Research developed at South West College was presented on the international stage at the 2026 International Passive House Conference in Essen on 25 April 2026.
Architect and South West College Innovation Manager Seán McKenna presented research that originated from a student dissertation by George Hamill, who received top marks for the project. Supervised by Seán, the dissertation compared different construction methods for achieving Passive House performance. The research was later developed further to examine cost, buildability, embodied carbon and long-term sustainability.
Seán was accompanied by Passive House lecturer Gary Kelly, highlighting the strong connection between teaching, student research and practical industry work at South West College.
The presentation also provided an opportunity to showcase the work of the College’s InnoTech team. InnoTech delivers fully funded research and development projects for businesses across the island of Ireland. Its consultants bring expertise in engineering, ICT, sustainability, product design and construction, helping companies develop new products, improve processes, test ideas, adopt new technologies and reduce environmental impact.
Current work includes supporting a zero-carbon village project now in development in County Kerry, alongside projects with modular construction and building companies seeking to reduce the embodied carbon of their buildings.
A key strength of the InnoTech model is that learning moves in both directions. Knowledge gained from live business projects is fed back into teaching and the curriculum, giving students access to current industry challenges and emerging technologies. In turn, research developed through degree programmes can be taken further, shared with businesses and applied to real projects.
The conference demonstrated how student work, academic supervision, specialist consultancy and industry-focused research can come together to create practical impact.