Building Stories - Research Project

Project Overview

Building Stories is a research project based at University College Dublin, jointly led by the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy and the School of Computer Science. The project addresses the pressing societal challenges of housing shortages, climate change, and town centre decline in Ireland by tackling inefficiencies in how building vacancy is understood and managed. Through the development of a geospatial model that integrates diverse datasets using GIS and AI, the project seeks to provide dynamic, reliable data at the scale of individual buildings. This data-driven approach aims to support public and private stakeholders in making informed decisions about the reuse of existing buildings, thereby enabling the delivery of homes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and revitalising communities.

Building Stories is part of the National Challenge Fund which was established under the government's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), funded by the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. The fund is coordinated and administered by Research Ireland.

Building Stories received funding between June 2023 and November 2024 and was one of 16 out of 96 teams selected for further funding from December 2024 to November 2025.

5+

Active Projects

12+

Team Members

100000

Buildings Analyzed

Watch Our Story

Learn about the Building Stories project from our team

AI-Powered

Housing Vacancy Prediction Model

Our cutting-edge machine learning model uses XGBoost algorithms to predict housing vacancy across Ireland with unprecedented accuracy. By integrating multiple data sources including property records, census data, satellite imagery, and local knowledge, we've created a powerful tool for identifying vacant properties at the building level.

Building-level precision across Ireland

XGBoost machine learning algorithm

Multi-source data integration (GIS, census, remote sensing)

Real-time updates and dynamic predictions

Actionable insights for policymakers and developers

High Accuracy

Validated prediction performance

Scalable

National coverage capability

Transparent

Explainable AI methods

Expected Impact

We believe that good-quality data will lead to more efficient use and management of the built environment. There is an opportunity to utilise, leverage, and combine expertise and innovation in data science, data governance, digital technologies, citizen science, and planning in Ireland to better understand and address the vacancy. This, in turn, can support public and private actors to:

Provide Urgently Needed Homes

Support the delivery of housing solutions by utilizing existing building stock more effectively.

Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Minimize demolition and new construction—helping to meet the 51% reduction target by 2030 (relative to 2018 levels) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Revitalise Town Centres

Support sustainable communities and foster social cohesion through strategic reuse of vacant buildings.

Our Journey

From concept to implementation - our research project timeline

June 2023

Project Launch - Seed Phase

Building Stories was selected as one of the National Challenge Fund projects, receiving initial funding to develop our geospatial model for understanding building vacancy in Ireland.

2023 - 2024

Research & Development

Our interdisciplinary team combined expertise in architecture, planning, computer science, and data analytics to develop innovative methodologies for vacancy detection and analysis.

November 2024

Seed Phase Completion

Successfully completed the initial phase, demonstrating proof of concept and establishing partnerships with key stakeholders across government, academia, and local communities.

December 2024

Grow Phase Selection

Selected as 1 of only 16 teams out of 96 to receive continued funding for the Grow Phase, recognizing our innovative approach and potential for national impact.

2024 - 2025

Scaling & Implementation

Currently expanding our research scope, refining our AI and GIS models, and working with public and private stakeholders to deploy our findings across Ireland.

November 2025

Grow Phase Milestone

Delivering enhanced tools and datasets to support evidence-based decision making for building reuse, town revitalization, and sustainable development.

Our Team

Meet the brilliant minds behind Building Stories

Dr Philip Crowe

Principal Investigator

UCD Assistant Professor for Climate Responsive Design at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy and the School of Civil Engineering.

Dr Gavin McArdle

Co-Principal Investigator

Associate Professor at the UCD School of Computer Science with research focus on geographic information science, mobility, and smart city technology.

Dr Katsiaryna Bahamazava

Postdoctoral Researcher

Research Fellow in the School of Computer Science with interdisciplinary expertise in applied mathematics, economics, and artificial intelligence.

Dr Rob Brennan

Collaborator/Assistant Professor

Lecturer/Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science with main research interests in data governance, data quality, and knowledge graphs.

Dr Anna Skoura

Postdoctoral Researcher

Research Fellow at Lvl 1 in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy with over 15 years of experience in architecture, conservation and urban design.

Dr Jack Kavanagh

Postdoctoral Researcher

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Lvl 1 in the School of Computer Science with expertise in historical geography and the spatial relationship between institutions and the state.

Dr Madeleine Lyes

Postdoctoral Researcher

Specialises in policy-oriented research and engagement towards the climate transition. Living lab lead at the UL/LCC Citizen Innovation Lab.

Orla Leyden

Research Scientist

Research Scientist at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy with background in community development, research and local government.

Rola Abu Hilal

Research Assistant

Research Assistant at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy with expertise in sustainable design, climate resilience, and adaptive reuse strategies.

Milo Dennehy

Research Assistant

Research Assistant in the School of Computer Science with interests in building geospatial tools that leverage machine learning and remote sensing techniques.

Darragh Redmond

Research Engineer

Research Engineer at the UCD School of Computer Science with a BA in Geography and History and an MSc in Computer Science.

Junli Liang

Research Engineer

Research Engineer at the UCD School of Computer Science with strong background in Knowledge Graphs, web development, and DevOps.

Technology Stack

Cutting-edge tools and frameworks powering our research

Data Science & AI

Python

XGBoost

Pandas

Scikit-learn

Web Development

React

Node.js

Express

JavaScript

GIS & Data Visualization

ArcGIS

Infrastructure & Tools

Docker

AWS

Git

PostgreSQL

Data Governance

CKAN

Knowledge Graphs

Our Approach

How we combine expertise and innovation to tackle vacancy

01

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Our team brings together expertise from architecture, planning, computer science, data science, and social sciences. This unique combination allows us to address vacancy from multiple perspectives—understanding both the technical challenges of data collection and the social complexities of community engagement.

02

Advanced Data Integration

We leverage cutting-edge GIS and AI technologies to integrate diverse datasets—from satellite imagery and street-level photography to administrative records and citizen science contributions. Machine learning algorithms help us identify patterns and predict vacancy trends with unprecedented accuracy.

03

Community-Centered Design

Our research is grounded in meaningful engagement with local communities, authorities, and property owners. Through participatory workshops and co-design sessions, we ensure our tools and findings respond to real-world needs and support locally-led solutions.

04

Evidence-Based Policy Support

We translate complex data into actionable insights for policymakers and planners. Our outputs are designed to support evidence-based decision-making that aligns with national climate goals and addresses urgent housing needs.

Explore Our Technical Approach

Partners & Collaborators

Working together to address Ireland's vacancy challenges

Academic Partners

UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy

UCD School of Computer Science

ADAPT Research Centre

UCD Centre for Irish Towns

Government & Public Sector

Research Ireland (Funding Body)

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Department of Rural and Community Development

Local Authorities across Ireland

Community & Industry

Community Development Groups

Property and Development Sector Stakeholders

Town Renewal Initiatives

Citizen Science Contributors

Resources & Downloads

Access our research outputs and documentation

Technical Approach

Detailed overview of our data processing pipeline and machine learning methodology.

View Details

Publications

Academic papers and research articles from the Building Stories project.

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Tools & Datasets

Access our geospatial tools and open datasets for researchers and practitioners.

Access Tools

Media & Gallery

Photos, visualizations, and infographics from our research activities.

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