From 25 – 28 February 2025, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (dlr) will host the PROBONO General Assembly of innovators from across Europe in Dún Laoghaire to share ideas, knowledge, and experiences about Green Building Neighbourhoods (GBNs). Over the course of the week, the assembly will explore studies from other EU Living Labs and advise how this research can be incorporated into future local sustainable urban initiatives. 

Councillor Jim O’Leary, Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said: “This General Assembly is a big step forward as we work to create genuinely green and sustainable neighborhoods. PROBONO is showing us how to make our current urban areas energy-efficient, sparking new ideas and getting the community involved. Here in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, the project is turning the town into a beacon for sustainable regeneration by using smart technology to retrofit buildings for example the sustainable insulation in harbour master lodge to save energy”

At the General Assembly the partners will review the interventions and research carried out so far in the six city Living Labs. They will also plan the next phase of building and renovation including how to track and assess progress.  

Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council highlighted: “The PROBONO project presents a unique opportunity to translate years of research into real-world applications, demonstrating the powerful impact of collaboration between academia, the private sector, and local government. The General Assembly serves as a vital platform for knowledge exchange, enabling all partners to work together in shaping the future of Green Building Neighbourhoods across Europe.”

dlr is championing a new approach to implementing sustainable communities thanks to contributions from the European Union’s PROBONO project and aims to explore how GBNs will create more resilient spaces for living and working in the county.

Dr Philip Crowe, Director of Research, UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy said: “The cities of the future must be more than just sustainable—they must be adaptable, resilient, and designed with people at their core. The Green Building Neighbourhood model offers a blueprint for urban areas to transition towards energy-positive, zero-carbon communities that enhance quality of life. Through PROBONO, we are not just envisioning these future cities; we are actively co-creating and piloting them with local governments, industry partners, and communities.”

The PROBONO project focuses on creating a construction industry in Europe that puts people first. It works closely with a wide range of stakeholders to develop energy-efficient, zero-carbon GBNs that are practical, sustainable, and easy to scale.

Zisis Palaskas, Technical Coordinator, PROBONO H2020 Project expanded: “PROBONO is demonstrating how we can transition towards sustainable, zero-emission buildings and neighborhoods by integrating innovative energy solutions, circularity principles, and smart technologies.

“Through our six Living Labs, we are deploying our solutions in real-world environments, also creating a blueprint for large-scale implementation across Europe. 

“Our innovations palette includes District Heating and Cooling Networks, decentralised energy sharing, bidirectional EV charging, green and cool building roofs, advanced building integrated and bifacial photovoltaics, real time energy monitoring and demand and response strategies to optimise consumption, reducing carbon footprint, environmental quality of life.

“The General assembly will let us accelerate the collaboration between all PROBONO partners, to better shape policies, business models, and technical innovations that will drive the future of Green Building Neighbourhoods.”

Dublin Living Lab Initiatives

The PROBONO initiatives of the Dublin Living Lab include both social and technological innovations; technological innovations include:

• Upcycled Insulation –Upcycled paper insulation was provided by PROBONO partner Soprema for retrofit works at the Harbour Master’s Lodge.
• Hybrid Green Roof – Soprema will also provide the materials for a hybrid green roof planned for the rooftop of County Hall. This combination of green roof and Photovoltaic Panel (PV) allows for faster installation and yields biodiversity benefits. 
• PV and BIPV – Traditional PV and Building Integrated PV (BIPV) will be installed on County Hall and on the LexIcon Library and will create a striking visual impact.
• Battery Bank – A Battery Bank provided by PROBONO partners Beeplanetfactory will be installed in County Hall. The battery will work alongside the PV/BIPV and EVs to create an energy trading platform.

Social innovations include:

• Occupancy Evaluation at Beaufort, Glasthule –UCD researchers carried out two focus groups and follow up surveys with the tenants of elderly housing after retrofit works. Findings of this survey will be used to inform a similar development and retrofit in Blackrock.
• Geodesign Workshops – Geodesign is a multi-stakeholder workshop to co-design a vision for their area using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Participatory Mapping tools. A final large Geodesign workshop is planned for later this year which will focus on the dlr Decarbonizing Zone allowing residents and policy makers to simulate the effects of possible climate mitigation measures and solutions.
• Open House 2024 – PROBONO was part of the planned activities for dlr Open House where UCD researchers presented the results of an in-depth analysis of heat loss at the Harbour Master’s Lodge before and after retrofit works to the public.

For more information, visit www.smartdublin.ie or https://www.probonoh2020.eu/pilots/dublin.

Dun Laoghaire

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