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Marc Ó Riain is the president emeritus of the Institute of Designers in Ireland, a founding editor of Iterations design research journal and practice review, a former director of Irish Design 2015, a board member of the new Design Enterprise Skillsnet and has completed a PhD in low energy building retrofit, realising Ireland’s first commercial nZEB retrofit in 2013.
Tuesday, 09 December 2025 14:06
Retrofit redux: Catching up with A3
The upgrade of Ireland's retrofit target to A3 marks a critical step forward, bridging the gap between energy modelling and real-world performance, explains Dr. Marc Ó Riain.
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Tuesday, 02 September 2025 12:54
Tripling EU / UK Energy Efficiency Policy: the NZEB
One of Europe’s key climate breakthroughs came in the form of the EU’s nearly zero energy building target, as Dr. Marc Ó Riain explains in the latest part of his series on the history of low energy building.
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Monday, 10 March 2025 13:41
Energising Efficiency
In the latest piece in his series on the development of low energy building, Dr Marc Ó Riain describes the evolution and Impact of EPCs in Ireland and the UK.
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Friday, 06 December 2024 17:15
Out of the blue - a passive revolution
Near the peak of the Celtic Tiger – at a time when developers
were throwing up often sub-standard homes at a record pace,
one self-build project pointed to a different approach,
writes Dr Marc Ó Riain.
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Monday, 29 January 2024 17:42
An early green building in a changing Ireland
It’s fair to say that green building wasn’t a thing in early 90s Ireland, which makes one
extraordinary Dublin project from 1994 all the more remarkable, as Dr. Marc O Riain writes.
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Monday, 29 January 2024 17:28
Bedding sustainability into British buildings: Bioregional’s BedZed
Shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in 2003, BedZed was a prominent example of architecture
starting to pay attention to sustainability. But how well did it work? In the latest part of his series
on the history of low energy architecture, Dr. Marc O Riain looks back at a landmark project.
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Friday, 14 July 2023 09:37
Does nuclear have a role to play in decarbonising energy?
One zero carbon energy source has historically been vehemently opposed by
environmentalists. But can nuclear power overcome the high-profile failures of its past, asks Dr. Marc O Riain, or has the technology missed the boat?
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Tuesday, 17 January 2023 17:00
HomeWorld 1981: car engine-driven houses & low energy ideas that stuck
In the latest missive in his series on the history of low energy design, Dr Marc Ó'Riain looks to some wacky and wonderful experimentation in a project that aimed to transform public perception of Milton Keynes.
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Tuesday, 23 August 2022 13:34
The world energy crisis 2022
The energy crises of the 1970s did not prompt a major shift in Europe from foreign oil and gas towards energy efficiency and renewables. Will we learn this time around, wonders Dr Marc O Riain
Friday, 27 May 2022 11:20
The 1980s: A renewable revolution undermined
Marc O Riain explores how policy on both side of the Atlantic in the 1980s sabotaged a nascent revolution in renewables and energy conservation.
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