Assoc ProfessorOliver Kinnane

I have a wide range of research interests and ongoing projects. Details of areas of interest can be viewed on our Building in a Climate Emergency Research Group website (https://www.ucd.ie/biace/). I and Dr. Richard O''Hegarty lead this research group and work closely together on a wide range of research projects including: nZEB, post occupancy evaluation, heat pump analysis and design and low carbon and bio based concrete innovations.

Recently we were commissioned by the Irish Green Building Council to undertake a Whole Life Carbon Analysis of the Irish Built Environment and Construction Sector, with a steering group including 4 government departments, Central Statistics Office, Construction Industry Federation, Environmental Protection Agency amongst others.

We collaborate with Ecocem to design and develop low carbon cement alternatives, most recently incorporating ground waste recycled glass as a cement replacement.

We collaborate with Munster Technological University on the MacAirh heat pump project funded by the SEAI. This project follows on from the nZEB101 project which aimed to evaluate the performance of up to 101 retrofit and new build near Zero Energy Buildings. Dr Shane Colclough is leading the energy and indoor environmental monitoring. Richard is investigating the in-situ performance of air-to-water heat pumps and the fabric performance of nZEBs. We are currently writing a number of papers to disseminate key results.

With PhD candidate Essam Al-Ayad we are investigating the performance of residential buildings in extreme hot climates and proposing optimum sustainable design solutions.

With conservation researchers Dr. Rosanne Walker and Anna HofHeinz I am evaluating the thermal and hydrothermal properties of traditional and historic building fabrics. Results of this study will be included in the National Calculation Methodology. I collaborate with Architectural Historian Dr. Ellen Rowley on the study of the cultural and environmental importance of the preservation of modern architecture.

I continue to publish research output of the IMPRESS H2020 project, which recently concluded. Our work was focused on the development of novel cladding solutions for the energy-efficient renovation of mid-century modern buildings. With Richard we focused on innovative concrete mix designs. That work will shortly be published completing a 6 paper set on low impact, high performance precast concrete cladding.

I have for many years researched sustainable bio based building materials, most intensively hemp. I am a member of the Earth Institute Hemp Hub and have recently published a paper in the Annual Plant Review with a multidisciplinary team from UCD.

I am currently guest editor of a Special Issue on Sustainable Concrete Construction for the journal Buildings and a member of the editorial team of the Journal of Green Building.