Grim figures here show the extent of the depth of the downturn twenty years ago- recovery still ongoing (via Irish Times)

Interesting listen here “What’s wrong with Ireland? Sinéad O’Sullivan has an answer” www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/ins...

Construction inflation bites “..there had been a 20% increase in cost of timber over a six week period” (via business post)

Amazing news.....I read a Irish academic journal proposing a similar scheme on harnessing extra supply from curtailed wind energy to dispatch to energy poor households. Smart controls & responsive demand a key part of it.

An excellent initiative… imagine free hot water at no cost to the state for those most in need “EnergyCloud and Electric Ireland partner to tackle energy poverty with surplus renewable energy” www.electricireland.ie/residential/...

Big increase in NoTs. Otherwise not much. Haven't looked properly yet though as I'm not at my desk today

Anything interesting?

Architect @maoiliosarey.bsky.social nearly 10yrs ago on the tortoise shack outlined what HAP was doing/going to do the rental market. Memorably he said that ‘HAP should be morphine; used in an emergency. Instead it’s methadone and the market is hooked on it.’

Launching my book on May 26th. Join me in conversation with Rory Hearne, hosted by Kitty Holland. Should be a great discussion of housing politics and the PRS @maoiliosarey.bsky.social @fingalpimpernel.bsky.social @pbresnihan.bsky.social @ciantocallaghan.bsky.social docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

House prices currently doubling every 11 years “House prices are still going up by thousands of euros, just not quite as quickly as before” jrnl.ie/7038495

Well done to all involved (you know who you are!). Retrofit BER A1 achieved today.

Inflation and interest rate expectations having a chilling effect on house building activity (Irish Times)

Dublin city council’s reluctance to allocate funding to tackle dereliction in marked contrast with Limerick, who have excellent track record (Irish Times)

Carl Andre, Equivalent V, 1966-69 https://botfrens.com/collections/14377/contents/1137217

Interesting HBFI report provides a snapshot of Ireland’s housing sector www.hbfi.ie/news/90-of-i...

PHI is heading to Vancouver for the Passive House Canada Conference (May 25–27)! Join Jessica Grove-Smith & Vanya Chan on May 26 for global Passive House insights, and on May 28 for an EnerPHit retrofit workshop. 👉 Conference programme: https://conference.passivehousecanada.com/program/

Sunshine! Greenery! Freedom! Modern life on the postwar English council estate. My books, The Radburn Idea, vols 1 and 2, for sale here: theradburnidea.bigcartel.com £10 each including postage.

Commentary | Europe's solar glut shunts power system into tricky new transition phase - www.reuters.com/business/ene...

Good short listen “Will garden cabins actually help fix the housing crisis?” podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/t...

“There are 40,000 apartments with planning permission - but not much building is expected soon” jrnl.ie/7026187

Just finished this- a compelling page turner!

Interesting read

Good read “The problem with falling house prices” www.ft.com/content/6e2c...

Cairn Homes says Irish build-cost inflation is now running at 2.5% www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Interesting read here illustrating why some commercial buildings can’t be let at any price… Carbon and Emissions (Irish Times)

First Time Buyers active in the Housing market, residential investment remains flat @irishtimes.com

Alarming trending figures for Europe’s climate outlined here. Should give impetus for more rapid action on CO2 reduction @irishtimes.com

Interesting read “Ireland’s failure premium” @cameronmurray.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/butthist...

In the late 1960s, plans were hatched to fill in the Royal Canal in Dublin and run a motorway over it. Now look how beautiful it is, thanks to the late Ian Bath, the Royal Canal Amenity Group and the Office of Public Works …

Get a technical assessment done first, they will tell you if the heat loss is low enough to switch to heat pump

Well informed article on brain injuries, risk, and contact sports in today’s @irishtimes.com

‘Shedsit’ garden cabins could become a rental black market www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...

“We’re in an energy crisis. We need better buildings, not worse” @businesspost.bsky.social @phplus.bsky.social @jeffcolley.bsky.social

Morocco just activated the #NoorAtlas Mega Complex — a 20,000-megawatt #solar installation across 45,000 hectares of Saharan plateau. It's capable of generating up to 160 MW, making the first stage alone one of the world's biggest solar thermal power plants unfccc.int/es/node/21533 #ActOnClimate

“Dublin Live: Dublin family 'asked to move out' so landlord can put modular home in garden” share.google/gdjP4B3w20bW...

“Another financial difficulty emerged last week where the cost, not of construction but of the long-term maintenance, forced Clúid to abandon cost-rental plans in Cabra, Dublin. It said it would be unable to offer rents below the 25% of market rates..” @irishtimes.com

Insightful and informative interview by Paul Krugman on recent Hungary election open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

We need to reduce emissions a lot faster.. @irishtimes.com

Tax relief scheme to tackle vacancy extended @irishtimes.com

Passive standard goes mainstream “One of these developments, Pipers Square in Charlestown.. set to become one of the largest passive house housing schemes in Europe” www.rte.ie/news/busines...

“Ireland’s productivity.. drops by 31% to $115 when using gross national income (GNI) as an alternative measure [placing it third after] Norway ($132) and Luxembourg ($125).. Luxembourg’s productivity drops by 54% when measured using GNI.” share.google/OI5FZI8cmOSK...

Make a cup of tea and watch "Inside Eileen Gray's E-1027, the radical house of the Côte D'Azur" youtube.com/watch?v=r-tu...

Interesting read “The state collects €126 billion a year in revenue and it employs tens of thousands of civil servants; but when the first serious domestic crisis in a generation arrived, the institutional thinking was outsourced to people on their phones.” open.substack.com/pub/butthist...

Benchmark here? PRS fully let investment sold in Dublin 8, more than 80% of dwellings are studios and 1 beds selling av €508k each. Yield 4.9% @businesspost.bsky.social

Italy discovers 'silver housing' as traditional elder care buckles - www.reuters.com/business/fin...

Good read - why we must move past minimum building standards- passive standard leads the way @businesspost.bsky.social @phplus.bsky.social @passivehouseie.bsky.social

A senior officer at housing charity Clúid said it wants to sell some social homes privately www.dublininquirer.com/a-senior-off...

“..indicative price range for the social-housing homes starts from €339,258 for a studio and goes to €839,281 for a four-bedroom end-terrace home”⁦‪ @irishtimes.com

New scheme of passive plus standard homes taking shape in Killiney @phplus.bsky.social @passivehouseie.bsky.social @ipha.bsky.social

Thanks Mel. It's a story that needed to be told, in the public interest, before @dubcitycouncil.bsky.social makes a fateful decision to relocate the civic offices from Wood Quay to Lower Kevin Street. After all, it's Ireland's taxpayers who will have to foot the bill of €500 million-plus.