Building Change was a multi-annual educational programme designed to upskill architectural educators and students to better deal with environmental challenges in the built environment:

“Building Change is transforming Architectural education in Ireland through foregrounding climate literacy and climate action in our curricula. This transformative process will ensure that our graduates are empowered with the knowledge and skills to address complex issues around sustainability and decarbonisation, enabling the design of inspiring carbon neutral buildings and homes for the 21st century.”

As part of this programme, each of the six Irish schools of architecture hosted conferences or symposia exploring the issue being addressed. South East Technological University (SETU) invited SOA to collaborate with them in this role, and the result was the New Habit(at)s conference, which took place on March 15 2023.

The focus of New Habit(at)s was on participation and resilience. and talks and panel discussions took place under the headings Resilience and Community Empowerment, Adaptability and Future Oriented Design, and Tools for Expanded Fields of Practice. Speakers included Teresa Williamson (Catalytic Communities, Rio de Janeiro), Anthony Engi-Meacock (Assemble Stuidio, London) and others listed below. The event took place at Garter Lane Arts Centre and the Granary Building (SETU School of Architecture) in Waterford City.