Zahra Balador

The role of architects in increasing the use of reclaimed and recycled building materials in New Zealand

Reuse and recycling of building materials and consumption of reclaimed and recycled building materials as environmental practices have significant potentials to enhance resource efficiency in the construction industry. This can lead to a reduction in the amount of produced waste and consumed energy. The use of reclaimed and recycled building materials can be considered a pro-environmental behaviour and studying the factors that may influence that behaviour is a first step toward establishing such behaviour. It is essential therefore to have a comprehensive view of the process in which the pro-environmental behaviour is generated. A lack of clear evidence linking these relevant issues hinders the effectiveness of solutions.

This research investigates relationships between the factors influencing this behaviour among the key stakeholders in the construction industry with a focus on architects in New Zealand.

Also, it aims to identify the reasons why recycled and reclaimed building materials are underused, focusing on the perceptions of architects and other stakeholders in the construction of buildings. Participants of this study are architects, builders, environmental activists and NGOs, manufacturers and suppliers of materials, regulators and consumers.

Ultimately, Zahra plans to produce a series of recommendations for the industry to help them overcome challenges in producing, selecting, and implementing these sustainable construction materials.

Supervisors

Dr Morten Gjerde and Nigel Isaacs.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, BArchEng (Hons), Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Master of Energy and Architecture, MArch/Energy (prof), University of Tehran

PhD candidate of Sustainable Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington

Publications

Conference papers

Z. Balador, M. Gjerde, and N. Isaacs, Gauging people’s perceptions of reclaimed and recycled building materials: A pilot study, PLEA 2018 Conference, Hong Kong, (2018).

Z. Balador, M. Gjerde, and N. Isaacs, S. Shabahang, Toward increasing the use of reclaimed and recycled building materials: making the case for investigating stakeholder expectations, Sustainability in Energy and Buildings Conference (SEB’18), Springer (2018).

S. Shabahang, M. Gjerde, B. Vale, Z. Balador, The problem of lack of green space and rise in surface temperature in the city of Mashhad, Iran, Sustainability in Energy and Buildings Conference (SEB’18), Springer (2018).

Z. Balador, H. Amini, A. Vakili Ardebili, M. Gjerde, A life cycle cost analysis and environmental assessment of building integrated photovoltaic: Tehran and Bandar Abbas as case studies, Journal of Clean Energy Technologies, (JOCET), Vol.6, No.2 (2018).

Z. Balador, M. Gjerde, N. Isaacs, and S. Whitburn, The situation analysis of introducing building insulations out of agricultural by-products in New Zealand, 51th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association, Wellington, New Zealand, (2017).

Z. Balador, M. Gjerde, N. Isaacs, and S. Whitburn, The hotspots of the research on agro-waste based building insulation products, International Conference on Sustainable Cities and Buildings Development, Porto, Portugal, (2017).

Z. Balador, F. Imani, Morten Gjerde, George Baird, Evaluation of different shading devices for a Tehran primary school classroom, PLEA conference, Edinburgh, UK, (2017).

M. Rezazadeh, M. Rezazadeh, Z. Balador, S. Shabahag, Criterion of construction process investigation with a vision of sustainable construction, International Journal of Engineering and Technology (IJET), Spain, (2014).

M. Rezazadeh, Z. Balador, Criteria evaluation of designing tall buildings and integrating them. ICSAU, Second International Congress on Structure, architecture and urban development, Tabriz, Iran, (2014).

Z. Balador, M. Rezazadeh, Z. Raesi, Methods of transmitting sunlight into the central space of tall buildings, 2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Solar Energy (ICESE), Tehran, Iran, ( 2014).

Z. Balador, Z. Raesi, Designers’ Willingness Assessment to Use Recycled and Salvaged Materials in Landscape Architecture, Journal of Advanced Materials Research, Vol. 935, pp. 138-141, (2014).

Z. Balador, M. Rezazadeh, The impact of wind turbines on the architectural design of tall buildings, 1st Green Building Conference (GBC), Mashhad, Iran, (2013).

Books

Main author of Volume 131 of the Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies series, “Toward increasing the use of reclaimed and recycled building materials: making the case for investigating stakeholder expectations”, Sustainability in Energy and Buildings, Springer, 2018.

Co-author of “The problem of lack of green space and rise in surface temperature in the city of Mashhad, Iran”, the Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies series, Sustainability in Energy and Buildings, Springer, 2018.

Main author of a chapter “Thermal and Acoustic Building Insulations from Agricultural Wastes” in Handbook of Eco-materials, Springer, 2018.

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-48281-1_190-1

Co-author of a chapter “Bio-inspired Materials versus Conventional Materials: Contribution of Biology to Energy Efficiency of the Buildings” in Handbook of Eco-materials, Springer, 2018.

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-48281-1_136-1

Co-translator of “International Guidelines on Architectural Competitions”, Ministry of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, 2018.

Cooperation in publishing The city Iranians need (towards a new urban agenda) is a joint publication of National Land and Housing Organization, Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and UN Habitat (United Nations Office in Tehran), 2017.

http://www.worldurbancampaign.org/city-iranians-need-has-been-disclosed-habitat-iii-conference

Co-translator of International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning, UN Habitat (United Nations Office in Tehran) has translated into Persian and published (2015 edition), 2017.

https://unhabitat.org/un-habitat-publishes-persian-version-of-intl-guidelines-on-urban-and-territorial-planning/

A published architectural design in “Evolo Skyscrapers 3: Visionary Architecture and Urban Design (Volume 3 of Evolo Skyscrapers)” by Carlo Aiello, EVOLO, United States, 2016.

https://www.amazon.com/eVolo-Skyscrapers-Visionary-Architecture-Design/dp/193874022X

Co-author of a chapter in the “Tall Building Design Criteria and Design Process”, Author: Milad Rezazadeh, the sustainable approach in the design process of Urmiana Tower competition, 2016.

Co-translator of “Light Structure and Structure of Light”, Author: Horst Berger, Author House, 2005.

Journal articles

Z. Balador, H. Amini, A. Vakili Ardebili, M. Gjerde, A life cycle cost analysis and environmental assessment of building integrated photovoltaic: Tehran and Bandar Abbas as case studies, Journal of Clean Energy Technologies, (JOCET), Vol.6, No.2 (2018). DOI: 10.18178/JOCET.2018.6.2.448

Z. Balador, Z. Raesi, Designers’ Willingness Assessment to Use Recycled and Salvaged Materials in Landscape Architecture, Journal of Advanced Materials Research, Vol. 935, pp. 138-141, 2014. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.935.138

Oral presentations

Ongoing projects

Z. Balador, M. Gjerde, and N. Isaacs, Toward a better understanding of people’s underlying ecological worldviews in New Zealand.

Z. Balador, M. Gjerde, and N. Isaacs, A model of environmental attitudes and recycling behaviour: Construction industry in New Zealand.