A delegation from Passive Dynamics joined the Leading European Sustainability Experts at the GBCI Circle 2025 event in Prague.
The event gathered architects, engineers and investors to exchange knowledge and renew our joint commitment to Net Zero Sustainability targets.
There are 3 core pillars which leading experts agree are fundamental to achieving Net Zero, these are:
LEED V5
PERFORM Platform
EPBD Recast
The significance of LEED v5
What encouraged us most is how the updated guidelines shift the conversation from simply “meeting code” to pursuing the best possible outcomes.
Sessions exploring LEED v5’s new prerequisites such as Climate Resilience and Human Impact Assessments along with its streamlined Project Priorities category all emphasise raising ambition, steering teams past check-box compliance toward real, measurable impact.
“We should be designing for performance, not for paperwork”
said co-founder Eóin Gahan,
“The tools we choose shape the outcomes we get.
Aiming higher means better buildings and better real life performance, not just better certificates.”
Circle 2025 opened with a showcase of standout projects. The Highmark Building, an A-rated Dublin retrofit that Passive Dynamics steered to LEED Gold was highlighted for hitting embodied-carbon and circular-design benchmarks that rival new builds.
The Irish construction sector is already delivering world-class sustainability and this project proves it.
Smart buildings, real performance
A standout session on the Smart Readiness Indicator Framework, led by Vessela Valtcheva-McGee, Bonnie Brook, Denisa Diaconu, Martin Stohl and Nathalie Marková explored how data-driven controls can close the performance gap, enhance occupant comfort and strengthen climate resilience.
Their message echoed the entire summit: aim higher, design smarter and let performance not paperwork lead the way.
Key take-aways for Irish design teams
Embodied carbon is the next frontier. Circle 2025 amplified GlobalABC’s call for immediate action on hidden material emissions.
Performance-led modelling beats legacy compliance software. Only whole-building simulations will keep Net-Zero promises honest.
Collaboration delivers results. The Highmark retrofit shows that architects, engineers and contractors aiming beyond compliance can match Europe’s best.
Putting Sustainability into Practice. Passive Dynamics will apply the Circle 2025 insights into upcoming Irish projects and CPD sessions. We also offset the emissions from our Prague trip.
“Irish projects can match anything in Europe provided we aim beyond compliance from day one.”
Ciarán McCabe, Co-Founder, Passive Dynamics
