Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett has announced the appointment of Emeritus Professor J Owen Lewis as chair of the new Interdepartmental and Industry Timber in Construction Steering Group.
She made the announcement last week at the Coillte 'Build with Wood' conference in Avondale, Co Wicklow.
This new group will be tasked with examining conditions to increase the use of timber in construction. It will also "assess regulatory and standardisation challenges to maximise the use of home-grown timber", said Minister Hackett.
Group
The group will consist of members of industry and Government departments. It has been welcomed by Forest Industries Ireland, the Irish Timber Council and Coillte.
"The group can create a framework to work through the current [timber] building barriers, and develop the guidance and training materials which our architects and design specifiers need to move this critical agenda forward," said Imelda Hurley, CEO Coillte.
"I believe we are at a time of extraordinary opportunities for timber to be efficiently used to deliver net zero, with a focus on embodied energy and carbon neutrality," said Prof, Lewis.
"I will work with this new group to bring together professionals, Government departments and State agencies to examine and propose solutions to how we can increase the use of timber in the Irish construction sector.”
Background
Owen Lewis, Emeritus Professor of Architectural Science, UCD Dublin, is a former president of the philanthropic Royal Dublin Society, and chair of the Irish Green Building Council. He is a part-time project technical director with International Development Ireland Ltd.
Prof J Owen Lewis, chair of the Interdepartmental and Industry Timber in Construction Steering Group.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett has announced the appointment of Emeritus Professor J Owen Lewis as chair of the new Interdepartmental and Industry Timber in Construction Steering Group.
She made the announcement last week at the Coillte 'Build with Wood' conference in Avondale, Co Wicklow.
This new group will be tasked with examining conditions to increase the use of timber in construction. It will also "assess regulatory and standardisation challenges to maximise the use of home-grown timber", said Minister Hackett.
Group
The group will consist of members of industry and Government departments. It has been welcomed by Forest Industries Ireland, the Irish Timber Council and Coillte.
"The group can create a framework to work through the current [timber] building barriers, and develop the guidance and training materials which our architects and design specifiers need to move this critical agenda forward," said Imelda Hurley, CEO Coillte.
"I believe we are at a time of extraordinary opportunities for timber to be efficiently used to deliver net zero, with a focus on embodied energy and carbon neutrality," said Prof, Lewis.
"I will work with this new group to bring together professionals, Government departments and State agencies to examine and propose solutions to how we can increase the use of timber in the Irish construction sector.”
Background
Owen Lewis, Emeritus Professor of Architectural Science, UCD Dublin, is a former president of the philanthropic Royal Dublin Society, and chair of the Irish Green Building Council. He is a part-time project technical director with International Development Ireland Ltd.
Prof J Owen Lewis, chair of the Interdepartmental and Industry Timber in Construction Steering Group.
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