Syed Faiz Ahmad, MEngg, M.ASCE, is Chief Structural Engineer with Saudi Oger Limited, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He graduated in civil engineering (B.E.) from NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi, Pakistan in 1979. In 1982, he completed his Masters (MEngg) in Structural Engineering from Asian Institute of Technology, (AIT), Bangkok, Thailand. He also completed a short course & training in “Marketing and Commercialization of Research”, from University of New South Wales, Sydney-Australia in 1996. He has the honour to earn Scholarship for Masters programme and was listed as UN outstanding Youth Engineer.
Syed Faiz has worked in close association with RGME (Rashid Geotechnical & Materials Engineers) to produce the detailed zone-wise geotechnical investigation reports for the project site of Prince Abdullah Military City (PAMCA) at Hofuf, where he made wide-ranging efforts to handle the two geotechnical complexities namely the Expansive Soils problem in two out of eight zones and the bedrock cavities (sinkholes) in the remaining zones of the PAMCA project site.
He successfully handled the above-mentioned two-geotechnical complexities and the design & construction of special type of foundations were successfully executed. These foundations are time–tested and have seen through a number of alternating dry & rainy seasons without any problem so far. He worked on preparation of papers on these two subjects, intermittently, for more than two years; often at home working painstakingly during his own leisure hours. And, this too at the cost of Internet hours at the home PC, paid from his own pocket.
Syed Ahmad’s hard work paid dividend when his two papers were accepted for presentation at the 5th International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, organized by University of Missouri-Rolla and held in New York. He was also appointed as a. Co-General Reporter for Session-1 and b. Official Discusser for Session-6 of the Conference.
He proudly projected the names of Saudi Oger Ltd, Saudi Arabia and his native country Pakistan. He considers all these as a worthwhile investment for he gained a lot from scores of learned people gathered there from around 57 countries of the world. He believes, it will go a long way in his professional development. He is proud to have met the living legend the 94-year old Prof. Ralph B. Peck (the disciple of late Karl Terzaghi, known as the father of Soil Mechanics), whose book on Soil Mechanics is studied at the University. He considers a photograph with him to be worth all that I spent for my trip there.
Syed Faiz has served as a member to the technical Committee of Concrete Structures Design for the preparation of the Saudi Building Code. He was the only professional from the private sector representing Saudi Oger Ltd out of a total of 22 members. He is an active member of the Structural Engineers Association International (SEAINT), an international web-based technical discussion forum. He takes pride to have used this technical forum for resolution of numerous technical problems faced at the PAMCA site from time to time. Participation in this forum has also helped him in his professional development and has also earned name & goodwill for Saudi Oger Ltd.
Prior to joining Saudi Oger Ltd in 1997, Syed Faiz has worked from 1987 –1997 as Principal Research Officer, National Building Research Institute of Pakistan, 1986 to 1987 as Senior Structural Engineer, Sami Ahmed Associates in Pakistan, 1983 to 1986 as Senior Structural Engineer, Balochistan Concrete & Blocks Ltd, Pakistan, 1982 to 1983 as Junior Engineer, Nespak Ltd, Pakistan and in 1980 he was a Trainee Engineer.
He is a member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a very well reputed international association of civil engineer. He is life member of Asian Centre for Engineering Computations and Software (ACECOMS), which is based in Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok-Thailand. He is a life member of Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) an engineering profession’s regulatory body based in Islamabad and also a life member of Institution of Engineers (IEP), which is a professional body for all engineers in Pakistan.
Syed Faiz has 14 International Publications in Journals, Conference Proceedings and about 40 other Publications in National Conferences, Research Reports & News Paper Articles to his credit. He is also a prolific writer (uses a pen name of Faiz Al-Najdi) for, general readers, besides doing technical writing for international conferences and seminars. He is inspired by Art Buchwald and chooses to write for light reading. He also writes for Daily Dawn, Daily The News International and Daily Times in Pakistan and also for Daily Arab News, Daily Saudi Gazette in Saudi Arabia. He is Vice President of Pakistan Writers Club-Riyadh, an association of expatriate Pakistani writers, poets and journalist in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
