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Ireland's climate action plan: just business as usual?
The government's new climate action plan does not show the level of committment needed to really reduce Ireland's carbon emissions, says Irish Green Building Council CEO Pat Barry.
Stunning Cork passive house heads list of Isover award winners
Simply Architecture, and their new build residential project ‘The Fairways’ in Cork, has been named the winner of the 2019 Overall ISOVER Award, as well as being named Designer of the Year 2019, at the third ISOVER Awards.
Marketplace news
Passive Purple excels in airtightness challenge
The application of Passive Purple Liquid airtight membrane to a dilapidated test building has demonstrated the product’s remarkable ability to air seal even the leakiest structures.
21-06-2019 Marketplace
GreenTEG launches cloud-based insulation monitor
GreenTEG AG has launched the gO Measurement System (gOMS) for wireless, cloud-based U-value, temperature, and humidity measurements.
21-06-2019 Marketplace
Lamilux smoke vent rooflights suitable for passive house
Alongside its portfolio of passive house certified skylights and roof glazing (phA advanced components) Lamilux has extended its product range to include Smoke Vent AOVs (automatic opening vents).
21-06-2019 Marketplace
Achieving NZEB event in Cork hears of embodied carbon plans
The Department of Housing is planning to introduce a policy on embodied carbon into building regulations, an event in Cork heard.
18-06-2019 Marketplace
MVHR myths still persist — CVC Direct
Leading mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) supplier CVC Direct believes that despite the growing popularity of MVHR, there are still many misconceptions about the technology among both general consumers and the building sector.
18-06-2019 Marketplace
10 million tonnes of carbon saved by low carbon cement — Ecocem
Ecocem, the leading producer of ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS), a low carbon alternative to traditional cement, says use of its product has saved 10 million tonnes of carbon emissions since the company began operating in 2002.
05-04-2019 Marketplace
Be ready for air testing of non-domestic buildings
Leading Irish energy & airtightness consultancy Greenbuild has advised the building industry to be prepared for the new requirement, as of January of this year, to test new non-domestic buildings for airtightness on completion.
05-04-2019 Marketplace
Green Building Store publishes radical retrofit briefing
Green Building Store has published a free technical briefing on its award-winning radical retrofit of a traditional Pennine farmhouse & barn in West Yorkshire, which developed innovative solutions for hard-to treat buildings with solid walls.
05-04-2019 Marketplace
News and blogs
Cuckoos & magpies: state house-buying hits record
Recent headlines suggest first time buyers are being pushed out of the housing market by ‘non-household’ buyers, so-called ‘cuckoo’ funds. O fficial figures suggest that private companies are not the only competition in the new homes market – there may be a ‘magpie’ out there also.
Blind & shutter group calls for Part B changes
The British Blind & Shutter Association (BBSA) has challenged what it described as the defacto banning of shading on tall glass buildings in Part B of the building regulations, and is seeking a judicial review on several points, principally that the regulation is misconceived as it focusses on combustibility rather than flammability
Passive houses open to experience summer performance
From 28 – 30 June 2019, the mid-year International Passive House Open Days, organised by iPHA and its affiliates, will take place in the UK.
Passive homes may have lower radon levels — new study
Initial findings into radon levels in 75 certified passive house buildings in Ireland and the UK shows that there is a 60% reduction when compared against the Irish national average.
Bicester centre is UK’s first nondomestic passive house ‘plus’
Creating 125 modern workspaces, a new £4m cornerstone development is the latest addition to North West Bicester’s pioneering.
The Jodrell Bank grand challenge
During a speech last year Theresa May challenged the construction industry to halve the energy use of new buildings, and to halve the cost of retrofit. But we already know how to meet these challenges, writes Peter Rickaby, and much more difficult tasks lie ahead.
Double talk: a brief history of insulated glazing
In his latest column on the history of low energy building in the 20th century, Dr Marc Ó Riain charts the surprisingly fascinating history of double glazing.
New study to examine NZEB performance
A new research project at UCD will aim to uncover key early lessons from the design and operation of nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs) in Ireland. The NZEB standard will become mandatory in Ireland for dwellings from November.
Phase one complete at UK’s largest passive scheme
The first phase of Agar Grove, the UK’s largest passive house development, has now been completed for the London Borough of Camden. Hawkins\Brown acted as lead architect on the project, while Architype acted as passive house delivery architect for the first phase of the scheme, which provides 38 homes that are all socially rented to existing estate tenants.
New housing should be to passive house standard — Climate Change Committee
The UK’s official climate change advisor has called on the government to tighten energy efficiency standards for new housing to bring them down, or close to, passive house standard.
Imperial War Museums archive breaks airtightness record
A state-of-the-art archive building in Cambridgeshire, which has been built to house Imperial War Museums’ (IWM) rich paper collection, has registered the best airtightness test result ever recorded in the UK – and perhaps, the world.
Isover launch 2019 Isover Awards
Isover has announced the launch of the 2019 Isover Awards. Following on from their previous incarnation, the Isover Energy Efficiency Awards, the new Isover Awards will be open to both contractors and architects/specification professionals, and seek to celebrate excellence in energy efficient building and design.
Internet of Things dominates ISH 2019
Today is the last day of ISH, the bi-annual exhibition for the combined topic of water and energy, which is on at the exhibition grounds in Frankfurt. Titled as ISH, it is the world’s leading trade fair for a range of associated topics, materials and services.
Snøhetta architect to speak at Green Room 2019
The Green Room, the Irish Green Building Council’s annual non-residential sustainable building gathering, takes place this year on 10 April in the Davenport Hotel, Dublin.
Reaching for the first rung
Why is it so difficult to get on the property ladder now compared to 20 years ago? After all, interest rates are lower and house prices are still below where they were in 2007. Architect Mel Reynolds runs through the figures.
New research raises spray foam health questions
New studies are seeking to answer questions about how spray foam insulation, and materials containing formaldehyde, affect indoor air quality — and some of the early results are worrying.
Daylight, embodied carbon & more: advances in the AECB PHribbon software
Tim Martel of Optimal Retrofit describes recent advances in PHribbon, an Excel tool designed to improve the functionality of the passive house design software PHPP.
Wales votes to cut emissions 80%
The Welsh assembly has voted through new legally-binding carbon emissions targets for the country. The targets bind the country to reduce emissions by 80%, relative to 1990 levels, by 2050.
Disastrous Preston retrofits make national headlines
The revelations in Passive House Plus issue 24 about failed external insulation retrofits in the Fishwick area of Preston have been followed up by UK national media, putting pressure on Ofgem, the electricity and gas regulator, to make more effort to help those affected.
Low carbon homes forum to tour the UK in 2019
A series of nationwide forums designed to help housing and construction professionals improve home energy efficiency across the UK has secured support from regional low carbon champions.
Buildings need better overheating models to guarantee future comfort
Building designers need to undertake much deeper analyses of overheating risks, and do so under future climate change scenarios, in order to ensure their buildings can adapt and remain comfortable for occupants in a warming world.
ISH fair returns to Frankfurt in March 2019
ISH, the world’s leading trade fair focused on building services, energy, and water, returns to Messe Frankfurt from 11 to 15 March 2019.
Rediscovery Centre wins sustainable energy award
The Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun picked up the Buildings Award at the 2018 SEAI Sustainable Energy Awards, which were held at the Mansion House, Dublin, on 25 October. The awards recognise excellence in energy management in business, communities and public sector organisations.
New Europe-wide boost for energy efficient mortgages
Energy efficient properties less likely to default, research finds
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