User:Oalbardan/sandbox

= Gulzar Syed Haider =

Dr. Gulzar Syed Haider is a Canadian-Pakistani architect, designer, and author recognized as an important figure in Islamic architecture. Born in Pakistan, as an undergraduate, Haider studied civil engineering at the West Pakistan College of Engineering and Technology from Punjab University in 1958[i]. Haider then moved to Illinois where he got the Fulbright scholarship in 1961 and completed his Masters (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Illinois[ii]. Haider’s Islamic architecture knowledge was inspired by Muslim architectural tradition based on his memories of Lahore and the visual encounters with Pope’s Survey of Persian Art and Architecture[iii]. The architect then integrated modernistic approaches along with traditional approaches in order to come up with buildings such as the Islamic society of North America (ISNA) Mosque in Plainfield, IN, United States along with the Baitul Islam Mosque in Maple, ON, Canada[iv]. Haider also does extensive writing about Islamic architecture, culture, and the modern world. Some of his prominent writings are Spatial geometry in Islamic art and architecture, The Sense of Unity, Muslim space and the practice of architecture, and more[v].

Education
Haider graduated with a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering at the West Pakistan College of Engineering and Technology in Punjab University in 1958. He then went to Illinois where he received the Fulbright Scholarship in 1961 and continued his studies to receive a Master of Science (M.S.) in Engineering, a Bachelor's (B.) in Architecture, and then went on to get his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.) all at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign[vi].

Personal Life and Career
Gulzar Haider is an author, teacher, architect, designer, practitioner, and theoretician who centers his research on Islamic architecture. Haider started off living in the countryside in Pakistan. Shortly after, Haider’s father decided to move to Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan in order to have a better academic career for the sake of his child, Gulzar Haider[vii]. Haider graduated from the West Pakistan College of Engineering and Technology in Punjab University in 1958 and received a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Engineering[viii]. In 1961, he received the Fulbright scholarship in earthquake engineering and was sent from Lahore to the University of Pittsburgh to be oriented towards the American culture, political, and educational systems[ix]. Haider was also housed with a host family called the Waynes. After his orientation, he went on to pursue his studies at the University of Illinois. During the completion of his M.S. in Engineering, Haider married his wife, Santosh. At this point, Haider was wanting to get into architecture but did not want to study 5 more years in the architecture program. However, his wife pushed him and helped him to enroll in Architecture[x].

After the completion of his B. Architecture, in 1969, Haider entered the competition for the Grand National Mosque in Islamabad (Faisal Mosque) with his colleague Mukhtar Khalil but failed to win it. Haider then took a sabbatical year from 1978-1979 in Saudi Arabia where he became a professor and head of the Department of Architecture at the College of Architecture and Planning at King Faisal University, Dammam. In 1979, Haider was invited to design the ISNA Mosque in Plainfield, IN, United States[xi]. In this same year, Haider created his own company GHDG: Gulzar Haider Design Group where he was and still remains its director in Toronto, ON, Canada. From 1980 to 1981, Haider worked as a visiting Professor of Architecture at Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States[xii]. In 1987, Haider was asked to design the Baitul Mosque in Maple, ON, Canada[xiii]. Haider has won a multitude of research and development grants while lecturing across multiple continents such as the Davidson Dunton Research Lectureship: Lifetime Scholarly and Applied research Award in 1999. From 2000 to 2004 Haider became a professor and Director of the School of Architecture at Carleton University, ON, Canada. In 2005, Haider became and remains the Dean of the School of Architecture and Design at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The architect established one of the most renowned academic programs in the country through his vigorous commitment and experience[xiv]. Additionally, Haider has been a design consultant to several architectural firms and a juror to a multitude of international architectural competitions such as the O.I.C Headquarters in Jeddah, the New Campus of the Vietnamese-German University in Ho Cho Minh City, the Arab Cultural Center in Washington, the Jabal Khandama Development Project in Makkah[xv]. His work for international organizations, including the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of Islamic Conference (O.I.C) is highly contemplated[xvi]. With a cumulation of 55 papers, reports, and articles, his interest in mathematics and architectural structures has led to the publication of unique and innovative research such as Spatial geometry in Islamic art and architecture[xvii].

Other than having his own business: Gulzar Haider Design Group, Haider worked with multiple other firms throughout the United States (US) and Canada from 1979 to 2005 such as Design Associate, at Domus Architects, Toronto, Canada; Principal Partner, Strutt, and Haider, Architects and Engineers, Ottawa, Canada; Associate at Descon International, Ottawa, Canada. Associate, DANA A/E, Architects, Engineers, and Planners, Chicago, US[xviii].

Since 1981, Haidar has been a United Nations consultant to Karachi Development Authority on Housing and Environmental issues in the Karachi Master Plan. He also addressed an international Conference on Islamic Environmental Ethics and delivered a lecture on the “Future of Muslim Ummah” in July 1987. Haider was invited as a Guest of the Ministry of Education by the Government of Malaysia to lecture at various institutes and universities. He lectured on the topics of “Cosmology and Islamic Architecture”, “Architectural Aesthetics”, and “Environmental Ethics”[xix].

Books
Haidar has always written books, articles, chapters, and more since the beginning of his academic and career journey. The topics of his writing are cosmology and Islamic Architecture, architectural aesthetics, environmental ethics, geometry and spatial organization, and more[xx]. Some of his written works are listed below:


 * The Sense of Unity (2nd Edition)


 * A Complete Introduction to the World of Web Design


 * Environmental Management System Iso 14001


 * Making Muslim Space in North America and Europe (1st Edition)


 * Reading Spiritualities


 * Muslim Integration


 * Temples for a Modern God


 * Qur’anic Guidance for Good Governance


 * Understanding Islamic Architecture


 * Contemporary Issues in Islam and Science