Conservation-led retrofit and energy efficiency for working buildings, with with Heidi Hopper-Duffy and David Hughes (Iarnród Éireann)

Zero Ambitions Podcast

This one is about conservation-led retrofit and the retrofit of commercial (or institutional) building stock. We were invited to see a recent Iarnród Éireann (Irish Railway) retrofit project and meet with Heidi Hopper-Duffy (Environmental & Sustainability Manager) and its architect David Hughes (Senior Conservation Architect & Energy Specialist).

Ostensibly, we're talking about energy efficiency and conservation of built heritage. The project was led by David, a retrofit of a historic building shared between Iarnród Éireann and the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) office. We talk about it but you'll get to see the works in much more detail when Jeff features it in the pages of Passive House Plus.

In this case, the railway, guided by David and Heidi's experience, can be lauded as a leader in its field and these sorts of projects are illustrative of the challenges and opportunities that come with working in a large company or institution.

We also cover broader bits: design for deconstruction, BERs, what should we be quantifying i.e. carbon or energy, or what?

Mind the background noise - we had a few unexpected background interruptions from an occasionally boisterous meeting room next door.

Notes from the show

• Iarnród Éireann and sustainability
• David Hughes on Linkedin
• Heidi Hopper-Duffy on LinkedIn
• The Train Drivers' building, as it appears in Passive House Plus
• The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) for Ireland website
• That awful retrofit cut out that Fionn Stevenson posted about
• The Passive House Association of Ireland
• ICOMOS Ireland (the International Council on Monuments and Sites)

**SOME SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION**
We don't actually earn anything from this, and it's quite a lot of work, so we have to promote the day jobs.

• Follow us on the Zero Ambitions LinkedIn page
• Jeff, Alex, and Dan about websites, branding, and communications - [email protected]; Everything is User Experience
• Subscribe and advertise with Passive House Plus (UK edition here too)
• Check Lloyd's Substack: Carbon Upfront
• Join ACAN
• Join the AECB
• Join the IGBC
• Check out Her Own Space, the renovation and retrofit platform for women (but not in a patronizing way)

**END OF SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION**