SCHOOL OF ART, DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
Faculty Waqas Ahmed Mahar

Waqas Ahmed Mahar

Professor
Summary

Dr. Waqas Ahmed Mahar is an architect and urbanist, currently serving as a Professor at NUST, Islamabad, Pakistan. His research primarily focuses on sustainable architecture and urbanism, housing, human comfort, indoor environmental quality, building defects and rework, as well as energy-efficient buildings. Dr. Mahar has a diverse professional background, having worked as a registered architect in Pakistan, a housing manager in Malaysia, and an academic and researcher in Pakistan, Malaysia, and Belgium.

Academic Background
PhD (Architecture and Urban Planning) Université de Liège November 27, 2017 - May 03, 2021
Honours and Awards
Publications
Movement and Need-based Facilities in High-rise Buildings June 03, 2026 Sir Syed University Research Journal of Engineering & Technology -
Integrating Heritage Conservation, Adaptive Reuse, and Sustainable Tourism: A Value-Based Framework for Historic Urban Quarters. April 23, 2026 Heritage - Volume 9(5), Article Number 159
Assessment of Public Safety Standards in Commercial High-Rise Buildings of the Central Business District of Peshawar, Pakistan April 01, 2026 Urban and Building Science - Volume 2(2), Article Number 3
Impacts of Movement Facilities on Comfort Assessment of Patients in Hospitals: Evidence from Karachi Hospitals December 29, 2025 Sir Syed University Research Journal of Engineering & Technology - Volume 15, Issue 11, Pages 44-52
Urban Heat on Hold: A Remote Sensing-Based Assessment of COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Land Surface Temperature and SUHI in Nowshera, Pakistan December 04, 2025 Land - Volume 14(12), Article Number 2372
Assessment of the spatial inequality and configuration of recreational green spaces in the urban centre of Nowshera, Pakistan November 19, 2025 Discover Cities - Volume 2, Article Number 113
Facadism: A Happy Medium to the Dichotomy of Demolition and Conservation November 03, 2025 International Research Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (IRJAHSS) - Volume 3(02), Pages 192-207
Adaptive Reuse as a Conservation Strategy: The Case of Trinity Church, a British-Era Heritage Site in Karachi October 20, 2025 Journal of Arts and Linguistics Studies (JALS) - Volume 3(4), Pages 5653-5690
The Impact of Soundscape on Pedestrian Comfort, Perception and Walking Experience in Béjaïa, Algeria October 13, 2025 Acoustics - Volume 7(4), Article Number 64
The Evolution From Trend To A Tradition: Tea As A Cultural Pillar of Quetta’s Social Life September 28, 2025 Traditional Journal of Law and Social Sciences - Volume 04, No. 02, Pages 45-73
Refining climate zoning in North Africa: A 30-Year analysis of heating and cooling degree days for energy planning and adaptation September 01, 2025 Energy and Buildings - Volume 342, Article Number 115852
Urban Modernity and Spatial Transformation: The Evolution of Lyallpur to Faisalabad August 29, 2025 Journal of Design and Built Environment - Volume 25, Issue 02, Pages 57-77
An Investigation of Microclimatic Influences on Pedestrian Perception and Walking Experience in Contrasting Urban Fabrics: The Case of the Old Town and the Lower City of Béjaïa, Algeria June 26, 2025 Urban Science - Volume 9(7), Article Number 243
Bridging Urban Renewal and Cultural Regeneration: The Case of Meezan Chowk in Quetta, Pakistan June 20, 2025 Architecture - Volume 5(3), Article Number 41
Multi-objective optimization of insulation materials for building energy and comfort improvements in hot and arid regions May 21, 2025 Building Research and Information - Pages 1-20
Barriers to Adopting Green Building Practices: A Case Study of Quetta, Pakistan September 24, 2024 The Sciencetech - Volume 5, Issue 3, Pages 180-196
Editorial: Advancing sustainability, battling climate change September 12, 2024 Frontiers in Sustainability - Volume:5, Article Number 1480905
Measuring community disaster resilience in Southern Punjab: a study of 2022 floods in Pakistan June 01, 2024 Natural and Applied Sciences International Journal (NASIJ) - Volume 5, No. 1, Pages 113-129
Buffer Zone Policy and its Impact on the Land Value and the Quality of the Built Environment in World Heritage Sites: The Case of Kampung Jawa, Melaka, Malaysia March 29, 2024 Architecture and Engineering - Volume 9(1), Pages 91-102
Experimental Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Concrete Mix with Lightweight Expanded Polystyrene and Steel Fibers February 17, 2024 CivilEng - Volume:5, Issue:1, Pages 209-223
Effect of Street Asymmetry, Albedo, and Shading on Pedestrian Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Hot Desert Climates February 02, 2024 Sustainability - Volume:16, Issue:3, Article Number 1291
Street Design Strategies Based on Spatial Configurations and Building External Envelopes in Relation to Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Climates December 26, 2023 Sustainability - Volume:16, Issue:1, Article Number 221
Assessment of Transit Congestion for Sustainable Urban Transport Management in Quetta, Pakistan September 01, 2023 The Sciencetech - Volume 4, Issue 3, Pages 35-54
Editorial: Assessment of users’ satisfaction in public spaces May 22, 2023 Frontiers in Built Environment - Volume:9, Article Number 1213944
Urban Sprawl, Its Impact and Challenges: A Case Study of Quetta, Pakistan December 31, 2022 Journal of Applied and Emerging Sciences (JAES) - Volume 12, Issue 02, Pages 99-108
Parametric Performance Analysis of the Cooling Potential of Earth-to-Air Heat Exchangers in Hot and Humid Climates September 26, 2022 Energies - Volume:15, Issue:19, Article Number 7054
Factors That Influence Travelers’ Willingness to Adopt Bus Rapid Transit (Green Line) Service in Karachi August 16, 2022 Sustainability - Volume:14, Issue:16, Article Number 10184
How Tmrt Affects PET Assessment in Outdoor Environments: A Comparative Study May 20, 2022 Journal of Art, Architecture and Built Environment (JAABE) - Volume 5(1), Pages 121-138
Architecture For “Other”? Building A Critical Account On Architecture “Othering” From Colonial To Post-Colonial Time (19th Century - Present Time) April 15, 2022 Webology - Volume 19, No. 2, Pages 7923-7935
Assessment of Human Outdoor Thermal Comfort in a Palm Grove during the Date Palm Phenological Cycle February 24, 2022 Atmosphere - Volume 13, Issue 3, Article Number 379
Prediction of climate change effect on outdoor thermal comfort in arid region August 04, 2021 Energies - Volume:14, Issue:16, Article Number 4730
Impact of passive energy efficiency measures on cooling energy demand in an architectural campus building in karachi, pakistan June 29, 2021 Sustainability (Switzerland) - Volume:13, Issue:13, Article Number 7251
Assessment of passive retrofitting scenarios in heritage residential buildings in hot, dry climates June 07, 2021 Energies - Volume:14, Issue:11, Article Number 3359
Development of spatial distribution maps for energy demand and thermal comfort estimation in Algeria July 28, 2020 Sustainability (Switzerland) - Volume:12, Issue:15, Article Number 6066
Comparative analysis of indoor environmental quality of architectural campus buildings' lecture halls and its' perception by building users, in Karachi, Pakistan April 08, 2020 Sustainability - Volume 12, Issue 7, Article Number 2995
Sensitivity analysis of passive design strategies for residential buildings in cold semi-arid climates February 04, 2020 Sustainability (Switzerland) - Volume:12, Issue:3, Article Number 1091
An investigation of thermal comfort of houses in dry and semi-arid climates of Quetta, Pakistan October 01, 2019 Sustainability - Volume 11, Issue 19, Article Number 5203
Conferences
CONTESTED SANCTUARIES: ILLEGAL MOSQUES, URBAN SOVEREIGNTY, AND THE 11TH AVENUE PROJECT IN ISLAMABAD November 25, 2025 - November 27, 2025 Aamna Adnan, Hafsah Faisal, Umaima Khan, Waqas Ahmed Mahar, 6th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability (URS) 2025
The assessment of outdoor thermal comfort inside oasis settlements in North Africa - Algeria September 08, 2021 - September 10, 2021 Mohamed Elhadi Matallah, Djamel Alkama, Waqas Ahmed Mahar, Shady Attia, CISBAT 2021 International Hybrid Conference Carbon Neutral Cities – Energy Efficiency & Renewables in the Digital Era
Sensitivity Analysis of Glazing Parameters and Operational Schedules on Energy Consumption and Life Cycle Cost September 02, 2019 - September 04, 2019 Mohamed Amer, Waqas Ahmed Mahar, Guirec Ruellan, Shady Attia, Building Simulation 2019: 16th Conference of IBPSA
Building energy efficiency policies and practices in Pakistan: A literature review November 14, 2018 - November 16, 2018 Waqas Ahmed Mahar, Naveed Ur Rehman Anwar, Shady Attia, 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (EESD-2018)
Renewable energy technologies in Balochistan: Practice, prospects and challenges November 14, 2018 - November 16, 2018 Naveed Ur Rehman Anwar, Waqas Ahmed Mahar, Jalal Faisal Khan, 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (EESD-2018)
Associate Professor (BPS-20 Equivalent) Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage, Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan September 24, 2024 - January 06, 2025
Chairman, Architecture Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage, Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan October 26, 2023 - January 06, 2025
Professor (Ad-hoc) Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage, Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan October 12, 2023 - September 23, 2024
Chairperson, Department of Architecture Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering, and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Quetta, Pakistan February 01, 2022 - October 11, 2023
Assistant Professor Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering, and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Quetta, Pakistan August 21, 2013 - October 11, 2023
Lecturer Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering, and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Quetta, Pakistan January 16, 2013 - August 20, 2013
Manager of Housing and Residential Care Facilities PPKKTAJBJ, Johor, Malaysia July 02, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Intern Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia June 06, 2011 - August 26, 2011
Design Consultant THE GLOBAL ARCHITECTS, Hyderabad, Pakistan June 21, 2010 - June 30, 2012
Intern Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro, Pakistan February 09, 2010 - June 18, 2010
Architect THE GLOBAL ARCHITECTS, Hyderabad, Pakistan January 01, 2009 - June 18, 2010