On Wednesday 07 and Thursday 08 October, the Architecture + Building Expo will host Breakfast Briefings, a key part of the programme. These sessions bring together a keynote Facilitator and a panel of construction industry leaders for interactive discussions, prioritizing audience engagement over traditional presentations. Organized in collaboration with the RIAI, SEAI, CIBSE Ireland, and other industry bodies, these events support a sector-wide exchange of ideas.
Two Briefings This Year
Two Breakfast Briefings take place this year. The first, Maximising MMC Adoption, occurs on Wednesday, 7 October. The second, Simplified BER – Experience so far, is set for Thursday, 8 October. Both events occur in the RDS Main Hall at Architecture + Building Expo.
Modern methods of construction, or MMC, represent an umbrella term for innovative building techniques that shift processes from traditional onsite construction to factory-based manufacturing and digital engineering. Misconceptions and challenges exist regarding the widespread adoption of MMC. This Breakfast Briefing highlights and discusses these challenges to identify a positive route forward for maximising the benefits MMC offers.
Pat Kirwan, Associate Director, Head of Industrialised Design and Construction at Reddy Architecture and President of the European Association for Industrialised Construction, oversees the panel discussion. Industry representatives joining him include Paul Tighe, Partner at Ethos and Vice-Chair, CIBSE Ireland; Paul Tierney, CEO, MMC Ireland; Denise Murray, Partner at Metropolitan Workshop Ireland and Design Fellow at UCD School of Architecture; and Brian Kennedy, Managing Director, Vision Built Ireland and President, Smart Offsite Association, CIF. A Q&A session follows.
It is nearly six months since the new Simplified Building Energy Rating scale for both domestic and non-domestic properties came into effect. This specially-convened BER Breakfast Briefing reviews its impact to date, identifies the challenges encountered, facilitates information sharing, and identifies positive learning outcomes. Michael Curran, CIBSE Ireland and Acting Director, Capital Projects Funding, Delivery and Governance at SOLAS, oversees a panel discussion between Patrycja Kochaniuk, Sustainability Lead, Scott Tallon Walker Architects; Joe Durkan, Head of Technical, National Retrofit, SEAI; and Stephen McGovern, Chair, BER Assessors Association.
Events begin with tea, coffee, and croissants at 8am, followed by the main session at 8.30am. This approach gives attendees a chance to network informally before the discussion begins.
