The health, comfort and monetary benefits of building to the nearly zero energy building (NZEB) standard offers an opportunity to help convince Irish people of the benefits of climate action, housing minister Eoghan Murphy has said.

Even the most cursory examination of the figures shows how little housing the state is building, writes architect Mel Reynolds.

Dampness reduction via better ventilation seen to be key

Almost a decade after the economic crash, every political party in Ireland now recognises the country is in the middle of a full-blown housing crisis. Similar problems exist in the UK market, but for different reasons. Now, if the political will to fix things has finally arrived, the question remains — what can actually be done about it?

The private speculative sector can’t build affordable housing, but there are other ways of achieving this, writes architect Mel Reynolds.