Presentation

Padraig will set out Aura's decarbonisation journey as a nationwide leisure centre operator. His presentation will map out the challenges and opportunities to be found in targeting carbon reductions in these buildings. Padraig will offer insights into retrofit projects undertaken and compliance with governmental targets as well as explore concepts for the future of low-carbon sports buildings.

Meet Padraid Byrne

Padraig joined the Aura Holohan Group in 2010 where he heads up the property team.

Padraig is a Building Services Engineer with over 20 years’ experience, who is responsible for the energy efficiency and sustainability of Aura’s 13 swimming pools. A member of the IAKS Swimming Pool Experts Circle, Padraig is a regular speaker at Irish and International conferences on swimming pool energy management and sustainability. 

He has specialized in energy management and developed the award winning 5 point energy plan which has resulted in over 45% reduction in the overall energy consumption for the Aura group.

Presentation: A New Whole Life Carbon Roadmap for Sports Building

The unique energy profile of leisure centres is a key focus for local authorities, operators and designers in the journey towards decarbonisation.  Drawing on FaulknerBrowns' 50+ years' research and delivery of this typology, Aisling will present findings that challenge current industry thinking and look towards a new blueprint for the future of sustainable sports buildings.

Meet Aisling Cleary

Aisling Cleary is an associate architect with FaulknerBrowns Architects. Aisling worked in New York, Dublin and Amsterdam before joining FaulknerBrowns in 2021 to assist in establishing the Dublin studio. 

Aisling has ten years of experience in designing innovative buildings with a focus on sustainability, and is currently leading a number of high-profile sports projects for local authorities and government agencies in Dublin. 

 A tutor and examiner at TU Dublin, Aisling is an advocate for design that supports healthier cities and communities.

Presentation: GAA Centre of Excellence, Meath

Frank Cooney will speak about The Meath GAA Centre of Excellence and where it sits on the timeline of Cooney Architects’ evolving response to achieving truly sustainable buildings and places. This timeline commenced in 1991 when Frank Cooney was a project architect for a prototype EU sponsored ‘green building’. Our most recent project is a BREEAM outstanding naturally ventilated, naturally lit, wooden building located on a brown field site where we are applying green public procurement.

Meet Frank Cooney

In 1995, when Patricia McCaffrey and Frank Cooney established Cooney Architects, they began by asking “what type of architecture practice do we want to be ? What’s the purpose and the value of the work we’re going to do ? How do we work with people who share our values?”

At several points along the journey they’ve asked again those apparently ‘simple’ questions . Cooney Architect’s answers continue to come back to a few principles and aspirations that are at the heart of what we do. Each month we meet as a team and review their progress under the headings of Art, Human, Learnings and Enough.

Frank believes Architecture has a fundamental role in creating and renewing  communities, that they become truly sustainable –environmental, financial, social, health, equity, beauty and every other sense of that word. 

Earlier this year Dublin City Council was delighted to announce the launch of its first ever Sports Plan, ‘Dublin City: More Active, More Often’. The primary focus of the plan will be to increase the levels of physical activity of Dublin city’s population, making it one of the most active cities in the world.  Don Daly's talk will explore how the Council hopes to achieve this within a major urban environment.

Meet Don Daly

Project Manager within Dublin City Council Sports & Recreation Division leading on an array of sport related infrastructure and event projects including the redevelopment of Dalymount Park, Europa League Final 2024, Euro 2028 and the Council’s first ever sports plan.

Shaun Dawson leads the award winning Lee Valley Regional Park Authority which is responsible for the 4,000 ha Lee Valley Regional Park. The Regional Park consists of a range sport and leisure venues along with country parks and nature reserves and attracts 8-10 mill visitors a year.

Shaun was involved in the London 2012 Olympic project from bid stage in 2003 to now leading the organisation which has guaranteed the future of three world class London 2012 legacy venues: Lee Valley White Water Centre; Lee Valley VeloPark; Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre. These venues host a range of community and commercial activities and have held 20 major international events since 2012. New developments in the pipeline include a twin Olympic rink ice centre (opens Oct 2022) and an inland surfing venue.

Shaun was a member of the UK Government’s Rio 2016 Advisory Panel and has spent time in Rio advising the City, State and Federal Governments on sporting legacy. He has also provided advice to Tokyo 2020 on venue design and legacy planning and has spent time in Tokyo advising representatives from Government and the Tokyo 2020 agencies.

Shaun was the Government’s Regional Champion for Sport for London (2010-13) and has been on the board of London Sport since 2014 (Vice Chair 2018-present). 

He has extensive experience of strategic planning, business modelling, development and management of sports venues. A particular focus has been delivering viable and sustainable venues that are community focused and commercially driven.

Karl Dunne has worked in the sports and fitness industry for over 30 years. He set up and managed the choice hotels group leisure and fitness offering. 

As Chief Executive Officer of Ireland Active - the National Association for Ireland's Leisure, Health and Fitness industry - Karl is responsible for the overall operational side of Ireland Active and was appointed in 2021. He is a former international canoeist and was the canoe team manager for the London 2012 Olympic Games. He also set up the para canoe programme ahead of the Rio 2016.

Karl is a member of the Government's Sports leadership group, chaired by the Minister for Sport. He was also a member of the Department of Sports steering group that developed the National Swimming Strategy. Karl created the Leisure Health and Fitness Skillnet, which has been instrumental in funding the upskilling of fitness professionals in Ireland. 

He is member of the Physical Activity for people with Chronic Conditions (PACC) steering group developing a collaboration across systems to remove systemic barriers that prevent or reduce opportunities for people with chronic conditions to participate in regular, appropriate, high quality and accessible physical .

 Personal Exercise (15%) and Swimming (9%) are the two most popular participation sports in Ireland. Karl is continually advocating to government highlighting the importance that physical activity is the most affordable, cost-effective and high-impact solution to reducing illness and disease in Ireland. 

Presentation: A Masterplan Perspective

How can we design inspiring and inclusive campus environments that support the needs of elite athletes while engaging the wider community?

 Through careful placemaking, the Sport Ireland Campus interweaves previously disconnected sports to create a neighbourhood for athletes to mix and connect. In making sport visible and engaging to all, future athletes are inspired while informal sport and active landscapes encourage participation across all levels and ages. 

Meet Niall Durney

Niall is a partner and lead of the FaulknerBrowns Dublin studio. An architect, urban designer and educator, Niall has 20 years' experience across Europe and Australasia designing award-winning urban quarters, buildings and places. 

 He is passionate about merging typologies from commercial to cultural to sport, grounding projects in a contextual manner. Niall's expertise in collaboration across complex multi-stakeholder teams from inception to completion has delivered positive long-term outcomes for public and private clients.

Joseph Gilhooly has worked in the local government sector since the 1990’s with previous private sector work experience. In the local government sector Joseph has spent many years in financial operations and management and has subsequently worked at senior management level in the areas of Planning, Economic and Tourism Development and Regeneration, Community and Cultural services, Infrastructure Provision and Capital Investment.

Future Challenges - Expert Panel Session

Meet Gar Holohan

Gar is Chair of the Aura Holohan Group who provide specialist feasibility, design and facility management services to the sports and leisure sector in Ireland. He has led consultant teams for the planning and design of over 40 public swimming pool projects and the first Irish National Sports facilities strategy.

BArch (Dist), BSc (Hons) Arch, UWCC, RIBA

Tom is a Senior Principal in the London office of Populous and has a keen interest in how sports and entertainment buildings and events can enhance cities and communities. He has a great passion for sport and has been able to use this in the design and delivery of a number of high-profile projects around the world, including the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Emirates Stadium for Arsenal FC and the Olympic Stadium for the London 2012 Olympic Games.  He has also worked on other major sports events, including the ICC Cricket World Cup and NFL Super Bowl.

In addition to running major projects, Tom has co-authored the technical guide to Sports Facilities in the Metric Handbook and contributed to a series of international publications. He is a member of the IAKS Executive Board since 2017 and sits on the Sports Economy Sector Advisory Group for DIT (Department of Industry and Trade).  He has also spoken at a range of conferences and events around the world on the sustainability of sports and entertainment buildings.

More Active, More often: Dublin City Council Sports Plan 2024-29

This session will showcase the recently published Dublin City Plan for Sport and Physical Recreation, Dublin City: More Active, More Often. In particular, it will explore the role of innovative design of facilities and spaces to encourage people to lead more active, healthy lives. And it will discuss the critical role infrastructure design and planning plays in enabling sports strategies to be delivered effectively.

Meet Brian MacNeice
Brian MacNeice is Senior Managing Director within the Sports Advisory & Consulting practice at Teneo Ireland. He is a strategic advisor to business and sports organisations in Ireland and internationally. Brian has extensive experience of strategic planning work across the sports sector with International Federations (e.g. ICC, World Rugby, 6 Nations), National Governing Bodies (e.g. The FA, FAI, IRFU), Olympic and Paralympic National Organising Committees (OFI, Paralympics Ireland), and public bodies such as Sport Ireland, Sport England, and Sport Northern Ireland. Brian is currently Chair of Cricket Ireland and chairperson of the Swim Ireland High Performance Advisory Group. 

Presentation: The Danish Perspective

“Why cling to outdated concepts? Sports participation is declining, particularly among teens, with girls and women being less active. Our health is deteriorating, yet sports organizations and municipalities continue recycling century-old ideas, expecting different results. In this session, Ola Mattsson will demonstrate how to break this cycle and implement solutions that tackle these and other challenges.

Meet Ola Mattsson

Ola Mattsson is a development consultant with the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sport Facilities Team Sports, bringing over ten years of experience in leading successful projects for government agencies, municipalities, and sports clubs. He specializes in collaborating with architects and specialists to design innovative, future-oriented leisure spaces.

Joining the Expert Panel Session "Future Challenges"

Mary McMorrow

Mary McMorrow has worked with Swim Ireland, the National Governing Body for the Aquatics across the island of Ireland, for ten years. As Director of Operations, she is responsible for the implementation of the infrastructure pillar of the Swim Ireland and is the governance lead for the organisation. She was a member of the Government Working Group which developed and recently published Ireland’s first National Swimming Strategy and is a former Board member of the Federation of Irish Sport. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Dublin City Sports & Wellbeing Partnership. She also plays an active role in European Aquatics, having chaired the Learn to Swim Commission and has recently been appointed as Chairperson of the European Aquatics National Federation Managers Sub-Committee. 

Designing for sport, Printing House Square

Printing House Square is the first new square to be built in the historic Trinity College Campus in 200 years. Its dramatic courtyard form provides student accommodation, health and disability services, along with state-of-the-art sports facilities including Squash, GAA Handball, Racquet Ball and Olympic Target Shooting. This project answers the challenge of how to sustainably provide international-level sports facilities for the modern student body without sacrificing our built heritage.

Meet Valerie Mulvin

Valerie Mulvin is the co-founder of McCullough Mulvin Architects and a member of Aosdána. Based in Dublin, the focus of the practice is on the design of sustainable cultural, educational and civic buildings, with a dynamic synergy of interest in innovative contemporary architecture, place, and history. 

Presentation: An operator's perspective

Michael will talk about the challenges faced when balancing the demand for access to facilities by the trilogy of performance athletes, local community and event hosting. Increasing the access for one group has a consequential impact on the other two.

Meet Michael Murray 

Michael joined Sport Ireland Facilities in 2014 as Financial Controller and was appointed to the role of Chief Operations Officer in July 2016. Over the last eight years, the Campus has been transformed and there has been an exponential increase in the number of users of the facilities across different participation groups. The covid years brought a new category of users which in itself, has added a new dimension to the environment. 

Michael is a chartered accountant and a member of the Institute of Directors with over 30 years’ experience across a number of industries in the private sector. 

Ger's presentation will focus on the Ballyfermot Skatepark, examining the challenges and successes of the project. He will highlight the crucial partnership between Dublin City Council and Ballyfermot Youth Service, exploring how this collaboration was key to the park's success and providing a model for future community-based projects.

* Introduction: Overview of the Ballyfermot Skatepark project
* Key challenges faced during the development and how they were overcome
* The partnership between Dublin City Council and Ballyfermot Youth Service: Roles, responsibilities, and synergies
* Success factors: Community engagement, sustainability, and long-term impact
* Lessons learned and implications for future active space projects
* Conclusion: The broader benefits of community-government partnerships in sustainable development

Ger O'Reilly, Assistant Manager and Outdoor Educational Instructor at Ballyfermot Youth Service, has 17 years of experience working with youth in Ballyfermot and Cherryorchard. Since 2010, he has been a key driver in developing the Ballyfermot Skatepark, advocating for young people and creating impactful community spaces. 

Performance and wellbeing in university environments

Exploring the transformative power of sport and wellbeing in university environments across Ireland, this presentation will examine the evolution of sports infrastructure, various funding mechanisms, and their profound impact on students, communities, and the national sports ecosystem. Delve into how modern university sports facilities are shaping the future of holistic wellbeing and national sports development.

Meet Christy O’Shea

Christy O’Shea, Senior Manager – Sport & Student Life  at TU Dublin, is a visionary sports management professional with over 15 years of international experience. He excels in strategic sport planning, stakeholder engagement, and transforming sports facilities to enhance community and student wellbeing. Christy's dynamic leadership at TU Dublin and beyond has set new standards in sports infrastructure and community engagement.

Presentation: How do we meet the decarbonisation challenge in pools?

In this presentation, we will provide an overview the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) programme support, including insight on future scope and funding. This will be set within the broader framework of Irish public sector targets and the challenges in achieving them. We will highlight the significance of public sector leisure centres in the national effort to save energy and decarbonise. Additionally, we will discuss the significant challenges in financing and capacity of the broader value chain to meet target timeframes. Attendees will gain insights into SEAI programmes, desired outcomes, and potential impacts on energy efficiency and sustainability. We will share examples of ongoing projects supported by SEAI’s Pathfinder programme, demonstrating the level of activity and commitment.

Meet John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan, Head of Public Sector and Regulatory Programmes at SEAI, leads the strategy and delivery of programmes to support the Irish public sector in achieving national and EU directive targets for emissions and energy reduction. He also oversees regulatory responsibilities, including market surveillance, the National Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme, and the Triple-E products register.

Presentation: Can landscape promote movement?

Land: meaning home territory or a place where people belong. Scape: meaning to create.  At LDA we follow the principle: ‘First life, then spaces, then buildings’. Landscape is the spaces people use and in which they connect. So it follows that landscape design is a social endeavour. What does this mean for Sport Ireland’s Abbotstown campus where the pursuit of sporting excellence will sit alongside community engagement?

Meet Matt Wooding

Matt is a landscape architect with almost two decades of experience in the industry. Over this time, he has built his reputation as a skilled and passionate designer who is particularly adept at working on large scale projects. He commits to crafting sustainable, aesthetically pleasing environments that enrich the lives of those who experience them.