Innovation and Finance for Greener Housing
This year’s S4EU Better Homes conference spotlights Innovation and finance for Greener housing and is packed with the leading European thinkers and doers.
The morning session Innovative thinking in Housing kicks off with one of the most provocative thought leaders, architect and teacher Indy Johar from Dark Matter Labs & Architecture00. He will be followed by inspirational implementers Dr Gerardo Wadel of Societat Organica, Dr Judit Kimpian, coauthor of Energy| People | Buildings, and Dearbhla Lawson, Strategic Planner at the Land Development Agency. They will all look at innovative ways of delivering housing, going to the core of what meeting real housing needs within planetary boundaries means.
After that, we’ll hear about the impact of Construct Innovate in its first two years, and in our discussion on Collaboration for Innovation in the Built Environment, panellists will share their experience of how the construction industry can harness innovation and research to collaborate more effectively.
Our next panel is Sustainable Finance as a Driver of Innovation, and this delves into how the finance sector can accelerate innovation beyond business-as-usual for housing. What will be the impact of EU Taxonomy? What is essential for the industry to pay attention to? Green building councils from Austria and France provide insights on the fundamentals of working with the finance sector.
The afternoon session is dedicated to the Smarter Finance for EU, project which aims to drive green finance and sustainable certification for homes. Jeff Colley, editor of Passive House + magazine will moderate a panel discussion on Hybrid Funding of Affordable Housing. This will be followed by a round table discussion on Green, Healthy and Affordable Housing for all, with invited international guests from Ukraine, Portugal, Spain and Ireland – including financial institutions and municipal councils interested in financing sustainable homes and increasing cooperation.
The conference is co- funded by the Smarter Finance for EU Life programme and the NEBULA project, a Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
If you are interested in sponsoring and/or exhibiting at this event, please get in touch with Ellen.
Please note: If you booked after the 12th of November you may not receive an official name badge at the conference as we will not have enough time to prepare for print.
Please login to purchase your member rate ticket. If you don’t have login details please email [email protected]
Agenda
| 8.30 | Registration | |
| 9.00 | Welcome & Introduction Pat Barry | Pat Barry, IGBC |
| 9.10 | Innovative thinking on Housing
Governments across Europe are addressing the housing crisis by the single policy measure- Build more houses, any housing!- But are there more effective and innovative approaches that recognise ecological boundaries, new forms of, tenure, co-operative housing, financing and new forms of delivery? |
Indy Johar, Dark Matter Labs + Architecture00
Gerardo Wadel, Societat Organica Judit Kimpian, author Energy|People|Buildings Dearbhla Lawson, Land Development Agency |
| 10.20 | Construct Innovate research & innovation projects
Construct Innovate is Ireland’s national research centre for construction technology and innovation, devising solutions for key industry challenges particularly in residential construction, and funded by Enterprise Ireland’s industry-led Technology Centre programme. |
Colm McHugh Construct Innovate |
| 10.30 | Collaboration for Innovation in the Built Environment
Panel discussion “An innovative solution is often a combination of ideas, from conception to delivery” – Robert Weisberg Collaboration is central to innovation because it increases the chances of associations, speeds up connections and pushes good ideas forward. The panel will show how collaboration is key to moving good ideas into implementation |
Moderator: Colm McHugh, Construct Innovate
Dr Sanela Klaric – MP Bosnia Herzegovina and Professor of Architecture BURCH University Gerardo Wadel, Societat Organica Judit Kimpian, Architects Council of Europe John Reddy, Ecocem |
| 11.30 | Coffee Break | |
| 11.50 | Driving Industry towards Sustainable Finance
Presentation The potential to leverage finance to make an impact in driving a sustainable environment has not been fully explored. Sustainable finance is key to accelerate the urgent systemic transformation required. The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) aims to unlock impactful finance flows into the transition for sustainable development using the EU Taxonomy and frameworks for standardised, robust, independent EU Taxonomy verification and assurance services in construction and real estate. |
Julie Emmrich – World Green Building Council |
| 12.00 | Sustainable Finance as a driver of Innovation
Panel discussion “We know the facts, we have the technologies, the means, and the resources to act. We have to be bold and brave. We don’t need to discuss the facts; we need to discuss the implementation and the transition.” – Patrick Odier president of Swiss Sustainable Finance What role does finance play in driving greater levels of innovation and ambition? How can finance drive the transition and what role does certification play? What steps take to be “bold and brave” in finance? Our international panel give their perspectives |
Moderator: Jillian Mahon, Climate Change Advisory Council
Anna Vera Deinhammer, Austrian Sustainable Building Council Alexandra Hedesiu, EnerSave Capital Hans Vermeulen, ONESTO Louise O’Mahony, BPFI |
| 13.00 | Lunch |
Afternoon session – SMARTER4EU Initiative
| 14.00 | Announcement of Smarter Finance 4EU European Centre of Excellence
The Smarter Finance 4EU initiative’s European Centre of Excellence is a platform to provide hands-on support for organisations interested in creating sustainable certification linked green finance products so that programs can be launched with confidence in different markets and countries. |
Elena Rastei
Smarter Finance 4EU |
| 14.10 | Smarter Finance for EU Signing Ceremony for MoUs
The Memoranda of Understanding will unlock SMARTER Finance 4EU consultancy support for introduction of hybrid green finance solutions in featured municipalities dedicated to the provision of affordable housing for vulnerable citizens. |
Iva Merheim Eyre, Habitat for Humanity with EU partner municipality |
| 14.20 | Hybrid Funding of Affordable Housing
Smarter Finance 4EU Panel Discussion This panel uncovers a multi-dimensional understanding of hybrid funding schemes for residential projects. What role can they play in the Ukraine’s recovery? Panellists discuss different types of hybrid funding, ways to strengthen cooperation between municipalities, financial agencies and private developers, and opportunities to access affordable housing. |
Moderator: Jeff Colley, PassiveHouse+
Noel Ross, Ardcain Capital Iva Merheim Eyre, Habitat for Humanity Rolf Behrndt, Energy Efficiency Fund Ukraine Artem Hanushchak, Rivne Deputy Mayor |
| 15.30 | Green, healthy and affordable housing for all: overcoming challenges together
S4EU Roundtable Discussion The roundtable is part of a SMARTER4EU campaign on creating hybrid green finance solutions through multi- stakeholder and cross -sectoral cooperation. The aim of the round table is to stimulate interactive discussion between representatives of the public and private sector. Participants will share their know-how, the challenges they face and good practices on hybrid funding schemes for affordable housing. https://www.smarterfinance4.eu/post/hybrid-green-finance-catalogue-launched-for-ukraine-reconstruction |
Municipalities and Financial Agencies Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Ukraine (tbc) |
| 17.00-17.15 | Thank you and close |
Our Speakers
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Dr Judit Kimpian is an architect, environmental policy expert and campaigner for EU policy reform for an equitable net zero built environment. She co-authored Energy | People | Buildings – Making Sustainable Architecture Work (RIBA 2021.) Her 20 years in architectural practice, includes the role as Director of Sustainable Architecture and Research at AHR, where she published cross-sectoral research into net zero architecture and building performance and contributed to the development of CIBSE and RIBA technical guidance. Judit works as an expert on the EU’s Net Zero Carbon Pilot Cities programme and teaches net zero design and policy at University College London. |
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Dr Gerardo Wadel is an architect and founding partner of Societat Orgànica, a Barcelona based sustainable building consultancy promoting a model change in the building sector towards closing the loop of material cycles. He is currently involved in innovative new construction and refurbishment social housing projects using industrialised technology. Gerardo has a PhD in architecture with a postgraduate degree specialising in Habitat Technology and Production and is an Accredited Certifier of GBC Espana’s Verde rating system. |
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Dearbhla Lawson is head of Strategic Planning and leads the Land Development Agency’s planning, public lands and sustainability function, working with partners to optimise state land usage, build the pipeline and progress plans to regenerate and deliver compact and sustainable growth. Prior to her current role, Dearbhla worked in public and private sector roles most recently as Director of Services in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and before this as Head of Transport & Strategic Planning in Cambridgeshire. |
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Indy Johar is co-founder of Dark Matter Labs and Architecture00 – an RIBA award winning architecture and urban practice. He is a founding director of Open Systems Lab, a seeded WikiHouse open-source housing and Open Desk, an open-source furniture company. In 2022, he was awarded the London Design Medal for Innovation and appointed an MBE for Services to Architecture in 2023. He is a fellow of the London Interdisciplinary School and non-executive international Director of the BloxHub, the Nordic Hub for sustainable urbanization. Currently, Indy is professor at RMIT University, Australia and has taught at various institutions including University College London, Princeton, Harvard, MIT, New School, University of Bath and TU-Berlin. |
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Julie Emmrich is Sustainable Finance Lead at WorldGBC driving the network’s sustainable finance agenda, building on the expertise and experience from Green Building Councils and partners in the network to accelerate industry and policy action at global scale. With a strong background in sustainable finance and climate policy she has worked at the nexus of finance, research and policy. Before joining WorldGBC she worked in leading climate policy think tanks, particularly on sectoral transformations, sustainable finance and the Sustainable Development Goals. Julie also represents the WorldGBC network on the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance. |
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Colm McHugh is centre manager for Construct Innovate, the national research and innovation centre for construction and technology. Construct Innovate brings the Irish construction sector and academia together to identify and address barriers preventing the sector from becoming more efficient and facilitate the transition to a modern, productive and sustainable industry that can deliver the actions outlined in the NDP and Project Ireland 2040, one of which includes accommodating another one million people living on our island by 2040. Launched in December 2022, its partners are, the Irish Green Building Council, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork and University of Galway providing access to research clusters in Europe. |
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Dr Sanela Klaric is a Member of Parliament of the Federation of BiH and chairperson of the Green Council Bosnia-Herzegovina. She is president of the Chamber of Engineers in FBiH and teaches at the International BURCH University. Sanela is an expert on biobased and natural building materials with many completed projects and publications on the topic. She previously worked for OSCE and the UK Government, as a consultant on justice and rural development projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Western Balkans and Turkey. Sanela is also part of the organisational board of New European Bauhaus in BiH and member of Global Alliance for Green New Deal. |
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Hans Vermeulen is the CEO of Onesto, a Belgian social mortgage lender dedicated to affordable, energy-efficient housing. With over 15 years of experience, he spearheads partnerships with renovation advisors to promote sustainable housing projects. Leveraging his expertise in integrating mortgage financing with renovation services, Hans is committed to ensuring low-income households have access to affordable, energy-efficient homes, all while aligning with ESG principles and long-term sustainability goals. |
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John Reddy is a Chartered Civil Engineer and holds a MSc in Advanced Concrete Technology from Queen’s University Belfast. He has over 20 years’ experience working with low carbon cements and concrete. He is the current Vice President of the Institute of Concrete Technology and will take up office as President in 2025. Working with Ecocem since 2004, he has held roles in logistics, technical support, innovation, market development and quality. He is now working on the deployment of Ecocem ACT Low Carbon Concrete Technology in Ireland, UK and Holland. |
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Jillian Mahon is an experienced executive and director with wide ranging experience across the private, public, and international finance sector working both domestically and across the EU, particularly in areas of risk management and sustainability. Previously Jillian held senior roles in the National Treasury Management Agency (NPRF/ISIF) and then in the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) where she held senior executive roles until 2018. Prior to these positions, Jillian had an extensive executive career in capital markets banking holding the role of Treasurer in AIB. She is a member of Ireland’s Climate Change Advisory Council and sits on its Adaptation Committee. |
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Dr Anna-Vera Deinhammer is Vice President and Director for Circular Cities & Regions in the Circular Economy Forum Austria. She represents the Austrian Sustainable Building Council ÖGNI for WGBC and Climate Positive Europe Alliance in Brussels. She is involved in development of standards for “sustainability of buildings” at the Austrian Standards Institute ASI, cooperating with Austrian municipalities. In addition, she holds the Endowed Chair for Sustainable Real Estate Development at the University of Applied Sciences for Management and Communication FHWien der WKW, financed by the real estate industry. Anna -Vera holds a diploma in architecture and doctorate in integral engineering in the field of holistic quality assessment of buildings. |
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Alexandra Hedesiu has over 10 years of experience as an expert on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG), Sustainability and Finance. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board at the Sustainable Energy Finance Association (SEFA) and is the Managing Director and Head of ESG at EnerSave Capital, based in Luxembourg. EnerSave Capital specializes in advising companies on energy-saving projects, securing ESG-compliant funding solutions and providing refinancing mechanisms. SEFA plays a crucial role in facilitating project finance by accelerating investment through investor matchmaking, project aggregation, and standardization services. EnerSave Capital is also a key partner in the Smarter Finance 4EU project and has developed training modules on EU taxonomy, ESG and sustainable finance, set to be released in December 2024. |
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Jeff Colley is the editor of award-winning green building magazine Passive House Plus and has been a pioneering figure in green building since launching Ireland’s first green building magazine in 2003. A former Green Leader of the Year award winner, Jeff is a partner in the strategy and communications consultancy Zero Ambitions Partners, a co-host of Zero Ambitions Podcast, and the communications lead on the Smarter Finance for EU project. Jeff is the chair of the Heat Pump Association of Ireland, a board member of the Passive House Association of Ireland and an ambassador on the World Green Building Council’s BuildingLife campaign. |
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Noel Ross is head of Portfolio Management at Ardcairn Capital, and has extensive experience in residential development finance spanning over 20 years. Established in 2021, the Irish development finance lender provides funding for social, affordable and private homes and has committed €400m in funding to support the development of more than 2,000 new homes in 2024. |
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Rolf Behrndt is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF) in Ukraine. Now an independent consultant, Rolf was previously with the World Bank / IFC as Practice Manager for the joint IFC-IBRD Global Practice Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation. While responsible for the region Europa and Central Asia, he was instrumental in the establishment of the EEF, and the design and implementation of other housing finance projects. Rolf holds a master’s degree in industrial economics from Darmstadt University, Germany, and conducted postgraduate studies at the German Development Institute. |
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Iva Merheim Eyre has been a Project Manager at Habitat for Humanity since 2019 and leads SMARTER4EU programming on green affordable housing and hybrid finance. She is a democracy support analyst with a background in law and international development. For over 8 years she works alongside energy professionals on international projects using green housing solutions to enhance living standard of vulnerable groups. Iva works mainly on Central and Eastern European issues and uses her SMARTER4EU experience to inform her advocacy activities in the area of sustainable energy transition. |
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Elena Rastei is a sustainability specialist with over 14 years of experience in green building certification systems, ESG and taxonomy reporting. She is the Certification Director and Vice President for Romania Green Building Council, overseeing the certification process for over 18 500 homes, valuing over 4 billion EURO. Elena served as an advisor for the International Finance Corporation and the Romanian Ministry of Environment |
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Louise O’Mahony is Head of Sustainable Banking at BPFI, driving out the sector’s position on sustainable finance and focusing on practical outcomes to help banks best support customers to make the transition to a decarbonised economy. She participates in the Central Bank of Ireland’s Climate Forum and is a Chair of its cross-sectoral WG on Climate Risk Management. A Chartered Banker with the Institute of Bankers, she has an M.A. in Political Science from UCD, and is currently completing an IOB Course on ESG Data for Leaders. |
Sponsors
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Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Saint-Gobain in Ireland consists of Gyproc and Isover.
ISOVER has a long and proud history of supplying market-leading insulation solutions in Ireland for over 40 years. ISOVER seeks to develop and supply complete insulation solutions to guarantee the thermal and acoustic comfort of Irish homes and businesses. We provide an unrivalled service to the many thousands of specifiers, contractors and off-site manufacturers throughout Ireland. Gyproc is the market leader in plaster, plasterboard and drylining systems in Ireland; manufacturing in Ireland since 1936. Over the years, Gyproc has become a major authority in Irish construction providing innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions that meet the demands of the local construction industry. |
Exhibitors
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For over 20 years, the ethos at Ecological Building Systems, based in Athboy, Co. Meath, is to achieve ‘Better Building’ by adopting a ‘Fabric First’ approach to building design. By prioritising natural, resource-efficient materials with lower embodied carbon, they aim to optimise building performance, durability, and sustainability. They research and stock a wide range of high-performance, sustainable building products, backed by unrivalled technical support and comprehensive training on all of the products we supply. Ecologcial’s parent company, MacCann & Byrne, is a family-owned company with a rich heritage dating back to 1906 at our original premises in Athboy. |
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Ecocem is Europe’s leading pioneer of high-performance cement solutions that significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the construction industry. They are an independent company, headquartered in Ireland, with a world-class innovation centre based in Paris and four manufacturing facilities in Europe which deliver an annual production of over 2 million tonnes of low-carbon cements. In Ireland, their story to date has been built around delivering Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS), a high-performance alternative to traditional cements that significantly reduces carbon emissions, increases the technical performance of applications and improves aesthetics. Looking to the future, Ecocem has developed ACT, a ground breaking technology capable of scaling significant carbon reductions across the cement, concrete and construction industries. |
Round Table Delegates
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Artem Hanushchak, Deputy Mayor of Rivne Municipality |
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Serhii Koreniev, Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv municipality |
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Yanna Chaikovska, Director of the Communal Enterprise ‘City Development Institute’ of Vinnytsya City Council |
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Taras Yakovlev, First Deputy Mayor of Kovel Municipality |
The conference is supported by:
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The SMARTER4EU project has received funding from the European Union’s LIFE Clean Energy Transition Programme under grant agreement no. 101121060 |  |
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The NEBULA project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079859 |
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Bookings
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