MHAMED ZIARA

MOHAMED MOHAMED ZIARA

Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering


	*Ph.D :* Structural Engineering, 1993, Department of Civil and Offshire Enginnering Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, U.K. The influence of confining the compression zone in the design of structural concrete beams
	*M.Sc. :* Structure-Geotechnic, 1982, Department of Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, U.S.A. Comparison between elastic and plastic design for multi-story steel frames using reliability approach.
	*B.Sc. :* Civil Engineering, 1980, Department of Civil Engineering, Alexandria University, Egypt.

Current Position:

Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Birzeit University
^{Teaching civil engineering
courses in the fields of statistics and probability, building materials,
design of concrete and steel structures, and geotechnical engineering.}
^{Conducting analytical
and experimental research works for the development of design approaches
to strengthening of existing structures and lowering the housing costs.
Part of this research is conducted jointly with Heriot-Watt and Maryland
Universities in UK and USA, respectively.}
Recently Held Positions:
^{Adviser to the Minister
of Housing (1996 - 1998).}
^{Director General of
Palestinian Ministry of Housing (1994 - 1996).}
^{President of the Palestine
Development Company (PDC) -A joint semi-Government (Palestinian Italian)
Housing Construction Company (1994 - 1997).}
Previously Held Positions

1993 - 1994
^{Consultant for USAID
through Home Engineering Office and Louis Berger International,
Inc.}
^{Consultant for PECDAR.}
^{Responsible for the
Civil Engineering Laboratories in Birzeit University.}
1991 - 1993
^{Research Assistant,
Department of Civil and Offshore Engineering,
Heriot-Watt University,
UK}
^{1983 - 1991}
^{Instructor, Civil Engineering
Department, Birzeit University.}
1988 - 1991
^{Consultant for a number
of Engineering Offices in West Bank and
Gaza Strip.}
1987 - 1988
^Director of the Planning and Development Consulting Office, Birzeit University.
1986 - 1987
^{Consultant, Planning
and Development Consulting Office, Birzeit University.}
^{Consultant for a number
of Engineering Offices in West Bank and Gaza Strip.}
1983 - 1986
^{Senior Engineer, Engineering
Center, Birzeit University.}
^{Consultant for a number
of Engineering Offices in West Bank
and Gaza Strip.}
1980 - 1981
^{Teaching Assistant, Civil Engineering Department, Birzeit University.}
Other Research and Training Positions:
^{Trainer, Sanitary
Engineering for Engineers of Gaza Strip Course sponsored by Amideast
and
Save
the Children.}
^{Supervising BSc. and
MSc. dissertations at Birzeit, Al-Quds, and Heriot-Watt Universities
in the fields of local materials, upgrading of existing structures, and
lowering the cost of houses.}
COMMUNITY SERVICE:

Special Assignments:

^{As a cofounder of the Ministry of Housing in Palestine, the following
tasks have been completed.}
i- The establishment of the Ministry of Housing
^{Defining the vision,
the mission, the general objectives, the policies, and the strategies.}
^{The development of
the organizational structure.}
^{The preparation of
the budget.}
^{The determination of
the human resources and logistic needs.}
^{The employment of senior
staff.}
^{The formation of ministerial
and inter-ministerial committees to deal with urgent housing problems.}
^{The initiation of the
establishment of a computer center to serve the Ministry.}
^{The establishment and
development of work relations between the Ministry and international bodies
in the area of housing sector.}
^{Official representation
of the Ministry of Housing and the Palestinian National Authority in national
and international meetings and conferences.}
^{The initiation of the
establishment of a joint research center between the Ministry of Housing
and Florida University - USA.}
ii- Polices, Regulations and Programs:
^{The development of
short- and long-term polices, and projects to tackle housing problems in
Palestine.}
^{Participation in the
development of a master plan of Palestine.}
^{Chairing the national
committee for the development of the Housing Investment Law.}
^{Chairing the national
committee for the development of the Housing Cooperative System.}
^{The initiation of research
works in the fields of housing within the Ministry.}
^{The initiation of the
development of the Condominium Law.}
^{The initiation of the
development of the Housing Beneficiary System.}
^{The establishment and
chairing the board of directors of a joint Palestinian - Italian Development
Company.}
^{Chairing the national
committee for the development of the regulations related to multistory
buildings.}
^{Chairing the Technical
Committee, which was formed by the President for the evaluation of damages
and compensations related to building industry.}
^{The initiation of the
development of the Quality Control Regulations in the field of building
industry.}
^{The initiation of the
development of the accreditation system for concrete batching plants and
material testing labs.}
^{The development and
upgrading of the Surveying Department in the Ministry of Housing.}
^{Participation in the
preparatory work for the establishment of the Housing Bank.}
^{The initiation, development,
and supervision of many housing projects in Palestine.}
Local and International Consultancies:
^{Consultant with International
City Managers Association (ICMA), Washington, USA}
Consultant with Lyonnaise Des EauxKhatib&Alami (LEKA) through (CEP).
^{Project manager, Service
Improvement Project for Water and Wastewater Systems in the Gaza Strip:
Consultants Services for Water Storage Facilities
Assessment and Refurbishment IFB No.: C2S 49 02.}
^{Participated in preparation
of a renovation plan for the Social Club in the Old City of
Jerusalem.}
^{Supervised and participated
in the planning and design of El-Ramhousing project in West Bank.}
^{Revised the design
of El-Kala'a housing project, which consists of nine-story towers
in Khan Yonis for the Palestinian Housing Council.}
^{Revised the design
of El-Karama housing project, which consists of ten-story towers
in Gaza, for the Palestinian Housing Council.}
^{Project manager and
senior engineer of Service Improvement Project for Water and Wastewater
Systems in the Gaza Strip: Consultants Services for Water Storage Facilities
Assessment and Refurbishment IFB No.: C2S 49 02.}
^{Design of a sixteen-story
tower for El-Shurroq Company
in Gaza.}
^{Supervised planning,
design, financing, contracting, and execution of a 50,000m2 commercial-housing
project, which includes 10,000 m2 commercial platform, and four 17-story
housing towers of a value of 27 million-dollar
El-Awal Italian Palestinian
Complex.}
^{Participated in the
design activities and surveying works of town planning, road network, water
distribution, sewage collection and treatment, and storm water drainage
systems for many towns in West Bank e.g.
Salfeet, Jerico, Kabatia,
El-Ram, etc.}
^{Evaluation of the proposal
of Road Rehabilitation Project with
Norconsult
for
PECDAR.}
^{Revised the design
of 5000 m3water tank in Gaza for UNDP.}
^{Supervised and participated
in the structural and civil engineering designs of 14,000m2
Abattoir in Gaza for
ANERA.}
^{Supervised the structural
design of a twelve cooling room project in Bet Lahiah for ANERA.}
^{Designed and supervised
the construction of a large number of
industrial and residential
buildings in West Bank and
Gaza Strip.}
^{Prepared the geotechnical
reports for the Constructions of the Citrus Processing Plant
and the Health Center for
UNDP
and for the Benevolent
Society of Gaza Strip,respectively.}
^{Participated in preparation
of bills of quantities, terms and conditions of contracts, specifications,
etc. for most of the above projects.}
Local and International NGOs:
^{Cofounder of Housing
Cooperatives benefited from the Ministry of Housing.}
^{Member of Palestinian
Housing Council}
^{Lund Center for
Habitat Studies (LCHS), The establishment of the Birzeit Center for
Development of the Construction Sector in Palestine, (preparatory phase).}
^{Founding member of
the Civil Engineering Graduation Club (preparatory phase).}
^{Save the Children
(see Other Research and Training Positions).}
^{Board Member, Al-Horriah
HousCooperative, Ramallah.}
Memberships in Local Organizations and Technical Committees:
^{Cofounder of the Ministry
of Housing.}
^{Founding Member of
the Palestinian Housing Council.}
^{Ex-member of technical
committee, Palestinian Housing Council.}
^{Reviewer of housing
research proposals, MASS.}
Organisation of Conferences and Exhibitions:
^{Chairman of Organizing
Committee, International Conference on Affordable Housing in Palestine,
Birzeit University, 1-3 November 1996.}
^{Member of Organizing
Committee, The International Palestinian-Italian Building Construction
Exhibition, Birzeit University, 1-3 November 1996.}
^{Member of the Scientific
Committee, First Palestinian Symposium for Earthquake Hazard Mitigation,
An-Najah National University, Nablus - Palestine, 18-20 June 1996.}
^{Member of the Organizing
Committee, The International Conference on Urban and Rural Reconstruction
in Palestine: Issues, Options, Polices and Strategies, Amman, Jordan,
24 - 27 November 1995.}
Research Experience and Expertise:

Research Projects:

^{Project director and/or principal investigator in the following
research projects:}
^{Evaluation of Housing
Affordability and Conditions in Palestine, funded by the Government of
SwedenSida (» 100,000 US $),
Birzeit
University, Cardiff University in UK and UNESCO (see Refereed Publications,
Reports and Studies, and Presentations).}
^{Upgrading and strengthening
of existing structures, Birzeit University and Heriot-Watt University
in UK (see Refereed Publications).}
^{Factors influencing
the cost of housing in Palestine, Birzeit University
(see Publications,
Reports and Studies, and Presentations).}
^{The development of
a methodology for reducing the cost of housing,
Birzeit University and
University of Maryland in USA (see Refereed Publications and Presentations).}
^{Design of over-reinforced
concrete beams, Birzeit University, and Heriot-Watt University
in UK(see Refereed Publications).}
^{Development of rational
design theories for the prevention of diagonal failures in beams, Heriot-Watt
University in UK, funded by the SERC (»
120,000 £) (see Publications in Preparations).}
^{Strengthening of Reinforced
Concrete Girders Using Mechanically Bonded Overlays, Heriot-Watt University
in UK. (Research proposal» 100,000
£).}
^{HOUSING IN PALESTINE:
Literature Review and Compilation of a Data Bank, Birzeit University,
and South Bank University, UK (Research Proposal »
88,000£).}
Current Research Interests
^{Housing policies and
programs: Low-cost housing and housing finance,}
^{Building Regulations,
Specifications and Codes of Practice.}
^{Upgrading of existing
structures.}
^{Use of local materials.}
^{Utilities and social
services.}
^{Development of flexure-shear
interaction design model for prevention of diagonal failures in reinforced
concrete structures.}
^{Development of a design
approach for over-reinforced beams utilizing ductility due to confinement
of compression concrete.}
PUBLICATIONS:

Refereed Publications
^{Kamal Naser and Mohamed
M. Ziara, Empirical Evidence on Determinants of Housing Affordability
in the Palestinian Territories, submitted for publication in the International
Planning Studies Journal (London).}
^{D. Haldane and Mohamed
M. Ziara, Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Girders with Tee and
Channel Cross Sections, submitted for publication in the Structures
and Building Journal of the Institute of Civil Engineering(London).}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara and
Bilal M. Ayyub, Decision Analysis for Housing-Project Development,American
Society of Civil Engineers ASCE, Journal of Urban Planning and Development,
(will appear in June 1999 Issue).}
^{S. Jada and Mohamed
M. Ziara Repair and Strengthening of Slabs Using Bonded Concrete Overlays,
IABSE Symposium, Long-Span and High-Rise Structures, Kobe, Japan,
September 2-4, 1998, pp. 373-375.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, and
B. Ayyub, Methodology for Construction Reduced-Cost Housing: Systems
framework with Decision Analysis, International Conference on Affordable
Housing in Palestine, 1-3 November, 1996, Birzeit University, Palestine.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, The
Strength and Ductility of Structural Concrete Members in Earthquake Regions,
First Palestinian Symposium for Earthquake Hazard Mitigation, An-Najah
National University, Nablus, Palestine, 18-20 June 1996.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Design
Approach for Strengthening of Beams, The International Conference
on Earthquake Engineering, Amman, Jordan,
9-11 October 1995, pp.
1035-.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Improving
Ductility of Structural Concrete Members for Resisting Seismic Loading,Symposium
on Effects of Earthquakes on Structures, Amman, Jordan, 3-5 October
1995, 13pp.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, and
D. Haldane, New Approach for Strengthening Structural Concrete Bridge
Girders, IABSE Symposium, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A., 23-25
August 1995, pp. 119-124.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, D.
Haldane, and A. Kuttab, Flexural behavior of beams with confinement,American
Concrete Institute ACI Structural Journal, Vol. 92, No. 1, January
- February 1995, pp. 103-114.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, D.
Haldane, and A. Kuttab, Shear and flexural strengths resulting from
confinement of the compression region in circular section structural concrete
beams, Magazine of Concrete Research(London), Vol. 45 (No.
164), September 1993, pp. 211-219.}
^{Chapters in Books}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, The
Palestinian Ministry of Housing: Challenges and Opportunities, The
Reconstruction of Palestine: Issues, Options, and Strategies, edited by
A. B. Zahlan, Kegan Paul International, London and New York, pp.
9-26.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, R.
Rustom, M. El-Bayya and A. Amer, Codes, Standards and Regulations in
Palestine, The Reconstruction of Palestine: Issues, Options, and Strategies,
edited by A. B. Zahlan, Kegan Paul International, London and New York,
pp. 71-79}
Presentations in International or Local Conferences and Workshops:
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Shadi
Gadban, and Hani Nijim, The Role of Palestinian Universities,
The International Conference on the Development of Local Governments in
Palestine, 25-28 June 1997 Milan, Italy.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, S.
Touqan, and K. Naser, Evaluation of Housing Affordability and Conditions
in Palestine: Data from field survey, Special Presentation, International
Conference on Affordable Housing in Palestine, 1-3 November, 1996, Birzeit
University, Palestine.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara,,
Strategy
and Priority Projects: Housing and the social sectors,
Technical
Meeting of the Consultative Group for The West Bank and Gaza, Paris,
France, 18-19 October 1995.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara,,
The
housing sector in Palestine, United Nations Seminar on Assistance
to the Palestinian People: Building the Palestinian Economy,
Cairo,
Egypt, 21-23 May 1996.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Towers
and Building Regulations, The Fourth Engineering Week, Engineering
Syndicate, Gaza Strip, Palestine, 8-12 October 1995.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara,Housing:
Problems and Solutions, The Fourth Engineering Week, Engineering
Syndicate, Gaza Strip, Palestine, 8-12 October 1995.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara,
New Understanding of the Behavior of Structural Concrete, The
Fourth Engineering Week, Engineering Syndicate,
Gaza Strip, Palestine,
8-12 October 1995.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Infrastructure
and Housing, Gavel Holder of Sector Working Group,
United
Nations, Gaza, 19 August 1995.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Housing
Crises in Palestine, United Nations, Fifteenth Session of the
Commissions on Human Settlements, Nairobi, Kenya, 25 April 1 May
1995.}
Reports and Studies:
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, K.
Naser, and S. Touqan Evaluation of Housing Affordability and Conditions
in Palestine, Final Report on Grant by the Swedish Government-Sida,
Birzeit University, Palestine, March 1997, 30pp.}
^{Y. Assaf, and H. Abu-Hakmeh,
Introduction to Low-Cost Housing, Graduation Project supervised
by Dr. Mohamed M. Ziara, Civil Engineering Department, Birzeit University,
January 1997.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Building
the Palestinian Economy United Nations Report GE.96-18138,
May 1996, 27pp.}
^{D. Haldane, Mohamed
M. Ziara, and A. Kuttab, Unified procedure for structural concrete
members, Final Report on Grant Ref. GR/F91124, Department of Civil
and Offshore Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK,
EH14
4AS, September 1993, 18pp.}
^{MohameZiara, Testing
of the circular section, Research Report No. 01-cir-92, Department
of Civil and Offshore Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh,
UK, May 1992. 111pp.}
^{Mohamed Ziara, Testing
of Series 2 beams, Interim Report, Department of Civil and Offshore
Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK, September
1991. 107pp.}
Publications in Preparation:
^{Proceedings of the
International
Conference on Affordable Housing in Palestine, edited by Hani Nijim,
Mohamed Ziara, and Wael El-Hashlamon.}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Kamal
Naser, and Shadia Touqan, The Role of Construction in Socio-Economic
Development: housing in Palestine,}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, Post-Structural
Upgrading of Reinforced Concrete Beams, will be submitted to Journal
of International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).}
^{Mohamed M. Ziara, D.
Haldane, and A. S. Kuttab, Prevention of Diagonal failures in Beams using
a Flexural-Shear interaction Approach, will be submitted to Magazine
of Concrete Research (London).}

Email:mziara@eng.birzeit.edu