Altaf Engineer
· Associate Professor of ArchitectureVerifiedUniversity of Arizona · School of Architecture
Active 1958–2024
About
Altaf Engineer is an Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and the University of Arizona Institute on Place, Wellbeing & Performance (UA IPWP), an interdisciplinary institute linking expertise from the UA College of Medicine - Tucson, the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, and the UA College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA). He serves as Co-Director of the Healthy Designs Lab at CAPLA, which is affiliated with the Drachman Institute, and is also the Faculty Advisor for the Health and Built Environment concentration in the Master of Science in Architecture degree program. Altaf holds a PhD in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was an Illinois Distinguished Fellow and received the ARCC King’s Merit Medal for Excellence in Architectural + Environmental Behavior Research. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Mumbai, India, and is a registered architect in New York, USA, as well as a LEED Accredited Professional. His professional experience includes sustainable higher education buildings, institutional buildings, adaptive re-use, and residential projects. His scholarship, teaching, and practice focus on health and wellbeing in the built environment, with particular attention to daylighting, social and behavioral issues, occupant comfort, and indoor air quality. Altaf has authored books on the impact of the built environment on health, wellbeing, and performance, and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on these topics. He teaches courses related to design, research methods, building technology, and health in the built environment, and is a cofounder of Architects For Society, a nonprofit design practice dedicated to serving disadvantaged communities through innovative architecture and design.
Research signals
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Research topics
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Psychology
- Human–computer interaction
- Architectural engineering
- Civil engineering
Selected publications
2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingDaylighting Glare and Design for Visual Comfort
Technology|Architecture + Design · 2024-01-02 · 5 citations
articleDaylighting and glare simulation provide architecture students, professionals, and researchers with the knowledge and skillsets to design environments for visual comfort. Conducting simulations is essential for better human health and reducing building energy consumption. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a mixed-methods approach to designing a glare-free environment in a hot-arid region. It examines daylighting and glare distributions in different scenarios with combinations of architectural daylighting devices, such as shading devices, light shelves, etc., using Rhino 7, DIVA, and ClimateStudio. The study concludes by recommending a practical simulation approach for evaluating glare. In this case study, using a customized shading device/light shelf combined with efficient skylights reduces glare to imperceptible and increases the daylit area by 20%.
Measuring the Impact of the Built Environment on Health, Wellbeing, and Performance
2024 · 2 citations
1st authorCorresponding- Psychology
This book reveals how subjective and objective data gathered by innovative methods of measurement give us the ability to quantify stress, health, performance, and wellbeing outcomes in different built environments. Design interventions informed by these measures, along with innovative integrated building materials, can shape the character of built environments for better health, productivity, and performance. These measures can help employers and managers calculate the return on investment (ROI) of various design interventions. Areas of inquiry in health and the built environment are discussed in three parts: Part 1 – Fundamentals: Human, Environment, and Material Measures for Health and Wellbeing; Part 2 – Methods: Measurement Techniques, Tools, and Methods for Health and Wellbeing; and Part 3 – Applications: Case Studies and Future Directions. The rapid pace of technical innovation and entrepreneurship by interdisciplinary research teams in health and the built environment has created a need for more publications such as this book, which discuss latest tools and methods of measuring the effects of the built environment on human physiology and psychology. Emerging tools and techniques are introduced for this field of built environment design, including virtual reality immersive environments and fisheye lens photograph simulations for human wellbeing impact measures integral to the design process. The potentials and limitations of bio‑responsive material systems and integrated sensing devices with wearable technologies linked to the Internet of Things are discussed in relation to human wellbeing performance improvements. The book provides both the foundational knowledge and fundamentals for characterizing human health and wellbeing in the built environment as well as emerging trends and design research methods for innovations in this field. It will be of interest to researchers, educators, and students of architecture, interior design, and integrative medicine, as well as professionals working in health and the built environment.
2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingMeasurement Tools and Technologies
2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingHuman Health and Wellbeing Measures
2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding2024-02-08
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
Frequent coauthors
- 14 shared
Esther Sternberg
University of Arizona
- 11 shared
Aletheia Ida
University of Arizona
- 10 shared
Wooyoung Jung
University of Arizona
- 6 shared
Kathryn H. Anthony
- 2 shared
Ria J. Gualano
Cornell University
- 1 shared
AnnaMarie Bliss
- 1 shared
Andrew Weil
- 1 shared
Lipi Verma
Swami Rama Himalayan University
Awards & honors
- Illinois Distinguished Fellow (University of Illinois at Urb…
- ARCC King’s Merit Medal for Excellence in Architectural + En…
- 2018 Emerging Legacy Award from the College of Fine and Appl…
- Faculty Award for Research Excellence from the University of…
- German Design Council Iconic Award 2016
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