Architecture Ireland The Journal of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland
The Green Construction sector has been given a welcome boost this spring with the news that the Department of the Environment has launched a Draft National Action Plan on Green Public Procurement (GPP), which is currently out to consultation (ww.environ.ie). The Government also announced a new programme for National Energy Retrofi tting, while the Irish Green Building Council’s membership has grown to 38 organisations, including the RIAI. Achievements in green construction were also marked by the Green Awards, with the Aviva Stadium – designer by Scott Tallon Walker and Populous – winning the ‘Green Building Award’ and Ecocem securing for the third time in a row the ‘Green Product Award’. To mark these achievements, Architecture Ireland features a dedicated section on Green Products and Technology.
Green Awards 2011
Winners at the 2011 Green Awards in Green Construction included the Aviva Stadium – designed by Scott Tallon Walker and Irish company Ecocem. The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Burlington Hotel, Dublin and Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Phil Hogan TD, presented the Green Product Award to David O’Flynn, Business Development Manager and Peter Seymour, Business Development Director from Ecocem. Jeff Colley from Construct Ireland presented the Green Building Award to Rebecca Ryan (Associate Director) and Ronan Phelan (Director), of Scott Tallon Walker who won the award for Aviva Stadium, which was jointly designed with Populous Architects (UK).
www.greenawards.ie
Expansion of National Energy Retrofitting Programme
Opportunities are likely to arise for RIAI Registered Architects from the Government’s expanded retrofi tting programme, ‘Better Energy Programme’, aimed at homeowners. Sustainable Energy Ireland has begun to accept applications for the grants, which are set to come on stream before the summer. It is hoped that homeowners, who have successfully applied for a grant, should seek expert advice from architects on how it can be best used in their own homes. The ‘Better Energy Programme’ will replace the three existing residential programmes: Home Energy Saving Scheme (HES), Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS) and Greener Homes Scheme (GHS), and place them under one umbrella. This will make it easier for people to make an informed choice about the most suitable energy saving measure for them when retrofitting their homes. Full details on what the grant entails and who can apply for it can be found on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s website,.
www.seai.ie
Article as seen in Architecture Ireland issue 257
