IB-Green: Industrial and Business Parks, Climate Resilient and Fit for the Future.

Sandyford Green Infrastructure Project, a collaborative effort between Sandyford Business District and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, aims to transform 0.8 hectares of land into the Sandyford Business District Civic Park, strategically positioned at the junction of Corrig Road and Carmanhall Road. This undertaking not only seeks to enhance the overall quality of public spaces but also addresses heat stress within the business park area. It is noteworthy that this project is an integral part of the Interreg North-West Europe Programme (NWE) known as IB-Green

Project Overview:

Industrial and business parks (IBPs) are highly sealed and especially vulnerable to overheating. Taking up decisive part of the North-West Europe settlement area, they play a crucial role in increasing urban heat islands in the NWE region.

Based on this observation, IB-Green aims to reduce heat stress in existing industrial and business parks by developing green and blue infrastructure. Making existing IBPs more climate resilient will reduce heat stress and improve air quality in urban areas, leading to healthier living and working conditions and therefore reducing negative climate effects for enterprises and on city level.

11 project partners from 6 NWE countries representing local authorities, business parks operators and managers, networks, sector organisations and science institutions in the field of climate adaptation are joining forces to work on this challenge. Special focus lies on older industrial and business parks from the last century which are becoming less attractive. Here, the need for change is high but complex. There is an opportunity open for modernising while diminishing the pressure of new land take.

Adaptation measures will be implemented to tackle three main strategic axes:

• Increase green-blue infrastructure in public spaces of industrial and business parks while developing better public-private collaboration;
• Trigger private business owners to implement climate adaptation measures;
• Activate local authorities to implement more green-blue infrastructure in their industrial and business parks.

Action plans for public authorities will help them embed green-blue infrastructure in existing industrial and business parks. This also provides a showcase and best-practice solutions for business park operators and enterprises. Training courses will be offered for all stakeholders.

The project is funded under the Interreg North West Europe programme. Interreg NWE is a European Territorial Cooperation programme financed by the European Regional Development Fund aiming to support a balanced development across the North West Europe area, making all regions more resilient, and contributing to a better quality of life and well-being of all NWE citizens.

Partners

Working Group Meetings

#2 Working Group Meeting: Luxembourg

Sandyford Business District actively participated in the second meeting of the IB-Green project, hosted in Luxembourg by the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning. Our representatives, Ger Corbett and Fernanda Pinto Godoy, played a pivotal role in contributing to this exciting initiative focused on advancing sustainability and climate resilience in business parks across North-West Europe.

During the event, the SBD team engaged in productive working group sessions, gaining valuable insights from experts like Dr. Jeannot Schroeder. Dr. Schroeder provided insightful information about cradle-to-cradle practices, drawing inspiration from the SolarWind Ecopark Windhof. Additionally, SBD had the opportunity to delved into effective strategies for managing heavy rain events, a crucial aspect of our commitment to sustainability.

Our team is thrilled to bring back innovative ideas to Ireland, particularly for our ongoing civic park project in collaboration with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. SBD also seized the opportunity to showcase our #digitaltwin technology, offering partners a virtual preview into the future of Sandyford Business District.

Looking forward, we are enthusiastic about continuing our active involvement in the IB-Green project, with a strong commitment to further strengthening our collaborative efforts. Stay tuned for more exciting developments as we collectively work towards a sustainable and resilient future.

#3 Working Group Meeting: Mechelen, Belgium

Sandyford Business District recently concluded its third successful working group meeting for IB-Green in Mechelen, Belgium. Ger Corbett, CEO of Sandyford Business District, and Fernanda Pinto Godoy, EU Project Manager, participated in several workshops, exchanging insights and brainstorming on the IB-Green strategy and a monitoring and evaluation framework for pilot actions. The discussions provided a valuable opportunity to learn from partners and enhance transnational cooperation, facilitated by Interreg North-West Europe (NWE).

The meeting also featured the recording of the first promotional video for the #IBGreenAward, thanks to the efforts of partners at Wissenschaftsladen (WILA) Bonn. Sandyford Business District is excited to be the pilot city for this initiative which would be launched in September.

Special thanks go to Green Energy Park for their excellent organisation. SBD team is eagerly anticipates the midterm conference in Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL) in France at the end of the year.

#4 Working Group Meeting: Lille, France

Fresh from our visit to Lille, France, Ger Corbett and our Project Manager proudly represented our district at the IB-Green Midterm Conference. This event brought together project partners to explore innovative adaptation measures designed to transform business and industrial parks into more climate-resilient spaces.

We had the privilege of presenting our progress and connecting with inspiring individuals, including Victoria Soubeiran, whose interest and insightful contributions enriched the discussions. A special thanks to Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL) and their exceptional team, particularly Marine Laborde, for hosting two days of invaluable knowledge sharing and collaboration.

The conference reaffirmed the importance of transnational cooperation, and we look forward to advancing the Joint Training Schemes for Period 4 as we enter the next exciting phase of the project.

Back in Sandyford, we are gearing up for the tender evaluation process in collaboration with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Eoin O’Brien. This initiative will lead to the selection of landscape architects tasked with designing a civic park that will enhance the well-being of our community.

Exciting developments are on the horizon as we continue our work toward a greener, more sustainable future for Sandyford Business District.

Downloads