Take a seat in the Unilin Advice Theatre and hear from a panel of experts, hosted by Selfbuild Content Editor, Astrid Madsen. The Theatre offers an opportunity to gain invaluable insights from top experts and industry leaders on an array of crucial topics, curated to empower and guide you through your building, extending and renovating journey.
Features
See below topics which will be discussed by our panel of experts
Schedule TBC
We are working on the time schedule so please check back soon….
Schedule
We are working on the time schedule so please check back soon….
Advice Theatre Host
Astrid is the editor of Selfbuild Magazine and Selfbuild.ie and will be our theatre compere for the weekend.
Astrid previously held a similar role at an Irish trade publication, before that she worked at the National Standards Authority of Ireland. She graduated with a BA in Urban Studies from Columbia University in New York and holds an MBA from the Instituto de Estudios Bursatiles in Madrid. Originally from France, Astrid now lives in Portarlington, County Laois, where she has taken on the task of renovating a listed building!
Panel of Experts
See below our panel of experts who will be on stage to discuss areas of interest that will be of benefit to you and your project. Q&A will be offered in this engaging feature of the event.
QFA, Bank of Ireland
Mobile Mortgage Manager, John has over 18 years experience in the Mortgage business and is an expert in financing both Self Build properties and straight purchases.
Ashgrove Renewables
Shane is the Sales and Technical Director at Ashgrove Renewables. He is a specialist in home energy upgrades and grants and has worked in this area for 25 years.
Clayblock Ltd
Previous steel fabrication engineering and business management experience in construction. Co founder of Clayblock Ltd.
GRAF
Beam Vacuum & Ventilation
iDomus Construction
Dainius Prakapavicius is iDomus Construction managing director and has over 15 years experience in Construction Business working in Ireland and Europe. Holds Btech diploma from DIT in Construction Site Management.
Land Options Ireland
With nearly two decades of experience as a Quantity Surveyor, I have had the privilege of collaborating with leading main contractors and developers across the UK and Ireland. My skills extend beyond the conventional scope of a QS, encompassing a broader spectrum of expertise in land development.
Boasting a 100% success rate in obtaining planning permission for dozens of new homes, I possess the necessary range of skills and experience to identify, evaluate and maximise land values.
Passive House Association of Ireland & SouthWest College
Dr. Barry Mc Carron is Head of Business and Industry support within South West College. He completed his PhD research on monitoring of indoor radon concentrations in certified passive house buildings. He holds an honours degree in Architectural Technology and Management from Ulster University and an MSc in Sustainable Development from the Queens University Belfast. Barry is also the Current Chairperson of the Passive House Association of Ireland (PHAI).
Small Change
In the search for solutions to the housing and environmental crises, Paul Lawford left his city job, sold all of his superfluous possessions and built his own off grid micro eco home, with no previous construction experience.
He did this as an experiment to see it could be done successfully, creating a shelter that was affordable, sustainable, functional and beautiful. Almost three years and many lessons later, Paul has been happily living in his tiny house since.
Cobelis Design Studio
Eleanor Clarke, Ireland’s #1 Spatial Interior Designer, is revolutionising the home renovation industry by challenging the conventional wisdom of costly home extensions where homeowners face skyrocketing renovation costs and over prescribed architectural designs that do not align with their needs or budgets. Eleanor’s innovative approach reconfigures the existing space of entire houses to save homeowners building an unnecessary extension and still achieve a home they need.
Pipelife Ireland Solutions Ltd
Eoghan Considine is the Renewables Specification Manager
Eoghan has Bachelor of Architecture from DIT and City and Guilds NZEB Ventilation Certified
Eoghan has 12+ years experience working in the sales, specification and installation of residential energy efficiency systems - specifically with heat pumps, mechanical ventilation systems & wireless heating control systems.
Eoghan has vast experience working for Irish heat pump & heat recovery ventilation system manufacturers dealing with specifiers, mechanical contractors, BER Assessors, and assigned certifiers.
ProAir Systems
David McHugh is the founder and CEO of ProAir Heat Recovery Ventilation systems, Ireland's only manufacturer of MVHR systems. David has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a lifetime of experience in the ventilation industry, pioneering the development of the sector in Ireland. David is Chairman of the Residential Ventilation Association of Ireland and a guest lecturer with TUS and ATU on the subject of mechanical ventilation.
JFW Renewables
Ryan works as the events manager for JFW Renewables, one of Ireland’s leading solar PV installers. Managing business presence at events around the country.
Internorm Windows UK Ltd
Andrew Acheson joined Internorm in 2020 and is responsible for the Ireland region. He has over 20 years’ experience in the construction industry and has worked for several global companies, most recently for Saint-Gobain
Start Solar
Killian is the Sales Manager for Start Solar Ireland and has been working in the renewable industry in Ireland for the last 5 years. Killian is passionate about all things Solar and is working hard to outline the benefits of Solar PV to as many households and businesses in Ireland as possible.
AIB
Jacinta, Homes Advisor in Co Monaghan. Jacinta has over 25 years experience in dealing with mortgages. Jacinta has established herself as a specialist in self-build & renovation cases.
First Home Scheme
Passive Sills
Blackthorn Kitchens
Codema
Speaker Bio (background, current position etc.) Energy and Climate Awareness Officer Gobnait Ní Néill joined the Codema team in March 2023. Gobnait holds a Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design from the National College of Art and Design and a Postgraduate Certificate in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the UCD Innovation Academy.
She has previously worked with a number of the leading design agencies in Ireland, developing market driven branding and communications solutions across a range of consumer facing products, from food and beverage to financial services and mobile communications.
In recent years, she has redirected her work towards promoting and facilitating climate and biodiversity action, running events and workshops and establishing an award winning social enterprise to support individuals and community groups.
With the Think Energy and Home Energy Saving Kit programmes, her primary focus is on sharing the skills that allow people and communities to take an active role in conserving energy and combating climate change.
Grant Engineering
Keith is the Training Manager and has been working in the heating and plumbing trade for over 26 years, working in both the domestic and industrial sectors.
Since joining Grant Engineering in 2007, Keith has been involved in technical sales, product commissioning , installer and merchant product training, as well as developing new training courses on new products. CPD training for architects, engineers and energy assessors is also part of his remit. With the new Grant Training Centre coming on line, Keith has designed many new courses to meet the demand for the ever-evolving heating industry.
Green-House Renewables
Technical specialist for Solar PV in Green-House Renewables. I design custom solar systems based off clients’ electrical needs in the present as well as the future considering the longevity of life of the systems. I educate our customers on all things electrical about solar so they know as much as possible about the system and what it can do vs what it can’t do.
I also manage the operations of Green-House and ensure smooth running of business and assist clients with further queries about their systems once it is installed.
AMVIC Ireland
Pat Martin is a founding director of Amvic Ireland, the leading producer of Amvic Insulating Concrete Formwork in Ireland.
Amvic ICF is a simple and cost effective method to build highly insulated solid walls for apartments, houses and extensions. Amvic ICF easily meets the requirements of the Building Regulations, for structure, fire, sound and thermal requirements in a simple pass system. The system is NSAI certified and has supplied to thousands of homes in Ireland and the UK to both private owner/occupiers and developers.
Pat has over 19 years experience in the ICF business.
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McAleer & Conway Construction
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