Master Lecture: Hanif Kara

Professor Hanif Kara is co-founder and Design Director of AKT II, a design-led structural and civil engineering firm based in London, UK. Hanif has gained international standing in the field of the built environment, through practice, pioneering research and education in interdisciplinary design. His work is widely published and currently he is Professor in Practice of Architectural Technology at Harvard GSD. He was also Professor of Architectural Technology at KTH Stockholm 2008 to 2012 and co-tutored a Diploma Unit at the Architecture Association, London from 2000 to 2004.

Hanif has led the practice in being associated with the most innovative construction projects and the practice has won over 350 design awards including the RIBA Stirling Award for the Peckham Library, London in 2000, for the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge in 2012, and for the Bloomberg European HQ, London in 2018 as well as the RIBA Lubetkin Prize for the UK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo in 2010. The practice also was awarded by Building Magazine as ‘Engineering Consultant of the Year 2019’.

His globally recognised projects include Masdar Institute (Abu Dhabi), the Francis Crick Institute (London), numerous projects at the Kings Cross developments and the Olympic Park (London), Heydar Aliyev Centre (Baku) and a number of residential towers including One Park Drive in London’s iconic Canary Wharf.

Hanif’s particular ‘design-led’ approach and interest in innovative form, pushing material uses, sustainable construction and complex analysis methods have allowed him to work on numerous pioneering projects at the forefront of many challenges facing the built environment.

This event is part of the Master Lecture series, which features presentations from experts in their field. Curated specifically for 602 students, this lecture is open to all. For more information, please contact Associate Professor Simon Kim.