Collaborations, General News, HPBA & GBA Collaboration – Tour of Irish Sustainable Construction and Manufacturing Sectors
HPBA and Green Building Alliance visit Kingscourt, Co. Cavan
Oct
US–Irish Sustainable Construction Partnership Showcased in Kingscourt Visit.
The High Performance Building Alliance (HPBA) and Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance (GBA), both recognised as UNECE Centres of Excellence, marked a milestone in their 2025 partnership with a visit to Kingscourt, Co. Cavan. The collaboration, aimed at deepening US–Irish collaboration in sustainable construction, brought together a Pittsburgh delegation of academic, industry, and civic leaders during the week of 22–28 September, coinciding with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ historic game at Croke Park.
The Kingscourt leg of the tour, held on Monday 22 September, featured meetings with leading sustainability innovators, including Kingspan and St. Gobain. At St. Gobain, Building Scientist and Sustainability Manager Fintan Smyth addressed the delegation, emphasising climate change challenges and the need for cross-sector collaboration to foster cultural transformation in construction. The group toured the company’s Technical Academy, exploring training initiatives for industry professionals and examining cutting-edge sustainable construction materials.
Engagements continued at Kingspan’s IKON Centre, where discussions covered renewable energy, data centres, integrated photovoltaics, circular economy initiatives, bio-based materials, and R&D projects. Dr. Karl Crowley shared insights into Kingspan’s mission and values, leading into a guided Innovation Centre tour showcasing new products and research developments.
Holly Loughman, Kingspan’s Sustainability Manager, presented the Planet Passionate Programme, a global sustainability initiative aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and embedded in community projects.
The delegation also heard from Dr. Barry Mc Carron of KORE Retrofit, who outlined Ireland’s retrofit strategies, available funding supports, and certification processes. Eugene Kehoe of Weltec Engineering concluded the day with an overview of innovations in construction manufacturing, highlighting a design-for-deconstruction approach in pharmaceutical sector plant rooms.
That evening, the Green Building Alliance hosted a dinner at Cabra Castle where they were joined by guests from the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh. Each delegate was invited to take the floor and showcase their organisation along with their aspirations for the visit. The key theme was hope and opportunities for international collaboration, driving forward sustainability both sides of the Atlantic.
This Kingscourt visit emphasised the shared mission of HPBA and GBA to accelerate sustainable construction through international collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange.
