Sustainability and the circular economy in construction : How the RINNO project aims to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.

  By dotLAB Radio

Under the current Programme for Government, Ireland has set a target of 500,000 homes to be retrofitted to improve energy efficiency by 2030. With the European Union committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 under the European Green Deal, the construction industry is a key player in helping society migrate to a circular economy and cutting emissions.

Launched in June 2020, RINNO is a four-year project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, that will focus on developing solutions for the construction industry to accelerate the rate of deep renovation in energy inefficient buildings across Europe. The Irish Institute of Digital Business at Dublin City University are leading the business research on the project and are working with 17 partners across industry and academia.

In this episode of dotLAB Radio, Patrick Haughey (CEO, Audiobrand) is joined by Joseph Kilroy (Policy and Public Affairs Manager, The Chartered Institute of Building) and Dr Mohamad Kassem (RINNO Partner & Professor of Digital Construction and Engineering, Northumbria University). They discuss:

• The role of the Chartered Institute of Building in Ireland in bringing multiple stakeholders together to address sustainability in the building industry.
• The innovative technologies and processes being developed by the RINNO project to improve cost-efficiency, productivity and sustainability in European building renovation.
• An overview of deep renovation, retrofitting and the benefits these offer for public health, employment and regional rebalancing.
• How COVID-19 has presented an opportunity for developers to rethink and reimagine the built environment.

The UK Committee on Climate Change report outlined by Dr. Kassem in the interview can be read in full here.

Find out more about RINNO by visiting the project website and by following the project updates on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.