Housing Crisis: Fast, Cheap and Good, Pick two
Episode 103: Featuring John O’Connor and Neil Freshwater
As we step into 2026, the built environment sector in Ireland and indeed across Europe faces a critical paradox. We are caught between the urgent political and social need to deliver housing volume at pace and the absolute necessity of ensuring these new builds are sustainable, healthy environments for the long term.
In the first episode of the year, I sat down with John O'Connor , former chair of the Housing Commission in Ireland, and Neil Freshwater , Public Affairs Manager for GB and Ireland at VELUX . Recording from the European Commission Office in Dublin, following a Healthy Homes Ireland event, we dissected the friction between rapid delivery and the "invisible" elements of housing quality that define our health.
Key Themes: Beyond the Brick
The conversation moved quickly past the standard talking points of supply chains and planning permission, delving into the systemic philosophy of how we build.
The Housing Commission’s "Menu" vs. "Recipe": John O’Connor provides a fascinating look into the Housing Commission's report. He stresses that their recommendations are not a recipe where policymakers can pick and choose ingredients. Instead, it is a holistic menu where housing delivery is inextricably linked to social cohesion, infrastructure, and health. You cannot have one without the other.
The "Unit" vs. The "Home": A recurring theme in this episode is the semantic and practical shift from building "units" to creating "homes." We discuss how the pressure to deliver numbers often strips away essential elements of livability, such as daylighting and cross-ventilation and why the definition of a home must include its ability to support the occupants' long-term health.
The Retrofit Ventilation Gap: As we race to meet the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), a significant portion of our discussion focused on the unintended consequences of making homes airtight without adequate ventilation strategies. The gap in knowledge regarding mechanical vs. natural ventilation in retrofits is a ticking time bomb for indoor air quality (IAQ).
Why This Conversation Matters
What makes this episode particularly compelling is the candid discussion on the politicisation of construction cycles. John and Neil both highlight how short-term political tenures often conflict with the multi-generational nature of infrastructure planning.
There is a striking moment in the discussion regarding the "Democratisation of Data." We explore how the proliferation of consumer-grade environmental sensors is shifting the power dynamic. Developers can no longer hide behind "building to code." When a tenant can prove their home is unhealthy via an app, the industry faces a new era of accountability and potential litigation.
Furthermore, Neil Freshwater offers a unique perspective on how Velux shifted the narrative from selling windows to advocating for the "Indoor Generation." It serves as a masterclass in how the industry can communicate complex topics like Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in plain English that resonates with the public.
One Take: Is All Smoke Created Equal?
A Look at Prescribed Burns vs. Wildfire Smoke
In this week's edition of One Take, we analyse a fascinating paper that challenges our understanding of particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure. The paper, titled "Associations between PM 2.5 from prescribed burning and emergency department visits," tackles a complex environmental trade-off: Are the "good fires" we set to prevent wildfires actually safe for our health?
The study utilized a massive dataset of over 30 million emergency department visits across the southeastern US, using sophisticated chemical transport models to isolate smoke from prescribed burns versus other sources.
The Counter-Intuitive Findings:
The research uncovered a surprising nuance. While smoke from prescribed burns was linked to a statistically significant increase in Ischemic heart disease and upper respiratory infections, it did not trigger the spike in asthma and COPD admissions typically associated with chaotic wildfire smoke.
Why the difference?
The episode explores the chemical divergence between the two fire types. Prescribed burns are cooler and smoulder through underbrush, creating a different chemical cocktail—specifically lower in carbon monoxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—than high-intensity wildfires that burn biomass and structures alike.
This episode is a vital listen for those interested in the intersection of land management and public health, illustrating that in air quality, context and chemical composition matter just as much as concentration.
Associations between PM2.5 from prescribed burning and emergency department visits in 11 Southeastern US states
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