Current Research

Built Environment Foresight.
The project, conducted in collaboration with the RICS Foundation commenced in the autumn of 2007. It aims to explore complexity, uncertainty and change in the built environment using futures methods to produce a global property prospective for sustainable development specifically addressing the question of corporate responsible behaviour in the real estate industry.

Workplace Futures.
The study, carried out in collaboration with Johnson Controls intended to explore the changing context and nature of the workplace in the 21st century, identify the challenges faced by a global workplace solution, examine the current and emerging trends and to build a roadmap for the future. The first part of the study focused on the general exploration of the future of the workplace, while the second examined the future of sustainable workplace.
Link to the report 1
Link to the report 2

Energy Policy Research in Domestic Buildings.
The project is a collaborative initiative between researchers from four Faculties in DIT funded by Technological Sector Research (2006) Strand III Programme. The project aims to generate reliable data on current domestic energy consumption, identify systematically relevant social, political, regulatory, technical, economic and environmental barriers to sustainable energy uptake in the sector, and finally to identify policy tools that increase renewable technology up-take in domestic buildings. The Futures Academy’s input involves the examination of the future of these technologies and the development of future scenarios for their uptake in Ireland.
Link to the report - Deliverable No. 1, WP6

Twice the Size: Imagineering the Future of Irish Gateways.
The study, commissioned by the Urban Forum, was undertaken to instigate thought and provoke discussion about the long-term future of the eight Irish gateways designated in the National Spatial Strategy of 2002. Their designation as national centres of growth means that they need to consider, and be prepared to accommodate, higher rates of growth and the ensuing spatial, economic, social and environmental consequences.

Through the systematic and rigorous examination of a range of alternative futures, the project intended to assist local stakeholders in defining the roles and possible functions of their cities and towns and in creating robust and flexible future-proof strategies for their continuous development. The exploration of futures options for the gateways was done within a broader national context.
Link to the report