THE BI-ANNUAL national housing conference has always been a must for anyone who cares about where housing is headed, in terms of design, sustainability and magical masterplans. Delegates traditionally include lots of local authority and private architects, engineers, developers, builders and others. In recent years discussions were about on-going projects and plans for the future.

This years conference, on March 30th-31st in the Radisson Hotel, Sligo, is concerned with stock-taking and predicting. The theme – readjustment, resilience, resurgence – says it all. There will be reflections on the past – looking at the best housing we’ve produced; what needs doing now (retrofitting for starters); and how to be best positioned when the upswing comes. If John Graby of the RIAI (Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland) has anything to do with it, that may be hastened: his talk is on “unblocking the system”. See www.nationalhousingconference.ie.