The New Atlantic Technological University

The Atlantic Technological University (Ollscoil Teichneolaíochta an Atlantaigh) was this April launched by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris. Minister Harris said the new university would play a pivotal role in the strategic regional development of the west and north-west.

Further and Higher Education minister Simon Harris hailed the launch of the new Atlantic Technological

University (ATU) as ‘a landmark day’ – and predicted the new body would become a

‘powerhouse’ in the region.

The formation of ATU creates university campuses in counties Donegal, Sligo, and Mayo for the first time while giving Galway city a second university option.

It also offers students in surrounding counties the option of a TU education.

ATU will serve 21,000 students and be one of the largest multi-campus universities in Ireland with 8 campuses, research centres and iHubs.

The university will be supported by 2,250 staff, delivering practice-oriented study and research.

Some 600-plus higher educational programmes will be available at all

levels of the National Framework of Qualifications from apprenticeships to doctoral level qualifications.

It is expected that ATU’s unified approach and ground-breaking research in diverse areas will belie its position at the edge of Europe and move it to the centre of the global stage.

Technological University status was last year granted to a consortium comprising Galway-Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny Institutes of Technology.

Earlier this year, Minister Harris designated Dr Orla Flynn as the first President of ATU. Dr Flynn was previously President of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.

In his remarks – made at ATU Sligo, Simon Harris, said:

‘The establishment of Atlantic Technological University, the fourth TU in the State, is a significant occasion for higher education in Ireland and in particular for the West and North West regions.

‘I know today is a day of mixed emotions as we dissolve GMIT, IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT but it should be a day of immense pride too to the management, governing authorities and staff of the three institutions.

‘Today is the start of a new journey.

ABOVE: L to R: Newly appointed President of Atlantic Technological University, Dr Orla Flynn and initial Governing Body members Oonagh Monahan, founder and managing director of Alpha Omega Consultants Ltd; Maura McNally SC, inaugural Cahair of ATU; Felim McNeela, founder of Avenue Mould Solutions; Anne McHugh, chief executive of Donegal ETB.

Together these institutions will merge to become ATU - a powerhouse working for the region, for investment in the region and its people.

‘Both Orla Flynn as president of the new TU, and Maura McNally as chair of the Governing Body bring exceptional experience to the roles.’

Said ATU President Dr Flynn: ‘Today is the beginning of an exciting journey for our entire Atlantic Technological University community, and I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing us together as one University to serve the needs of our unique region.’

History was made when the Governing Body of the new Atlantic Technological University (Ollscoil Teichneolaíochta an Atlantaigh) convened for the first time at ATU Donegal, Letterkenny and appointed Dr Orla Flynn as its first President.

The landmark inaugural meeting, chaired by ATU chair Maura McNally SC, followed the granting last year of technological university (TU) status to a consortium comprising Galway-Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny Institutes of Technology. The initial Governing body members are: Chair Ms Maura McNally SC, Chair of the

Bar Council of Ireland

Consultants Ltd

Mould Solutions ATU was officially opened on Monday 4 April by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris at an event in ATU Sligo.

It creates university campuses in counties Donegal, Sligo, Galway and Mayo for the first time while giving Galway city a second university option. It also offers students in surrounding counties the option of a TU education.

New research from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) has confirmed the major contribution that the new Atlantic Technological University (ATU) will make to Ireland’s economy, with the university expected to contribute €700m in economic output and support just over 3,100 jobs per year.

Such an economic impact represents an improvement on previous estimates, in terms of operating expenditure and staff wages.

It is also expected that the value of the new TU to the economy will rise significantly in the coming years.

The NWRA has found that every €1 of expenditure by the new Atlantic TU is likely to result in an overall increase of nearly €4 in output to the Irish economy, highlighting how future investment in the university represents value for money to the exchequer.

Furthermore, the Atlantic TU will contribute to around 3% of the region’s economy while just under 10% of third-level students in Ireland will be in enrolled in the Atlantic TU, highlighting the importance of the TU to delivering balanced regional development in Ireland.

said: ‘The designation of the Atlantic TU represents far more than a name change.

‘It will support the recovery of the Northern and Western region’s economy, by improving productivity levels, expanding the region’s ability to develop innovative products and services and supporting the creation of high-value jobs.

‘The designation will also deliver much wider benefits to the region.

‘For example, the new TU will improve the quality of third-level teaching in the Northern and Western region of Ireland, as the Atlantic TU will be required by legislation to ensure that at least 90% of full-time academic staff hold a Level 9 Qualification or higher.

‘Likewise, at least 45% of full-time academic staff will be legally required to hold a Level 10 Qualification or the equivalence in professional experience, with the university required to increase this ratio from 45% to 65% in ten years.

‘The new TU will also enhance the region’s skills base – as the new university will have to ensure that at least 4% of full-time students are awarded a master’s degree – while such a designation will improve the ability of the Northern & Western region to attract private and public research funding through economies of scale and collaboration.’

The latest IPCC’s report (at time of writing) highlighted once again the urgency of decarbonising our economy to remain below 1.5C warming.

This requires all economic sectors to transition to net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible and is particularly critical for carbon intensive industries, such as construction and the built environment.

The initial findings of a report on ‘Whole life carbon in construction and the built environment in Ireland’ published by the Building in a Climate Emergency (BIACE) Research Lab at UCD indicates that our sector accounts for 37% of Ireland’s emissions, the same as agriculture.

As I write this article, the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) is working in close cooperation with key stakeholders to develop a roadmap to decarbonise Ireland’s built environment across its whole life cycle.

It will be open for public consultation till Tuesday, 7 July.

This article presents some of the recommendations included in the draft document.

Of the 37% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions associated with construction and the built environment, 23% relate to heating, lighting, and cooling our buildings (operational carbon), with the remaining 14% being accounted for by embodied carbon.

These emissions result from mining, quarrying, transporting, and manufacturing building materials, in addition to constructing buildings.

The introduction of the NZEB standard and ambitious retrofit targets should lead to significant reduction in operational carbon emissions over the next decade.

However, with 500,000 homes to be built by 2040 and significant infrastructure projects, embodied emissions will grow significantly if we don’t change the way we build – not to mention where we build, and the impact of planning on transport emissions.

In brief, our sector cannot halve its emissions 2030 as required under the ‘Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021’ if embodied carbon emissions are not addressed in the next few years.

This is one of the key findings of the ‘Whole Life Carbon in Construction and the Built Environment in Ireland – Today & 2030’, report.

ABOVE: Pat Barry, IGBC

Several actions are needed to tackle these embodied emissions.

First and foremost, as what is not measured cannot be improved, a detailed timeline for mandating whole life carbon assessment must be published.

This should be followed by the introduction of limits per square metres for various building typologies in the next 10 years.

Several countries, such as the Netherlands, the Nordics and France have already regulated whole life carbon in the built environment.

Recent European policies and legislation, such as the EU taxonomy and the proposed revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive show that Europe is also moving in that direction.

Given the public sector must lead by example in our transition to net zero carbon buildings, whole life carbon assessment could first be mandated for publicly funded projects.

This, and the wider use of innovative procurement approaches, would support the development of an indigenous low carbon product sector – including biobased products, services, and supply chain.

With energy prices at record highs, supporting energy renovation is critical.

The recent launch of the national retrofit scheme, which for the first time includes multi-annual budgets, is highly welcomed.

It should provide the industry with the certainty it needs to invest in skills and upscale, but more must be done to make energy renovation more accessible, affordable, and desirable.

The draft roadmap includes several recommendations to support energy renovation.

These include a call for the launch of a register of independent energy renovation advisors, as well as for the introduction of buildings’ digital logbooks and renovation passports.

A Building Renovation Passport is a masterplan for the retrofit of a building.

It supports staged renovation by providing building owners

with a clear plan to improve their building over several years.

If implemented at scale, building renovation passports and digital logbooks can support projects aggregation, hence reducing costs.

Finally, as the greenest building is often the one already built, everything must be done to ensure buildings remain in use.

With 90,000 vacant properties across the country, streamlining building regulations, and aligning all relevant policies, and financial incentives to make adaptation and reuse of existing buildings easier is urgent to reduce whole life carbon emissions.

Besides the introduction of building renovation passports and digital logbooks, several tools and guidance documents must be developed or refined to support the decarbonisation of the built environment.

First, a database with generic information on the carbon impact of construction products used in Ireland must be developed.

The development of product specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) must also be encouraged.

Finally, the methodology to assess whole life carbon in the built environment must be further refined.

This should be aligned with Level(s), the European Framework for sustainable buildings, to ensure its fully compatible with regulatory developments at EU level.

As we cannot reach carbon neutrality without transitioning to a fully circular built environment, tools such as building material passports and exchange platforms to support reuse and recycle must be developed and mainstreamed.

Guidance documents on the reuse of construction products, demolition, buildings’ reuse, and adaptability are also needed.

The lack of skills at all levels of the supply chain and labour shortages could jeopardise the decarbonisation of Ireland’s built environment.

The number of energy efficiency training courses for building professionals and construction workers have increased significantly over the years.

To facilitate upskilling, these must remain free or offered at a low cost. They must also be delivered online, onsite or in a blended format.

As this may not be enough to deliver upskilling at scale, the opportunity of introducing a “sustainability pass” (similar to the “safe pass”) or to use public procurement to incentivise upskilling should be explored.

Training courses on how to address whole life carbon and to support a more circular industry must also be developed for building professionals and construction workers, as well as training courses to improve the carbon literacy of procurers and of the finance industry.

Campaigns are also required to attract more people to the sector, and we must ensure people completing construction degrees and apprenticeships have the right set of skills when entering the industry.

As highlighted in this article, halving Ireland’s built environment and construction industry emissions by 2030 require bold actions, innovation and perhaps, more importantly collaboration.

The draft roadmap launched at the Build Green Now conference aims at presenting concrete solutions, which can be implemented now.

At this critical juncture in time, we would like to encourage everyone in the industry to get involved in the development of the roadmap and in its implementation.

The draft roadmap to decarbonise Ireland’s construction industry and built environment has been developed as part of the #BuildingLife campaign.

The aim of the campaign is to achieve the mix of private sector action and public policy necessary to tackle the whole-life environmental impact of buildings.

The campaign is funded by the IKEA and Laudes Foundations. Similar roadmaps are being developed in seven other European countries and at EU level.

Further information on the draft roadmap, the “Whole Life Carbon in Construction and the Built Environment in Ireland – Today & 2030” and the public consultation is available at www.igbc.ie.

The public consultation will be closing on Tuesday, 7th July. Further information on the draft roadmap, the “Whole Life Carbon in Construction and the Built Environment in Ireland – Today & 2030” and the public consultation is available at www.igbc.ie.

The public consultation will be closing on Tuesday, 7th July.

TU Dublin and Chadwicks partnered recently to meet the national demand for skills training, education and craft apprenticeship for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sectors.

Chadwicks Group recently announced a partnership with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) to develop Ireland’s first Design + Construct Centre.

As part of the partnership, Chadwicks Group is donating €250,000 to support the construction of the new state-ofthe-art centre which will redefine and revolutionise the teaching and learning of Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) in Ireland. Once complete, Design + Construct Centre, which will be located at Broombridge close to the University’s Grangegorman Campus, will enable TU Dublin to meet future national AEC education needs while also contributing to global green and digital construction targets.

It will produce highly skilled, workready graduates and apprentices who have developed through knowledge sharing, research, and access to cutting edge physical and virtual resources.

Commenting on the announcement, Patrick Atkinson, chief executive of Chadwicks Group said:

‘Chadwicks Group is delighted to announce it is partnering with TU Dublin to develop a new state-of-the-art centre for students of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction field.

‘Training and development are of the utmost importance for our industry at present.

‘This partnership will assist TU Dublin to meet the national demand for skills training, education and

craft apprenticeship by focusing on upskilling and reskilling students through flexible, practice-based learning.

‘The new centre will play a key role in addressing our nation’s skills gap in key sectors by providing a much-needed space for dynamic learning and we are thrilled to mark the beginning of this partnership.’

Educational and learning activities at the Design + Construct Centre will be led by national and international experts and students will be supported

ABOVE: At the partnership announcement between Chadwicks and TU Dublin: CEO of Chadwicks Group, Patrick Atkinson; Design and Construct Project Lead at TU Dublin, Orna Hanly, and some Access to Apprenticeship students. Photos by Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

in developing their sustainable entrepreneurial and business skills.

The centre will offer a flexible learning environment to reflect the dynamics of modern construction and sustainable practices, including:

libraries and training spaces

Building Information Modelling,

Artificial Reality, Virtual Reality and

Mixed Reality fabrication facilities

Through technology and innovations in construction and design, the centre will also contribute to global sustainability and digital construction targets.

Orna Hanly, Design + Construct Project Lead at TU Dublin, commented on the impact of the new partnership:

‘TU Dublin is delighted to welcome the Chadwicks Group to a tightly connected network of industry and academic partners, collaborating to hasten the digital transformation of the sector and set new international standards of practice in support of climate action.

‘The Chadwicks Group’s generous support of Design + Construct will deliver a seamless network of learning and research for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry, developing graduates with the capabilities required to lead a climate-focused digital revolution in the sector.’

Pat O’Donnell & Co. have spent more than fifty years bringing the best construction and plant equipment manufactured worldwide into Ireland.

In the next fifty years Pat O’Donnell & Co. will be focusing on not only the best but the ‘greenest’ machines also.

Volvo Construction Equipment are at the forefront of innovation and committed to building the world we want to live in.

Volvo CE has already brought to market 5 electric compact machines – the L20 Electric, L25 Electric EC18 Electric, ECR 18 Electric, and the ECR25 Electric.

These latest innovative machines are the next step forward in the company’s ambition to reach net zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – alongside development of hydrogen fuel cell solutions and more sustainable internal combustion engine products.

Volvo CE are not stopping with Compact Equipment and right now the manufacturer and its customer Skanska are turning the quarrying industry upside down with a ground-breaking study to create the world’s first ‘emission-free’ quarry.

Drawing on the electromobility and automation expertise of the Volvo Group, the research project, dubbed Electric Site, aims to electrify each transport stage in a quarry – from excavation to primary crushing, and transport to secondary crushing – although a negligible amount of diesel power will still be used.

The system’s efficiency, safety and environmental benefits are set to impact both customers and society at large.

The viability of the Electric Site research project has been tested over 10 weeks at Skanska’s Vikan Kross quarry, near Gothenburg, Sweden.

The results are even better than expected.

The tests showed a 98% reduction in carbon emissions, a 70% reduction in energy cost and a 40% reduction in operator cost. handlers for over thirty years.

In addition to reducing operating costs by up to 50 % compared with conventional diesel engines, there are many other benefits that mean the machine quickly pays for itself.

Future-oriented electrohydraulic drives not only operate cost-effectively but are also kind to the be used independent of location with integrated cable drums, power pack devices, integrated power packs or ceiling power supplies and are perfectly suited to indoor use.

Sennebogen’s Hybrid and Electric Material Handlers Range comprises of twenty machines covering reach heights from 9 m to 42 m.

Pat O’Donnell, managing director, Pat O’Donnell & Co: ‘We are proud to bring the leaders in green technology to the Irish plant market and like our suppliers we are looking at ways that we can mirror their commitment to a more sustainable future.

‘We are delighted to announce that we have engaged our first qualified electrician to insure we maintain the highest level of customer service available in the industry.

‘We have also created

The results also indicate that the Electric Site project takes a big step towards helping Volvo CE achieve its future vision where work sites are ten times more efficient, with zero accidents, zero unplanned stops and zero emissions.

Together, these results support the potential for a 25% reduction in total cost of operations.

Sennebogen has been an innovation leader in electrically powered material environment.

The engines are environmentally friendly and do not produce emissions or exhaust gases.

Electric material handlers are significantly more comfortable for operators as the drive is vibration free and low noise.

This also means all the components have a longer service life.

In addition to stationary applications, electric material handlers can also a new position of Environmental & Quality Manager.

‘We are currently undergoing a complete carbon footprint analysis and are excited by the prospect of how we can reduce our emissions and environmental impact.

‘As a family run business and with many of our customers being similarly family-run it is incumbent on us to invest in all areas of sustainability for our grandchildren.’

Want to provide feedback that actually makes a difference? Discard the oldschool feedback formula and embrace benevolent honesty instead. So says Jeff Haden.

Most of us were taught to deliver constructive feedback by using the feedback sandwich: Start with a positive, share the negative, close with a positive.

Unfortunately, the feedback sandwich is always tough to swallow.

Like the time a boss told me, ‘I really appreciate how you always come prepared to the supervisor meetings.

‘But you sometimes run over everyone else with all your facts and figures and productivity results.

‘Still: You're a really valuable member of the team.’

The meat of the sandwich – the ‘you run over everyone else with your facts and figures’ – was admittedly true.

But the bread – the two positives – didn't soften the blow.

In effect, the sandwich says, ‘I need to give you negative feedback...but first I'll say something nice so you won't think I hate you.

‘And then I'll say something nice so you won't be mad at me when you leave.’

That's the problem with the feedback sandwich. The recipients feel manipulated.

And even if at first they don't, give it time: Since our positive qualities tend to stay consistent, the same bread eventually starts to taste stale.

And as for the likelihood of positive change? According to research published in 2018 in ‘Management Review Quarterly’, the feedback sandwich almost always fails to correct negative or subpar behaviours.

If only because, as in my case, I focused more on how the feedback was delivered than on the quality and accuracy of the feedback itself.

The better approach is what the authors of a study published in ‘Current Opinion in Psychology’ call ‘benevolent honesty’.

As the researchers write:

We propose that that a better approach is benevolent honesty, in which communicators focus on delivering negative information truthfully and directly, but also employ additional strategies to ensure that their words actually lead to long-term improvement.

For example, a professor might emphasize that a student is capable of achieving high standards when giving

critical feedback.

Though this strategy might seem intuitive, communicators often fail to make their benevolent intentions clear – they seem to forget (at least in the moment) that (others) do not have access to that same information.

study conducted in 2014 that shows including one sentence can make feedback up to 40 percent more effective:

‘I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them.’

According to Culture Code author Daniel Coyle, that phrase contains three distinct signals:

You are part of this group.

This group is special; we have higher standards here.

I believe you can reach those standards.

Instead of a feedback sandwich, the result is more like a relationship sandwich.

No manipulation. No platitudes. Not irrelevant compliments. No false hope.

Just clear, direct feedback – delivered inside a message of connection, belonging, and trust.

That's the real difference between a feedback sandwich and benevolent honesty.

The feedback sandwich theoretically helps the feedback giver reduce the likelihood of conflict during a tough conversation. (‘If I throw in a few compliments, maybe he won't get mad’)

But how a difficult conversation might feel to the person giving feedback doesn't matter.

The only thing that matters is whether the feedback helps the recipient improve his or her performance.

And that's something a feedback sandwich is terrible at producing.

The next time you need to have a difficult conversation with an employee – or with anyone – forget the feedback sandwich. Forget leading and closing with a compliment.

Instead, just be direct and truthful... while showing that you care about that person's performance or wellbeing because you care about them.

That you want things to be better for them as a result of the conversation.

Not just to be easier for you.

The opinions expressed here by Inc. com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com. Jeff Haden, contributing editor, inc.@ jeff_haden