Details
1-day course
CPD Credit: 7 hours; Competence/s: 1 & 2
Course Delivery Options
Urban infrastructure must adapt to climate change, rapid technological advancement and rising expectations around health, wellbeing and quality of life. Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer a powerful, place-specific approach to enhancing climate resilience—addressing flood risk, heat stress and environmental degradation while working with natural systems and local geography. Building on a landmark 2024 collaborative workshop involving Ireland’s five leading professional bodies in the NbS arena, this course draws on cross-sector expertise and the resulting national guidance to support planners, engineers, designers and decision-makers in the effective implementation of urban NbS.
Programme Structure and Delivery
This programme will consist of 4 1-Day modules. The programme consists of three core themes structured on Plan - Module One, Do - Module Two and Module Three, and Review - Module Four. Attendees are recommended to attend Module 1 & 4 as a minimum, with a further two modules of the remaining set to suit their interest. For further information on individual modules, please contact the CPD Training Team.
This programme provides a structured introduction to NbS concepts and progressively develops participants’ capability through the full design and delivery lifecycle, increasing in technical complexity at each stage. It equips practitioners with practical tools, strategies and guidance to manage risk, navigate statutory processes and deliver improved outcomes for both the environment and infrastructure projects.
The programme introduces the design and delivery of place-based urban infrastructure founded on nature-based principles. It follows a typical project lifecycle, guiding participants on how to identify, respond to and manage evolving conditions as projects progress.
Key themes include:
- The need for urban infrastructure evolution
- Understanding and analysing the physical environment
- Stakeholder identification and engagement
- Translating briefs into concepts
- Iterative design development and technical integration
- Detailed design tools and methods
- Construction delivery and oversight
- Operations, maintenance and performance
- Case studies, networking and cross-disciplinary collaboration
Programme Objectives
Depending on modules attended, participants will gain:
- An understanding of the value and benefits of NbS in urban infrastructure.
- Skills to appraise site conditions and develop viable NbS concepts.
- Technical insight into hydrological, geological and geographic drivers.
- Knowledge of statutory processes and consent pathways.
- Awareness of regulatory standards and compliance requirements.
- Practical examples of NbS integration in engineering projects.
- Understanding of post-construction performance, maintenance and risk management.
Although the course is intended to be cross-disciplinary and interested attendees are welcome to join all four modules, some modules may be more discipline-specific than others.
- Module 1 : From Brief to Concept - Designing with Nature
- Module 2: From Concept to Outline Design: Friday, 24 April at Engineers Ireland, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
- Module 3: Detailed Design - Tools, Standards & Methodology
- Module 4: Post-Construction, Maintenance & Stewardship
Module 2: From Concept to Outline Design
This module includes increased emphasis on engineering and technical delivery.
Core Themes
- Ground truthing as the anchor for feasibility
- Stakeholder mapping and predictable objections
- Responding to technical, social, environmental and governance constraints
- Preparing schemes for Part VIII approval
Workshop Output
- A resilient outline design brief demonstrating:
- Protected ecological, hydrological and social value
- Clear responses to constraints
- Alignment with statutory and delivery requirements
Who Should Attend?
The course is designed for professionals involved in planning, designing, delivering, and managing urban infrastructure, i.e. Engineers, Architects, Ecologists, Landscape Architects and Planners. It promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration across the public, private, and third sectors.
Trainers' Profiles
Simon Ronan is founder of Simon Ronan Landscape Architects, a studio of 14 landscape architects based in rural Skibbereen, West Cork. The practice collaborates with some of the world’s leading international architects on landmark projects across the world. Its work spans luxury hotels, major cultural landscapes, and visionary masterplans, always with a focus on creating places that are pushing the boundaries of contemporary design and ecologically attuned. Simon Ronan is passionate about transforming concepts and ideas into built environments. He began his education in Ireland, studying Horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens before gaining a degree in Agricultural Science in Landscape Architecture at University College Dublin. Since then, he has been involved in a wide range of Irish and International projects ranging in scale and typology. Simon worked within Aecom’s Leisure & Culture team for a number of years leading the Design of such projects such as the Rio 2016 Olympics Masterplan, North West Cambridge Development and Park Hyatt Mallorca. Simon also worked within HKS’s landscape team providing horticultural and masterplanning expertise in Arid Climate projects.
stephen o'malley is a founding director & chief executive of civic, and a member of taoiseach’s dublin city taskforce. Recognising that the quality of our built environment is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of our natural surroundings, Stephen champions striving for excellence and harmonising with nature to develop climatically resilient spaces that enhance lives and provide enriching experiences for our communities. As a Dubliner, he is passionate about urban infrastructure and sets about his work aiming to engineer less, reaching first for nature-based solutions and applying these principles with a high degree of emotional intelligence, with projects including College Green Dame Street Public Realm and contributing to Ireland’s National Transport Authority SuDS Guidance. This creative and inclusive system thinking approach sets Civic apart and has seen Stephen recognised as an industry expert in his field. He is also an ICE Policy Fellow, an Architecture & Design Scotland Panellist, Fellow at the Landscape Institute in the UK, Institute Member of the Academy of Urbanism, a Design Council Associate and NLA Sounding Board member.
Engineers Ireland supports the Sustainable Development Goals. This event contributes to Engineers Ireland's Sustainability Framework.
Please contact the CPD Training Team for further information on scheduled course dates.