RIAI CPD Links: Better Homes Webinar Series by Irish Green Building Council.

(1 CPD Point per session)

IGBC presents a new set of webinars to allow designers to develop better quality homes that consider the Environmental, Health and Wellbeing, and Economic impacts of new housing. The webinars are intended to assist designers who are considering certification under Home Performance Index. Get up to speed on best practice without leaving your desk.

19/02/20 – Home Performance Index and Smarter Finance – Johanna Varghese & John Fingleton, IGBC

What is the Home Performace Index? Why should I use it? What does it cover? Why would a developer be interested in certification of new homes?

26/02/20 – Embodied carbon, Life Cycle Assessment, and EPDs –Cathal Heneghan, Meehan Green

What is Life Cycle assessment and why is it important? How is it measured? What are the standards? What strategies need to be considered? When designing low carbon homes and buildings and how can embodied carbon be optimised and reduced? What are EPDs and where can I find them?

04/03/20 – Universal Design – Neil Murphy, Centre for Excellence for Universal Design

What is universal design? Why is it important to consider at early design stage? How can it be implemented on my housing scheme? What measures can make a real difference? Are there additional costs?

11/03/20 – Designing for ecological enhancement – Will Woodrow, Woodrow Sustainable Solutions

How do we positively enhance new residential development to have a positive ecological impact. What needs to be considered? What are the options and what does best practice look like?

18/03/20 – Healthy materials – Muge Karasahin, Meehan Green

Why is indoor air quality important? What are VOCs and TVOCs? How do we avoid them? How can we test for them?

25/03/20 – Minimising waste on site –Stuart Blofeld, BRE

What is best practice in waste management on site? What should be considered? How to develop a waste management plan? How best to implement the strategy on site?  What tools are available? What targets are achievable in Ireland for diversion of waste from landfill? How does the EU waste directive impact on waste management?

01/04/20 – Designing for better acoustics – Emmett English, Amplitude Acoustics

What are the current Part E requirements for acoustics? What is the testing regime? Is it best practice and if not, what does best practice look like? What needs to be considered at early design stage? What issues arise on site? What does good detailing look like, at party walls, for floors? How to minimise annoyance from internal sources of sound such as ventilation systems?

08/04/20 – Designing for better daylight –– William O’Donnell, IN2

Designing for good practice daylighting? What are the current requirements from planners and what is the current recommended standards and guidance? What are the standards and what do they consider? What needs to be considered in terms of aperture area of windows.