Housing delivery under the spotlight as collaboration takes centre stage
RIAI and Housing Department conference frames collaboration as the key lever for faster, more sustainable housing outcomes
24 January 2026 | đŸ“§Â editor@ipropertyradio.com
Collaboration across professions, sectors and delivery models is being positioned as a central requirement for addressing Ireland’s housing challenge, as the RIAI and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage prepare to convene their joint Housing Conference under the theme Activation through Collaboration.
Rather than focusing on headline targets alone, the conference agenda is framed around how existing resources, skills and systems can be better aligned to unlock delivery. The emphasis is on activation – moving from policy intent and design ambition to homes on the ground – through coordinated action between architects, planners, public authorities, contractors and policymakers.
Sessions are set to examine housing delivery from multiple angles, including procurement reform, affordability pressures, and the role of modern methods of construction. Adaptive re-use and the reactivation of town centres also feature strongly, reflecting growing recognition that housing supply must be linked to place-based regeneration rather than greenfield expansion alone.
The conference positions collaboration not as a soft principle but as an operational necessity. Case studies from Ireland and the UK are used to illustrate how cross-disciplinary working, early-stage alignment and shared risk can reduce delays, improve quality and support more sustainable outcomes at scale. Housing typologies are explored across urban, suburban and town centre contexts, reinforcing the need for coordinated responses tailored to place.
International contributors are expected to bring comparative perspectives from European housing systems, while Irish speakers will address domestic constraints around delivery capacity, viability and governance. Together, these inputs aim to move the conversation beyond siloed roles and towards integrated delivery models.
Innovation in housing design is also recognised through the presentation of the RIAI Silver Medal for Housing, reinforcing the link between architectural quality and long-term social value.
As one of Ireland’s longest-running housing forums, the conference continues to serve as a barometer of how the sector understands its own challenges. This year’s framing suggests a clear message: without deeper collaboration across the system, policy reform and funding increases alone will not be sufficient to meet housing need.
