About

Dr. Mukhtar Ali is a scholar of Islamic Studies, specializing in Sufism, Islamic philosophy, and ethics. His areas of interest include Arabic and Persian literature, Qurʾānic studies, theology, and comparative religion. He is the author of 'Philosophical Sufism: An Introduction to the School of Ibn al-ʿArabī' (Routledge, 2021) and 'The Horizons of Being: The Metaphysics of Ibn al-ʿArabī in the Muqaddimat al-Qayṣarī' (Brill, 2020). His forthcoming work is an annotated translation of Jāmī’s 'Naqd al-nuṣūṣ fī sharḥ n aqsh al-fuṣūṣ'. Additionally, he has translated works in classical and contemporary Islamic metaphysics, including 'The Law of Correspondence' (2021) and 'The New Creation' (2018). While his teaching includes Islamic Studies and Arabic language, he is also a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, holding a master’s degree from Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine (2011) and a doctorate from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (2017).

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Architectural engineering
• Construction engineering
• Environmental economics
• Mechanical engineering
• Structural engineering

Selected publications

• Influence of architectural configuration on seismic response of buildings

  2026-05-18

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  The influence of plan irregularities, vertical discontinuities, and building forms on the overall response of a structure to seismic excitation has not been sufficiently studied in the past, although it may have serious repercussions from the point of view of loss of life and property. This review paper presents a state-of-the-art report on the configuration issue as it relates to seismic design and emphasizes the need for further research and for collaboration of the architect and the structural engineer while deriving the building configuration for a project. A methodology of structural investigation of buildings with known configurations is proposed. A simple example is presented to illustrate some basic concepts related to configuration.

  PublisherDOI

• Partially Guided Reinforcement Learning Approach of Reward Adjustment for Dissecting Networks

  Advances in intelligent systems and computing · 2025-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Introduction

  Routledge eBooks · 2024 · 1 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science

  According to the United Nations 2018 report, cities are projected to be home to 68% of the world's population by 2050; therefore, now is the time to invest in innovative planning and design to make urban areas conducive to human flourishing. One solution that cities have been investigating is increasing density. It is widely accepted that the concentration of people in high-density cities is more sustainable due to proximity to various public transit systems, greater overall energy efficiency, and lower carbon emissions. However, urbanization and densification have resulted in deforestation, habitat loss, and ecosystem destruction, which can decrease biodiversity and species populations and ranges.

  PublisherDOI

• Energy Efficiency of Tall Buildings: A Global Snapshot of Innovative Design

  Energies · 2023 · 18 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Architectural engineering
  • Engineering

  Design priorities for tall and supertall buildings have for some time shifted to achieving more energy efficiency to address the energy needs of the increasing global population. Engineers and architects aim to achieve energy conservation through active and passive approaches, pursuing technological innovations and adopting climate-responsive design. Because of the green movement currently dominating the building industry, tall buildings that need a massive amount of energy to build and operate, and the practical desire to switch from non-renewable to clean renewable energy resources, intense attention has been given to the energy efficiency of tall buildings in the recent past. Due to the vast array of energy-efficient design features, equipment, and applications available now, it is timely to examine the pros and cons of these issues. This review paper is an attempt to comprehensively present and deliberate these issues. It illustrates and discusses the concepts and applications through a few case studies from several continents worldwide. The review shows that the design of tall buildings focusing on energy conservation is an evolutionary process and there is a need for further research about how to face the associated challenges to improve energy efficiency by developing creative solutions and strategies, as well as applying additional innovative technologies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Structural Systems for Tall Buildings

  Encyclopedia · 2022 · 26 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Architectural engineering
  • Structural engineering
  • Engineering

  Structural systems for tall buildings have gone through an evolutionary process. The rigid frame became popular in the first half of the 20th century but proved to be structurally inefficient beyond a certain height of tall buildings. The invention of the tubular structure in the 1960s allowed buildings to be built taller with low material consumption. Due to the obstructive nature of the closely spaced exterior columns of framed tubes and bracings of braced tubes, the core-outrigger system gained acceptance by the architects as it allowed them to freely articulate the façade design. However, the conventional tubular structures continued to retain their use for tall buildings to a lesser degree and later underwent a resurgence in modified forms. These and other advanced tubular forms in cutting-edge structural systems developed later continue to find application in modern times. This study presents a detailed narrative of different structural systems for tall buildings that is expected to assist structural engineers and architects to collaboratively select appropriate structural systems for tall buildings.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Advances in Structural Systems for Tall Buildings: Emerging Developments for Contemporary Urban Giants

  Buildings · 2018-08-10 · 127 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  New developments of tall buildings of ever-growing heights have been continuously taking place worldwide. Consequently, many innovations in structural systems have emerged. This paper presents a retrospective survey of the main structural systems for tall buildings with emphasis on the advancements of recent, emerging, and potentially emerging systems. A structural systems chart that was previously developed by the authors has been updated in this paper to recognize, categorize and add the more recent structural systems. Recent trends of tubular structural systems in modified forms including the braced megatubes and diagrids are presented. Core-outrigger structural systems are discussed with emphasis on their adaptability. The potential of employing superframes for stand-alone and conjoined megatall buildings is predicted. As a means to solve today’s various project-specific complex design requirements, different mixed structural systems for supertall and megatall buildings are presented. This paper also discusses the widespread application of composite structural systems and recent trends of concrete cores for contemporary tall buildings. Finally, the future of tall buildings is predicted as the race for height continues.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Editorial Preface. Planning for livable and safe cities: Extreme weather events caused by climate change

  DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2016-03-31

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An Overview of Structural and Aesthetic Developments in Tall Buildings Using Exterior Bracing and Diagrid Systems

  International Journal of High-Rise Buildings · 2016-12-01 · 41 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  There is much architectural and engineering literature which discusses the virtues of exterior bracing and diagrid systems in regards to sustainability - two systems which generally reduce building materials, enhance structural performance, and decrease overall construction cost. By surveying past, present as well as possible future towers, this paper examines another attribute of these structural systems - the blend of structural functionality and aesthetics. Given the external nature of these structural systems, diagrids and exterior bracings can visually communicate the inherent structural logic of a building while also serving as a medium for artistic effect. Viewed in this light, the visual appeal of these systems can be enhanced to give a tower a more distinct urban identity. This entails the creation of structural elements that are aesthetically pleasing, geometrically coherent and that demonstrate dexterity of application in regards to a building's composition, while also respecting the laws of physics and mechanics. In this fashion, an artistic approach can exhibit structural systems as not just purely rational features that enable the construction of tall buildings, but as important visual components that afford opportunities for creative expression. This paper, therefore, synthesizes the concepts of structural performance and creative artistry to facilitate a better understanding of the aesthetic developments in skyscrapers worldwide.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Interlaboratory Variability of Slip Coefficient Testing for Bridge Coatings

  Rosa P: A digital library for transportation research (United States Department of Transportation) · 2014-12-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  All steel bridge systems need some type of a corrosion protection scheme to ensure a serviceable life. The most common approach is to use a multilayered paint system with a zinc-rich primer. In addition to corrosion performance, other factors need to be considered in the selection of the corrosion protection system. Steel bridges are usually fabricated in smaller components and assembled onsite using high-strength bolted connections with slip-critical connections. Slip-critical connections use the high clamping force of the bolt to develop frictional shear stresses in excess of the load demand such that slip within the connection would not be expected under service loads. Primers used on faying surfaces of slip-critical connections must demonstrate a predetermined level of slip resistance in accordance with the Research Council of Structural Connections (RCSC). This study seeks to evaluate the details of the RCSC slip test specification as applied by four different laboratories. A commonly manufactured set of test panels spanning five typical organic zinc-rich primers was tested independently and in parallel by four laboratories. The data were compared, and subtle yet important variations in test approach taken by each lab are discussed. Recommendations are provided for revisions to the RCSC test protocol to reduce variability.\n

  Publisher

• Importing Exceptional Buildings: Transforming Urban Arabian Peninsula Into Skyscraper Cities

  Open House International · 2013-12-01 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author

  Globalization has supported the exportation of exotic design and construction of many buildings including skyscrapers. In the past two decades skyscrapers have proliferated across cities all over the world, particularly those in the Arabian Peninsula. Because of their massive bulk and soaring height, these skyscrapers have dramatically altered the urban landscape and city identity. This paper examines the role of skyscrapers in supporting place identity in the Arabian Peninsula. Through case studies, the paper describes and evaluates skyscraper projects. While the “imported” iconic skyscrapers with their flamboyant forms have been transformative in re-imaging cities and their skylines, many of these have been transplanted to these cities with little consideration for local heritage and culture.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kheir Al‐Kodmany

  8 shared

• Paul J. Armstrong

  7 shared

• Ajla Akšamija

  University of Utah

  4 shared

• Donald E. Grierson

  University of Waterloo

  3 shared

• A. Ghani Razaqpur

  Nankai University

  2 shared

• Kyoung Sun Moon

  Yale University

  2 shared

• Robert Kogler

  1 shared

• Tingwei Zhang

  Sun Yat-sen University

  1 shared