Dr. Said Sharif Hossainy, Eng., Arch., Ph.D.

Dr. Hossainy is an active member of our Society of Afghan Engineers (SAE) and serves on our Board of Directors. He has contributed technical articles to our eNewsletter, including pieces detailing the New Parliament Complex, energy-saving building insulation, and the history of European architectural styles. Beyond our Society, he is a member of the Society of Afghan Architects & Engineers (SAAE) and is listed in the CANADEM roster of civilian experts.

Early Life

Dr. Said Sharif Hossainy was born on October 29, 1944, in the old city of Kabul, Afghanistan, into a family of calligraphers and artists. He attended Sardar Jon Khan Elementary School and Commercial High School before graduating from Habibia High School in 1962. During his final year of high school, he worked as a proofreader for “Djowandoon” magazine. Although he briefly enrolled in the medical college at Kabul University, he ultimately decided to work for the Building Projects Department of the Ministry of Public Works. In 1964, he received a scholarship to study in the Czech Republic, where he learned the Czech language and subsequently enrolled at the Czech Technical University of Prague in 1965. At this institution, he earned a master’s degree in Architectural Engineering and later a PhD in Architecture.

Professional Career in Afghanistan and Abroad

Following his education, Dr. Hossainy returned to Afghanistan and worked in the Ministry of Public Works, where he designed and supervised several building projects. From 1975 to 1978, he served as a group leader designing clinics and cultural centers, and he later became the General Director of the Architectural Department, overseeing the design of residential, commercial, industrial, and health facilities. He also served as the President of the Building Projects Authority and supervised the construction of the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi between 1980 and 1982. He completed six months of military service in Nangarhar Province in 1979.

In December 1982, Dr. Hossainy and his family immigrated to India, and they subsequently relocated to Canada in September 1985. He holds Canadian Architectural Registration No: 2280. While living in Canada, he worked with various architectural firms across Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver. Notably, he was one of the designers for the Central City tower in Surrey, British Columbia. During his time working at an architectural firm in Montreal, he learned AutoCAD, a skill he would later teach to technical staff in Afghanistan.

Contributions to the Ministry of Urban Development and Parliament Complex

In April 2003, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) dispatched Dr. Hossainy to Afghanistan as a Technical Assistant and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Urban Development. In this role, he established a Computer Aided Design Center to build technical capacity among the ministry’s staff and initiated short-term courses in computer skills. He served as Deputy Minister of Urban Development from September 2004 until August 2010, managing administrative tasks and representing the ministry in Council of Ministers meetings and international delegations.

One of his primary achievements during this period was creating and designing the program for the New Afghanistan Parliament Complex. He conducted international research trips to study parliament buildings in countries such as Australia, India, Iran, Turkey, Germany, and Canada to inform the design and construction phases of the project. He retired in 2010 but continued working as a Senior Advisor and Technical Assistant. In recognition of his work on the Parliament Complex, he received awards from the Upper House of Parliament in June 2015 and the Speaker of the House of Parliament in January 2016.

Personal Life

Dr. Hossainy has been married to Parwin Waleh/Hossainy since 1981, and they have two children, Homayra and Said Yousuf.