Pat Barry
CEO, Irish Green Building Council
Transitioning to low-carbon infrastructure can cut costs and carbon by using existing systems better and coordinating utilities, freeing up resources to build more homes efficiently.
Remarkably, Ireland lacks water efficiency regulations, not to mention water charges. Unfortunately, this leads to wasteful use. What is perhaps less known is that it also limits housing development capacity, drives up infrastructure and treatment costs, and could delay young adults moving out well into the 2030s.
Outdated standards hinder sustainability
Our members, including some of Ireland’s leading home developers, are well on the way to reducing carbon in new homes by using more sustainable materials. Yet, it’s all for nothing if they must follow outdated guidelines and standards for water, road, and electrical infrastructure — guidelines that were all developed before we were thinking about the climate emergency and resource scarcity.
For example, research by UCD shows that building a single Uisce Eireann-compliant manhole outside a new home probably has a higher climate impact than heating your home for an entire year.
The greenest infrastructure
is the infrastructure we
don’t need to build.
Example of more resilient living
I recently visited the all-timber, high-density (140 units per hectare) Falloeby development in Copenhagen. Remarkably, it features minimal hard surfaces — just emergency access and pedestrian and cycle paths woven through greenery and ponds. By concentrating parking in one area, as well as using leaner designs and nature-based drainage to manage runoff, the project cuts construction materials, boosts climate resilience and enhances liveability.
Build smarter, not bigger
The greenest infrastructure is the infrastructure we don’t need to build. We can increase density in existing towns and cities, bringing vacant space and sites back into use and utilise the infrastructure that is already there to deliver the homes we need. It’s not only good for our planet; it’s also faster and more cost-effective.
UCD’s carbon analysis previously mentioned that we can cut carbon by one-third for every new home by using existing infrastructure and avoiding greenfield sites for new development. Taking this approach to infrastructure means that we use fewer materials, build faster, increase our capacity to build homes and create more nature-friendly communities where people want to live.
