11-12 November 2026
RDS Dublin (Hall 2)
Education Buildings Ireland includes a CPD-accredited conference, allowing delegates to drive deeper into the most pressing topics in education infrastructure across Ireland, with Day One focused on schools and Day Two focused on higher education.
Panel Discussion. Our schoolgrounds represent one of the most frequently used public spaces experienced every day by almost every child. Reimagining these outdoor spaces offers a practical, achievable, low-cost and scalable opportunity to generate meaningful sustainable benefits for children, nature, and our shared future. Exceptional outdoor spaces for play, recreation, and learning don't just benefit students, they drive societal change in biodiversity, wellbeing, and inclusion. Join leading policymakers, researchers, and hands-on practitioners for an interactive look at the future of external school spaces. We will dive into the real-world challenges and opportunities in sustainability. Come ready to share your voice and shape the future of learning landscapes.
Delivering on Ireland's 2030 climate ambitions requires more than commitment. It requires targeted investment, clear priorities and practical measures that accelerate the decarbonisation and transformation of the tertiary education estate. As institutions balance climate objectives, ageing infrastructure, evolving learner needs and finite capital resources, the focus is increasingly on the renewal, retrofit and optimisation of existing buildings to deliver measurable environmental, operational and long-term value.
This session begins with DFHERIS's Decarbonisation Plan for Ireland's tertiary education estate, outlining the targeted measures, investment priorities and strategic interventions being deployed to support the achievement of 2030 climate and energy objectives. Delegates will gain insight into how strategic investment, estate optimisation and evidence-based decision-making are being used to drive progress across a diverse education estate. An update from SEAI on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and recent changes to the Building Energy Rating (BER) framework will highlight the regulatory drivers increasingly shaping estate investment, building performance and decarbonisation programmes.
Through perspectives on estate optimisation, sustainability-led master planning and campus development from BDP, Trinity College Dublin and TU Dublin, attendees will discover how institutions are translating policy into delivery through the renewal and optimisation of existing estates, energy infrastructure projects and data-driven investment strategies. Together, these presentations will demonstrate how targeted measures, informed decision-making and strategic investment can accelerate progress towards 2030 climate goals while creating more resilient, efficient and future-ready campuses.
Creating truly inclusive learning environments means going beyond minimum statutory requirements. It requires a shift in mindset, from designing for compliance to creating a culture of inclusion, where the built environment is planned around all learners, recognising the diversity of their needs, and enables all learners to grow, engage and succeed.
This session will explore how that ambition is being translated into practice across Ireland’s tertiary education and training sector, from national policy and statutory requirements to governance investment and the application of universal design across new tertiary education infrastructure and the refurbishment and retrofit of the existing estate.
Real world campus projects will bring this journey from policy into practice demonstrating how thoughtful learner centred design can remove barriers, foster belonging and create opportunities for all.
This session explores how education and training are supporting the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). It will highlight new skills provision at the National Construction Training Campus, the Skillnet MMC Accelerate Platform for industry upskilling, and the development of an MSc in MMC Leadership. Together, the speakers will provide a concise overview of how training, innovation and leadership development are aligning to drive MMC across the sector.
This informal sofa session explores how collaboration is driving climate action and estate transformation across Ireland's education sector. Bringing together perspectives from the U9 Universities Group, the E16 Group and the Higher Education Authority (HEA), representing Ireland's universities, Education and Training Boards, and higher and further education and training sectors, the discussion will examine shared approaches to sustainability, decarbonisation and estate performance, as well as key lessons from the Higher Education Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme (EEDPP) Monitoring Project Review.
The content for this session is currently being finalised. Further details on all speakers, topics and discussion themes will be published mid September 2026.
This session explores how Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) is being applied across the tertiary education sector, from policy through to delivery. It begins with the Government perspective on why WLCA requirements have been introduced, their role in driving carbon reduction and promoting Green Public Procurement. The session will address the standardised framework and how this approach will help the State decarbonise the built environment and meet legally binding net-zero carbon targets.
The session will then examine how these requirements are being interpreted by the Department of Education and Youth (DEY) and embedded within the Schools Design Guide (SDG) for Life-Cycle Global Warming Potential, in addition to providing guidance on the principals of design which promote the reduction of embedded carbon in the construction of new school buildings. Finally, the talk will address how WLCA is delivered in practice and the core strategies used by Design Teams who collaborate to provide the exact data contracting authorities need to make smart carbon decisions at the various project decision gates.
What will the future campus look like? As learner expectations, technology and educational delivery models continue to evolve, institutions are rethinking how learning environments can better support creativity, collaboration, engagement and innovation.
This session explores that journey, beginning with the Creative Campus initiative, led by DFHERIS and Maynooth University in collaboration with the further and higher education sector, which is examining how creativity can be embedded across campuses through learning environments, facilities, culture and community engagement. The discussion then turns to how virtual and physical learning environments can work together to create more flexible, connected and inclusive educational experiences. Finally, delegates will discover how data-driven design and emerging technologies are helping institutions optimise and shape the next generation of learning spaces.
Together, these presentations demonstrate how innovation is transforming the way education environments are conceived, experienced and delivered, helping to create more engaging, adaptable and future-ready campuses.
The FET College Major Capital Programme (FCMCP) was announced with an objective to address existing deficits in current FET infrastructure and support projects that drive reform of the FET sector through consolidation of provision and integration of further education and training. The delivery of projects under this programme is a key priority for Government and has been specifically called out in the Programme for Government.
Twelve project proposals are currently being progressed under the FCMCP. This session will have representatives from 3 of the projects that are at the Pre-tender - Project Design, Planning, and Procurement Strategy Stage: Cork ETB (Bishopstown), Kilkenny Carlow ETB (Kilkenny City), and Tipperary ETB (Clonmel) along with the GDA and SOLAS who are tasked with assisting DFHERIS in its role as approving Authority for these projects. The panel will focus on the uniqueness of the FCMCP projects, the provision required and the known timelines for delivery of these projects.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are transforming the delivery of higher education infrastructure, enabling faster, safer, higher-quality and more sustainable projects. Drawing on the experience of Ireland's Higher Education PPP Programme, this session will explore how MMC, digital innovation and collaborative delivery models are helping to reshape the planning and construction of major campus developments.
Featuring perspectives from DFHERIS and parties involved in delivery, the discussion will examine the practical application of off-site manufacturing, prefabrication, standardisation, Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other digital construction techniques across Higher Education PPP Bundles 1 and 2. Delegates will gain valuable insights into lessons learned, the evolution of delivery approaches between programme bundles, and how MMC can drive improved productivity, quality, programme certainty and long-term value in the delivery of tertiary education infrastructure
The content for this session is currently being finalised. Further details on all speakers, topics and discussion themes will be published mid September 2026.
Travel Advisory (11-12 November)
Attendees should be aware that EU Presidency-related events, including the European Political Community Summit, will take place in Dublin on 12 November, with associated security and traffic management measures expected on 11 and 12 November. Traffic restrictions may affect parts of Dublin city centre, including the IFSC, Port Tunnel and surrounding areas. Anyone travelling to the conference from the north side of the city is advised to plan an alternative route and allow additional travel time. Details of the Garda traffic management plan will be published on this website as soon as they become available
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