Speakers
Ciaran O'Connor, President of RIAI and State Architect at OPW
Ciaran O’Connor is RIAI President for 2020-2021 and serves on the RIAI Council Finance Committee. He is a strong supporter of architectural education especially through the OPW/RIAI Architectural Graduate Training Programme.
In 2012, the Irish Government appointed Ciaran as the new State Architect and Principal Architect in the Office of Public Works.
He is a Member of the OPW Management Board, responsible for the Major Projects and the Brexit Infrastructure Units. Ciaran leads and directs the Architectural and Professional Services with responsibility a wide variety of works including new build, conservation and landscape projects.
Ciaran is the main advisor to Government on architectural matters and is presently completing the government’s Green Public Procurement document for Construction and inputting in the Government Policy on Architecture. He is co-author of six books and is an occasional visiting lecturer, critic and external examiner to Schools of Architecture.
Dr. Josef Treml, Head of Advantage Austria Ireland
Josef Treml is Head of Advantage Austria Ireland. Prior to his assignment to Ireland, he worked in Serbia, Mexico and Switzerland consulting Austrian companies on market opportunities, market access and market entry. For over 50 years, Advantage Austria Ireland has been supporting Austrian companies to find Irish partners and to provide a variety of platforms to link entrepreneurs of both countries. Josef holds a Doctor of Law in European Competition Law from the University of Vienna Law School and an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid. He is a law graduate of the University of Graz with stages in Austria, Spain (ESADE) and the US. Josef lectures in Export Management at the University of Economics, Management and Finance in Vienna.
Rainer Strauch, MD and CTO at CREE Buildings
Rainer Strauch is Managing Director & CTO of CREE Buildings. He is an experienced construction engineer, certified passive house designer (PHI) and accredited sustainable building auditor (DGNB). Prior to joining the LCT (“LifeCycle Tower”) R&D team, which was later established as CREE Buildings, he worked with several companies in planning and construction management.
At CREE, Rainer has developed the LCT timber-hybrid system, which then became the basis for CREE’s prototype building (the LCT ONE), and many more. He heads their technical operations, international know-how transfer, and licensed partner consulting support.
Dr. Karin Stieldorf, Vienna University of Technology
Karin Stieldorf is an associate professor of sustainable building at Vienna University of Technology (VUT). Karin worked in architecture offices in Innsbruck and Vienna. Her research projects and publications focus on holistic design methods in architecture, based on building physics & building ecology and using building simulation systems as design-decision support. She founded the “Sustainable Building and Design Working Group” at VUT and heads the department for energy-efficient building and design. She gained international experience by working for the International Energy Agency and on EU research projects. A board member of IG Innovative Houses, she is also the winner of several awards including the Austrian State Prize for excellent sustainable architecture and the Energy Globe Award.
Walter Kreisel, CEO at neoom group
In 1976, the KREISEL brothers Johann and Walter with the Red Zac Kreisel in Freistadt laid foundations for today’s activities and founded a company in which the basic DNA of electro-orientation and innovation drivenness was formed – all this is true and still lives today.
About 40 years later, the second generation of the Kreisel family is one of the innovation leaders in the field of electrification. We have recognized the megatrends of decarbonisation, digitalization, decentralization (neoom and NTUITY) and e-mobility (Kreisel Electric) at all levels, taking the necessary energy transition to a new level.
Since 2011, Walter Kreisel has been working with his company in the area of electrification and digitalization of infrastructure and buildings.
In 2018, together with Johannes Weissengruber (APEX Invest GmbH), the neoom group gmbh was created to take advantage of global market opportunities and to position the neoom® and NTUITY® brands internationally. With perfectly coordinated hardware and software products under the neoom brand, the neoom group creates ecological and economical products and energy systems for stationary use. The intuitive NTUITY software platform uses the full potential of renewable energies to make the energy transition tangible for everyone.
Marina Curto, Programme Executive at SEAI
Marina Curto is an EXEED Programme Executive at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. She is an Energy Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager with several years of experience in the energy sector. She has worked across both the private and public sectors both nationally and internationally. Marina currently helps Irish companies achieve their energy and sustainability goals by following the EXEED standard.
Peter Cox, CEO at Carrig Conservation International
Peter has a primary degree in chemical engineering and a masters in material science. He has worked in the analysis of decay of masonry, the treatment of stone and mortar in conservation of historic buildings. Peter is the founding member of Carrig Conservation International Limited and has gained over 35 years international experience of stone conservation in historic buildings and all types of porous building materials.
Peter has been an active member of ICOMOS Ireland for many years and is both a past vice president and president of ICOMOS Ireland. Peter is President of the ICOMOS “International Scientific Committee on Energy & Sustainability” (ISCES) including Climate Change. He represented ICOMOS International on the CEN (Central European Standards Committee) Expert Technical Committee on producing a new European standard for “Energy Efficiency in Heritage Buildings”. The committee’s final report was published in late 2017.
Peter is a bureau member of the ICOMOS International Climate Change & Heritage Work Group and the Work Group on the Sustainable Development Goals. He is also an active member of the Climate Heritage Network, a recently formed global organisation to highlight the threat of climate change.
Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, CEO at Rabmer Group
Ulrike Rabmer-Koller is the owner and CEO of Rabmer Group - an internationally operating company active in the area of construction and environmental technology. With more than 30 years experience in innovation and environmental technology, she has gathered a vast knowledge of international business development and in providing innovative solutions for climate protection.
From 2015 until June 2020, Ulrike Rabmer-Koller served as Vice President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. From 2016 – 2019 she served as President of SMEunited, representing millions of SMEs at an EU level. Before this, she was Chair of the Sustainable Development Committee and a member of the EU Commission's High Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies.
Andreas Simmer, MD at Internorm Windows & Doors UK and Ireland
Andreas has been working in the fenestration industry for more than 25 years.
He joined Internorm in 2007 as Managing Director for Central and Eastern Europe. In 2012 he was appointed Managing Director for UK and Ireland.
Internorm is a leading producer of luxurious windows and door systems across the UK, Ireland and Europe. Their high-end systems are designed to add a sense of style and class to any new build, home renovation or architectural build.
Internorm manage and liaise with a network of hundreds of distribution partners. All partners are stringently vetted for their quality of service, ensuring they are doing justice to Internorm’s innovative industry leading windows and doors.
Giorgia Tzar, Association Manager at International Passive House Association
Giorgia directs the International Passive House Association, a global network of stakeholders which aims to promote the Passive House standard and foster a greater public understanding of its benefits and achievability. The network makes a wealth of information available and facilitates active exchange among professionals, policymakers and the public.
She has worked on EU projects, including Train to nZEB and Sinfonia and is a regular speaker at events, including UN Climate Conferences, EU Sustainable Energy Week, and as a member of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction and Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency for the UNECE.
