Sustainable construction and the housing crisis?

The housing crisis in Ireland has been a topic of staunch discussion for a number of years, it seems to be a conversation with no end in sight. The most urgent and striking figures when it comes to Ireland's housing crisis are around homelessness with over 15,000 people in Ireland relying on emergency accommodation as of January 2025 according to Focus Ireland with this number continuing to rise. Irish homes use 7% more energy than the eu average. But how does sustainability come into this? Surely churning out housing at a massive demand will have significant consequences for the environment, i recently came across a New York Times article that suggested differently

The article explained what “green builders” in America are doing to combat the urgent demand for new housing but equally the rising sustainability demands One promising path lies in modern, green construction methods. Lightweight, off-site construction uses prefabricated timber or metal frames and wall panels that can be assembled on-site in days rather than months, slashing build times and cutting embodied CO₂ by at least half. Retrofits and “urban mining” of existing stock tackle energy waste head-on: insulating walls, roofs and floors, installing double-glazing, and reusing materials reclaimed from demolitions can dramatically reduce operational energy needs and avoid the carbon cost of new builds. Meanwhile, passive design strategies optimise natural light, shade, wind and solar gain further lower both energy bills and overheating risks, enhancing comfort without expensive active systems. 

While of course the situation is extremely complex, the idea that the urgency of what needs to be done for Ireland's housing crisis doesn't necessarily mean compromising on Ireland and the EU's environmental demands was reassuring and something I hope is taken into consideration as future planning is done for Ireland.