International platforms founded, chaired and hosted since 2006
Professor Ghaffarian has been active in the international conference community of the built environment disciplines for more than two decades. Since 2006, when he first presented his graduate research at international conferences in Malaysia and China, his involvement has grown from presenting and reviewing to scientific committee membership, conference chairing, hosting and founding. A consistent thread runs through this work: bringing academia, industry and policy makers together and giving them platforms to exchange ideas and shape the future of the built environment. Among the conferences he has founded is the International Conference of Green + Digital + Intelligent Built Environments (GDI), established with Professor Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini, which received more than 200 full papers in its first year with Beca as primary partner, and moves to Kuala Lumpur in 2027 with CIOB Malaysia.
Conferences he has chaired include SASBE 2024 with CIB W116 and ANZAScA 2020, and as Head of Built Environment Engineering he led the host department for the first International Group for Lean Construction conference held in New Zealand. As Head of the School of Future Environments he has extended this work to government, diplomatic, cultural and iwi partners, among them Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People, the Embassy of France, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Since 2006 he has also served on the scientific committees of more than 100 international conferences, from the CIB World Building Congress, CAADRIA and ConVR to SDEWES and AHFE, and his conference work now spans 33 countries on six continents. The entries that follow are selected examples from this wider record.
Selected example: a conference series founded at AUT and carried beyond New Zealand
Founded in 2025 at Auckland University of Technology
Founder and Conference Co-Chair
Taking the series he founded from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur for its third edition, in collaboration with CIOB Malaysia.
Founder and Conference Co-Chair
As GDI Chair with Professor Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini, opened and closed the GDI 2026 Industry Chapter Day, a full day of plenary talks, panels and workshops on digital innovation in the built environment with more than 20 industry and academic speakers. The 2026 edition runs in two parts, the Industry Chapter at AUT and the main academic conference online, in conjunction with DigiBUILT 2026. The Industry Chapter Day led directly into the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Exhibition and Public Conversation at AUT that evening (entry 9).
Founder and Conference Co-Chair, inaugural edition
Founded the series with Professor Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini and co-chaired its inaugural edition around three pillars: green, digital and intelligent built environments. The conference was governed by four honorary chairs, a conference committee, 17 international stream leaders and a senior advisory board drawn from 16 countries, and delivered with Beca as primary partner and sponsor alongside ten national and international partner bodies. Organised as Head of Built Environment Engineering.
Selected examples of established international conferences chaired or led in New Zealand
Conference Co-Chair and Lead Proceedings Editor
Co-chaired the conference with Professor Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini at AUT in collaboration with CIB W116, with five international scientific committee chairs, a senior advisory board spanning 20 countries and twelve keynotes from seven countries. Lead editor of the Springer Nature proceedings and guest editor of the associated ITcon special issue. The conference.
Head of the host department
Head of Built Environment Engineering, the host department for the first IGLC conference held in New Zealand, a six day programme spanning an Industry Day, workshops, a three day technical conference and a PhD School. The conference.
Conference Chair and Proceedings Editor
Chaired the 54th annual conference of the Architectural Science Association, hosted at AUT with NZD 25,000 in AUT hosting funding, and co-edited its proceedings with Professor Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini and Associate Professor Nicola Naismith.
Selected examples hosted at AUT, or organised with partner institutions, under his departmental and School leadership
Head of School, Education Partner institution
Under his headship, the School of Future Environments is Education Partner for the second global conference, alongside Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei as tangata whenua partner and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited as hosting support partner. The School hosted a precursor event in its Thought Leadership Series in July 2026 (entry 17).
Head of School, host institution
Under his headship, the School of Future Environments partnered with the AACE Aotearoa New Zealand Section to host its inaugural national conference at AUT, bringing cost engineering, project controls and risk professionals from industry, the public sector and academia together on AI governance, risk management and forensic schedule analysis.
Head of School, host institution
Under his headship, the School hosted the Aga Khan Award for Architecture exhibition and public conversation with the Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Australia and New Zealand, programmed as the evening event of the GDI 2026 Industry Chapter Day and preceded by a two day student showcase at the Ismaili Centre Auckland.
Head of School, host institution
Under his headship, the School hosted this international conference and creative symposium on network arts, delivered in person and online.
Head of Built Environment Engineering in the supporting School
The School of Future Environments, in which he led Built Environment Engineering, was the named institutional supporter of the global FOSS4G conference, held at AUT City Campus.
Keynote Speaker; AUT as organising institution
Keynote speaker at this European conference, for which AUT was one of four organising institutions alongside TU Delft, Teesside University and the University of Twente.
Head of Built Environment Engineering, host university
Held at AUT during his headship of Built Environment Engineering: Engineering New Zealand’s national electrical and mechanical engineering conference, themed on AI, smart devices and climate change.
Host lead at AUT
Secured NZD 17,000 in AUT funding to host the conference and trade show at AUT, co-hosted by the Passive House Institute New Zealand and the Australian Passive House Association.
Organiser and host at AUT
Organiser and host of the 2017 symposium at AUT, which brought together built environment research leads from seven New Zealand universities and keynote speakers from contracting, construction clients and local government.
Selected forums with ministries, embassies, infrastructure owners, the workforce and iwi
School of Future Environments, AUT
Future Environments Thought Leadership Series
Convened under his headship with the Embassy of France in New Zealand, Villa Antipode and LASER Auckland, on art, AI, biotechnology and ecology.
Future Environments Thought Leadership Series
Convened under his headship as a precursor to the 2027 global conference, for professionals from planning, architecture, engineering, design, local government, iwi and community organisations.
Future Environments Thought Leadership Series
Convened under his headship, bringing industry professionals, academics and students together on how technology is reshaping the built environment.
Future Environments Thought Leadership Series
Convened under his headship on the practical delivery of AI in construction, with speakers from Auckland International Airport and BuildBIM.
Future Environments Thought Leadership Series
Convened under his headship with Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People, bringing together government, academia and sector partners on accessibility and inclusive design.
Future Environments Thought Leadership Series
Hosted by the School while he led Built Environment Engineering, on mental health and resilience in construction and engineering.
Annual showcase of the School of Future Environments
Opened the 2026 symposium as Head of School.
Host institution
Hosted the awards evening of the New Zealand Green Building Council’s Future Thinker of the Year at the School of Future Environments.
Conference series from more than 100 scientific and technical committees since 2006, and his global footprint
Since 2006, member of the scientific and technical committees of more than 100 international conferences. Together with his conference chairing, keynotes and presentations, this service extends across 33 countries on six continents. The role carries responsibility for the quality of what each conference presents: peer reviewing and selecting papers, advising on scientific themes, and upholding the review standards on which the published proceedings depend. The committees include the flagship congress of CIB, CAADRIA in Asia, the Architectural Science Association in Australasia, and international series in energy systems, human factors, construction technology and building envelopes.
Series in which he has served on scientific or technical committees, with committee records where available online
Annual conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia
Annual international conference of the Architectural Science Association
Flagship congress of CIB, the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction
Building simulation conference of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating
International Green Cities conferences
International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics
SDEWES conference series
Verified: Scientific Advisory Board, 10th SDEWES Conference, Dubrovnik, 2015 committee record
International Conference on Automation, Control and Robotics Engineering
International and regional conferences of the SBE series
International conference on building envelopes and façade technology
Countries in which he has served on scientific committees, chaired, keynoted or presented at international conferences since 2006
Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Selangor; Nanjing, Beijing and Shanghai; Hong Kong; Seoul; Jakarta and Bali; Colombo; Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; Auckland and Wellington
Dubrovnik; Prague; Budapest; Florence and Bologna; Lisbon; Lille; Delft; Glasgow and Huddersfield
Tehran
São Paulo; Toronto and Banff; Pittsburgh