IGBC is at the heart of creating and inputting into the development of policies and regulations to deliver high-quality, sustainable buildings and neighbourhoods across Ireland.
We believe in collaboration with policymakers to achieve shared goals, providing evidence-based solutions based on robust research and the industry’s experience to achieve workable and effective changes.
The built environment impacts many different sectors, including transport and infrastructure, health and wellbeing, land use and biodiversity, as well as energy policy and can play a key role in solving many of the problems associated with each of these. A key priority of the Irish Green Building Council is hence to clarify and connect different policies from different Government departments as they relate to the built environment
2026 Priorities
- Unlocking the potential of under-used and vacant buildings in Irish towns and cities to deliver sustainable, high-quality homes in the right location
- Implementing a comprehensive set of actions to support low-carbon construction
- Introducing water efficiency standards for new homes to preserve water, reduce carbon emissions, save money and accelerate the delivery of homes
- Supporting an ambitious transposition of the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD – EU – 2024/1275) into Irish law
- Adopting ambitious policies to reach Ireland’s Urban Green Space and Urban Tree Canopy Cover Targets set in Article 8 of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL)
Campaigns
- Building a Zero Carbon Ireland
- Unlocking the potential of under-used and vacant buildings
- Resource efficiency
- Greener & More Biodiverse Neighbourhoods
- EU Agenda
Working Groups & Partners
- Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance (VVBA)
- Budget
- Healthy Homes Ireland (HHI)
- World Green Building Council – European Regional Network
- Renovate Europe Campaign
Policy Submission
You can check all our policy submissions here.
European Policy
Read more here. Updates for members can be found here.
For further information, please contact Marion
Policy & Advocacy
News & Pubblications
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Vacant to Vibrant Building Alliance
Key actions to address vacancies and derelictions in our towns and cities and deliver the homes we need. -
Regulatory Sandbox
Exploring innovative regulatory approaches to address regulatory barriers to green construction -
Faster decarbonisation of buildings will increase resilience to energy price shocks
Progress has been made on policies to decarbonise our built environment in recent years but the government must… -
Building a Zero Carbon Ireland: 2026 Government Policy Scorecard
In 2022, the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) published Building a Zero Carbon Ireland – A Roadmap to decarbonise Ireland’s built environment across its whole life cycle. The roadmap is […] -
New research points way toward vibrant, nature-rich neighbourhoods
New research points way toward vibrant, nature-rich neighbourhoods Dublin, 11 May 2026: Better alignment between government policies and… -
Recommendations for the Enhancement of Biodiversity in New Residential Developments – Summary
Two Pager version of BIO-NEIGHBOUR final report -
Recommendations for the Enhancement of Biodiversity in New Residential Developments
BIO-NEIGHBOUR final report -
Healthy Homes Ireland Forum Brings European and Irish Leaders Together To Address Urgent Need For Affordable, Greener, and Healthier Homes
Dublin, 3rd December 2025 – Key Irish and European figures in housing, public health, and the environment convened…