RIAI CPD: Daylight, Sunlight and Environmental Performance in Practice (March 2026)

This is a recording of an event that took place over Zoom on 26 March 2026 and is being delivered via RIAI DigitalChalk:

Course Aim

This CPD aims to equip architects and architectural technologists with a practical understanding of daylight and sunlight analysis, its role in planning and design, and its wider relationship to sustainability, comfort and building performance. The course will bridge standards, regulation and applied practice, supporting informed design decisions at both early and detailed project stages.

Who Should Enroll

This course is intended for architects and architectural technologists involved in the design, planning or delivery of building projects where daylight, sunlight and environmental performance considerations arise. It will be particularly relevant for practitioners working on residential and commercial developments, as well as those seeking to better understand daylight standards, planning requirements and sustainability considerations in practice.

Key Topics

• Daylight and Sunlight Analysis: Understanding how natural light influences building design, planning assessments and project outcomes.
• Legal principles: Awareness of the legal context surrounding access to daylight and sunlight in the planning and development process.
• Pedestrian Comfort and Microclimate: Considering wind, comfort and microclimate analysis in the design of external spaces.
• Environmental Certification and Performance: Overview of Net Zero Carbon certification pathways, LEED certification, commissioning processes and regulatory energy audits.
• Sustainability Policy and Funding: Overview of sustainability trends and available grants supporting sustainable building projects in Ireland.
• Standards and Guidance: Understanding EN 17037 and other daylight standards in both design and planning contexts.
• Applied Practice: Illustrated case studies demonstrating practical daylight analysis and design responses in Irish projects.

Preparatory Reading

https://www.solearth.ie/new-european-daylight-standard

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Understand the role of daylight and sunlight analysis in architectural design and planning

Interpret the intent and application of EN 17037 in practice

Recognise how daylight relates to Right to Light, environmental comfort and sustainability objectives

Apply practical insights from real-world examples to their own projects

Engage more confidently with consultants, planners and clients on daylight-related issues

Speakers

John Gleeson, Director, BPC Engineers

John Gleeson is a Director at BPC Engineers specialising in environmental performance and sustainability strategy. He works with design teams on daylight and sunlight analysis, microclimate, Net Zero Carbon pathways and building certification. John supports architects and clients in integrating environmental performance and sustainability considerations into projects from concept through delivery.

Brian T O Brien, MRIAI Architect BER Assessor Daylight / Sunlight consultant

Brian T O’Brien is an architect, researcher and daylight and sunlight consultant with Solearth Architecture. A graduate of TU Dublin and UC Berkeley, he has over twenty years’ experience in sustainable design research, teaching and practice. Brian specialises in daylight analysis, building performance and the integration of sustainability principles in architectural design.

This online CPD course is delivered via RIAI Digital Chalk

• Following receipt of your payment via MyRIAI you will receive an email from the RIAI CPD Division (9:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday) providing your login details for RIAI Digital Chalk.
• This online course will be accessible from your RIAI Digital Chalk account for 6 months from the date of completion.
• The RIAI will send you a CPD certificate for 2.0 structured CPD points on completion of the online course.