Details
1-day course
CPD Credit: 7 hours; Competence/s: 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:
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
- Module 3: Detailed Design - Tools, Standards & Methodology
- Module 4: Post-Construction, Maintenance & Stewardship
Module 3: Detailed Design: Tools, Standards & Methodology
Session 1 – Design Governance & Compliance
Explores how legislation and standards shape design decisions, including:
- WFD, UWWTD, NPF, Climate legislation
- CIRIA C753, DMURS, NTA, BRE 365
- Flood risk, groundwater protection and planning conditions
Key Message: Compliance protects value and deliverability; poor compliance creates risk.
Workshop – Compliance Mapping
Teams create a one-page Compliance Map showing:
- Non-negotiable obligations
- Applicable standards
- Design freedoms and risks
Session 2 – NbS Detailed Design Methodology
Step-by-step NbS design process:
- Baseline definition
- Catchment and hydrological analysis
- m³/m² storage calculations
- NbS management train selection
- Discharge and exceedance design
- Water quality (Simple Index Approach)
- Integration with planting, safety and maintenance
Workshop – Applying the Methodology
Groups produce a Methodology Map summarising:
- Catchments and flow paths
- Storage volumes
- NbS features and management train
- Discharge and water quality logic
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
Pietro Albano, Meng, CEng, MIEI Associate (Water), Clandillon Civil Consulting. Pietro is an Associate (Water) at Clandillon Civil Consulting (CCC), where he leads the hydraulic design for major infrastructure projects. His work includes the delivery of drainage and water solutions for strategic schemes such as the N8 Dunkettle Interchange, the N4 and N5 Road Improvements, and the Greater Dublin Drainage project.
At CCC, Pietro focuses on the practical application of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into the detailed design and construction phases of large-scale infrastructure projects. His experience ranges from advanced hydrological modelling and flood risk assessment to the development of Integrated Source Protection Plans for Group Water Schemes.
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Rhys Williams, BSc, MSc, CEng, MICE Associate Director, Civic. Rhys is a Chartered Civil Engineer based in Civic’s London office. As an Associate Director, he is responsible for overseeing the design and coordination of drainage, highways and utilities for the team.
He is especially passionate about designing for the future – championing the need to provide effective and sustainable solutions which can be seamlessly integrated into the landscape and architecture to provide multiple benefits to the places and people he designs for.
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.