Design for Performance: Supporting the decarbonisation of Ireland’s built environment (May 2025)

This online course will be accessible from your RIAI YouTube Channel.

This is a series of recordings of an event that took place over Zoom in May - June 2025 and is being delivered via RIAI YouTube Channel:

This course is designed for all actors across the construction and property sector, including clients, funders, assessors, design teams, specialist consultants, contractors, and facilities managers.

Course Aim

The course aims to build capacity within the industry to support the decarbonisation of Ireland’s built environment. It focuses on designing for performance to achieve EU and national environmental targets, including whole life carbon, energy performance, water use and indoor environmental quality.

Participants

Cross-disciplinary collaboration is central to delivering buildings that perform to the standard they are designed to. The training programme is aimed at key stakeholders, ranging from clients, funders, assessors, design teams and specialist consultants, general and specialist contractors,  to building users and facilities managers.

Course structure

• Three sessions are delivered to provide a flexible and accessible learning framework
• Each session delivers lecture type presentations to impart up-to-date and new knowledge to participants
• Case studies ground the learning activities in professional practice and daily work activities
• Access to our RIAI YouTube Channel for programme resources

Delivery

Session 1: Designing for Performance – The Context for Change

This session introduces the shift from compliance-based to performance-based design in the built environment. It outlines the limitations of compliance-focused approaches and highlights the national and European policy drivers supporting performance-led practices. Participants will consider how aligning design processes with sustainability goals and green finance frameworks can support project viability and contribute to meeting climate targets.

Session 2: Embedding Performance in Design – Principles in Action

This session examines how the core principles of the Design for Performance Framework can be integrated across project work stages. It presents a structured approach to setting early performance targets, applying tracking tools, and validating outcomes. The session draws on real-world case studies to demonstrate the practical application of these methods and their impact on design quality and project delivery.

Session 3: Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration and Implementation – Making It Work

This session focuses on the practical implementation of performance-led design through effective collaboration. It explores strategies for cross-disciplinary teamwork, procurement alignment, and defining roles and responsibilities within project teams. Participants will also examine how post-occupancy evaluation, continuous improvement, and the adaptation of Climate Challenge indicators can be incorporated into professional practice.

Please note: This learning activity will not be automatically added to your RIAI CPD record and no evidence of completion will be issued by the RIAI. As per RIAI CPD Policy. if you attend an on online webinar or watch a recording of a CPD online, where no CPD certificate is issued by the provider, you can record the activity as structured CPD on MyRIAI CPD and upload the Structured Webinar CPD Evidence Report as evidence.

This online course will be accessible from your RIAI YouTube Channel.