12 March 2017, Oman

The rapid urbanization has led to an increase demand for innovative and sustainable commercial, residential, and social infrastructure solutions. This demand in infrastructure that cover broadly office buildings, public facilities, schools, and clinics highlights the emerging need for the engineers to know about the latest in engineering tools required to ensure safety and performance of buildings and housing facilities.

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in collaboration with Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and Oman Society of Engineers organized a One-day Seminar: Design of Tall Buildings and Affordable Housing held on 12 March 2017 at Sultan Qaboos University Campus in Muscat.

The seminar covered important topics including: Progression and Developments in Structural Design Philosophy by Dr. Naveed Anwar; Strength of Interlocking Compressed Soil Blocks Produced using Soil and Production Water from Oil Fields in Oman by Dr. Abdelwahed Hago Mohammed; Recent Approaches in the Design of Multi-story Steel-framed Buildings in Fire by Prof. Khalifa Al-Jabri; Performance Design of Tall Buildings by Dr. Naveed Anwar; Structural Solutions to Architectural Challenges by Dr. Naveed Anwar; and Ultra-high Strength Concrete-filled Composite Columns and Ultra-lightweight Composite floor for Multi-story Building Construction by Dr. Kazi Mohammed Abu Sohel.

SQU and AIT (through AIT Solutions and Habitech) started collaborating in 2014 on a research project to develop a way to provide an effective onsite solution utilizing the water generated during oil extraction in the drilling sites of Petroleum Development Oman.

(From left) Prof. Khalifa Al-Jabri, Dr. Naveed Anwar and one of the participants in the seminar