About

Hanif Kara, OBE, is a Ugandan-born, practicing civil and structural engineer and a professor in practice with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He’s a co-founder of the design-engineering practice AKT II (which today employs 350+ people with projects across 50+ countries), and for the past 25+ years has pioneered the company’s ‘interdisciplinary’ ethos. His approach, research and publications have together driven AKT II’s unique positioning; the practice has been recognised with 400+ design awards, including four RIBA Stirling Prize wins. The company’s work includes many renowned and unique tall buildings, such as the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad and the Generali Headquarters in Milan (with Zaha Hadid Architects), as well as 240 Blackfriars Road in London (with AHMM), and also One Park Drive in London’s Canary Wharf (with Herzog & de Meuron). Hanif Kara was the first structural engineer to be appointed to the UK’s Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), and to the steering committee of the global Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and he’s currently an official design advocate for the Mayor of London. He received the UK’s Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2022 for his services to architecture, engineering and education.

Hanif Kara, OBE, is a Ugandan-born, practicing civil and structural engineer and a professor in practice with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He’s a co-founder of the design-engineering practice AKT II (which today employs 350+ people with projects across 50+ countries), and for the past 25+ years has pioneered the company’s ‘interdisciplinary’ ethos. His approach, research and publications have together driven AKT II’s unique positioning; the practice has been recognised with 400+ design awards, including four RIBA Stirling Prize wins. The company’s work includes many renowned and unique tall buildings, such as the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad and the Generali Headquarters in Milan (with Zaha Hadid Architects), as well as 240 Blackfriars Road in London (with AHMM), and also One Park Drive in London’s Canary Wharf (with Herzog & de Meuron). Hanif Kara was the…

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