Key Irish and European figures in housing, public health, and the environment convened at Europe House, Dublin, on 04 November for the latest meeting of the Healthy Homes Ireland (HHI) Forum, focusing on how Ireland can accelerate the delivery of affordable homes while ensuring they are sustainable and support the health and wellbeing of residents.

The event, chaired by Susan Vickers, Chair, HHI, brought together policymakers, government officials and industry leaders from architecture, construction, public health, engineering, and academia. The forum examined how Ireland can balance the pressing demand for new housing with the need to meet climate goals and improve indoor living conditions.

Opening the event, Susan Vickers said, “I’m looking forward to chairing this forum on the discussion of one of Ireland’s defining challenges: how we make sure that the speed of delivery of affordable homes and the wellbeing of residents go hand in hand.”

Representing VELUX, Public Affairs Manager Neil Freshwater reaffirmed the company’s commitment to advancing healthier homes, “Healthy buildings are at the heart of what we do at VELUX, where we advocate for healthier indoor environments. We are proud to continue our partnership with IGBC on HHI, which brings together experts and policymakers to ensure that every new home in Ireland is not only affordable but also designed to promote wellbeing, indoor comfort, and sustainability.”

Participants heard from Matthew Baldwin, Head of the European Commission’s Housing Task Force, who presented remotely on the forthcoming European Affordable Housing Plan and emphasised that increasing the affordability of housing should not come at the expense of sustainability or quality.

Matthew Baldwin said, “We need to make the best use of our existing buildings while building more in general. Energy renovation will make housing more affordable in the long run and will also contribute to making our homes a healthier place for our children and us.”

His remarks set the stage for a dynamic panel discussion featuring former Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, Dublin City Architect and Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) Chair Ali Grehan, and former Chair of the Housing Commission John O’Connor.

Eamon Ryan highlighted the importance of maintaining ambition on climate action in the housing sector.

He commented, “This is a time to double down rather than weaken our climate commitments. The solutions we have to hand are going to improve our homes, not just our pockets, but also our health. The historic slogan of the green movement to ‘think global and act local’ has never been more important. When it comes to the development of housing, that means building up our neighbourhoods and not just bricks and mortar of our own home.”

Ali Grehan emphasised that housing targets and healthy design can be pursued together.

She said, “Under pressure to build 300,000 new homes by 2030, we’re in danger of sidelining the need to make those homes liveable and healthy. We need to hold our nerve because these ambitions are not mutually exclusive. It just requires good and collaborative design and planning.”

Reflecting on the importance of putting people at the centre of housing policy, John O’Connor added, “Housing must be treated as a unique priority to support people, families, and communities. Everyone deserves a warm, healthy, decent, and affordable home.”

HHI is a partnership initiative of the IGBC and VELUX, established in 2021 to raise awareness of the links between indoor environments, health, and housing quality in Ireland.

The forum builds on HHI’s ongoing work to ensure that housing policy and industry practice in Ireland improve residents’ quality of life while meeting national and European sustainability goals.