13 redundancies at Arklow quarry

Thirteen workers at Roadstone in Arklow, Co Wicklow, were made redundant yesterday as the company closed the stone crushing plant at the quarry.

New thoughts on high-rises

THE DECISION by An Bord Pleanála to approve scaled-down plans by Arnotts for its ambitious "Northern Quarter" development brings into focus again the conflicting views on plans for tall buildings in Dublin.

Competition launched to design buildings with exemplary energy standards

A major forum of over 300 building industry professionals was told today that significant upskilling is required across the industry if government targets for the energy performance of buildings are to be achieved. The event, ‘Sustainable Architecture Now’, was organised by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) in association with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Venting opinions

Why ventilation requirements of buildings regulations must be overhauled
Whilst great strides are being made in upgrading energy performance requirements under Part L of the Building Regulations, the issue of ventilation has remained largely ignored by legislators for years, leaving designers with antiquated standards to work to. At its worst, efforts to air-tighten and increase the insulation of homes is being undermined by the absurd practice of knocking holes in walls. John Hearne looks into what changes need to be made to modernise Part F.