skyscrapers will Endure, Scholar Says” on my interview with UIUC News Bureau on WTC and my book on skyscrapers in Inside Illinois, October 18, 2001 (posted on the UIUC News web site; September 17, 2001)
Guest Commentator, “Town Hall Meeting: Rebuilding a Way of Life in the Face of Disaster,” UIUC School of Architecture Forum; October 18, 2001 (quoted on October 19 in The News-Gazette article “Building Experts Say Skyscrapers will Rise Again”)
Expert Assessor of International Standing, Australian Research Council; 2002
Member, International Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Tall Buildings Under Assaults, sponsored by CIB, Netherlands and CTBUH, USA, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; May 2003
Member, Editorial Board, Architectural Science Review Journal, 2006-present
Awards and Honors
Award: UIUC Chancellor's Recognition for Academic Excellence, 1999
Award: School of Architecture, UIUC Teaching Excellence Award, 2007
Award: Millennium Challenge Prize, American Society of Civil Engineers; December 1999
Grant: creating a database of old buildings in major US cities, FAA Special Grant; January 2000
Grant: research in structural evolution of tall buildings, Structural History of Tall Buildings, UIUC Research Board; August 2000
Grant: Integration of Sustainable Tall Buildings, American Institute of Architects, 2006
Additional Information
Mir M. Ali (photo: Bill Wiegand) Contact
Link
In the News
Professor Mir Ali Compiles Book on Lynn Beedle (October 2004)
High Rise and Habitat Exhibit of Student Work at I-Space Gallery, Chicago (February 2004)
