About

I’m a journalist living in Dublin and am currently deputy editor of Construct Ireland, a sustainable building and energy magazine. I’ve written for a range of other publications including the Irish Times and Sunday Tribune. I am available for freelance journalism and copywriting work. Click on ‘About’ to read more about me, or contact me at lenny.antonelli@gmail.com or at +353-86-1002540.

Hackers seek physical space outside the virtual world

Published in the Irish Times, April 10 2009

Dublin will soon be home to a space for hackers to congregate and get creative, write LENNY ANTONELLI and JASON WALSH

IT’S NOT a word that’s used much in polite company – mention the term “hacker” and it conjures up nothing but negative images. But in today’s wired world of interconnected computer networks, e-mail, SMS messages, social networking and online banking, the stereotype of the computer hacker hasn’t kept up with the times.

At best, the outdated image from the 1983 film War Games comes to mind: intelligent kids getting into serious trouble while attempting mischievous pranks.

Alive and well

Published in Construct Ireland, November 2008

Designing sustainable buildings doesn’t always mean hi-tech solutions. From green roofs to living walls to constructed wetlands, sometimes it’s just a matter of embracing natural solutions. Lenny Antonelli investigates the emerging technologies and designs that use nature to improve the performance of buildings.

When Erik van Lennep says he wants buildings to be greener, he means it literally. “Our goal is to maximise green roof coverage in Dublin,” he says. That goal could soon be within sight, as Dublin City Council takes the first steps towards embracing green roofs.

More Irish turn green for their perfect house

Published in the Sunday Tribune, March 16 2008

The property market might be slowing, but the self-buildmarket remains steady. Lenny Antonelli spoke to one company satisfying self-builders’ desire for bespoke, environmentally friendly homes

THE housing market might be slowing, but people’s desire to build their dream home doesn’t seem to be. “We haven’t experienced the same kind of slowdown as the mainstream market, ” says John Watson of GriffnerHaus, which has been building bespoke timberframe homes in Ireland for the past five years. Watson believes the downturn has shifted power to buyers, who are starting to demand unique designs and higher quality, as well as energy efficiency and eco-friendly features.

Flying straight into climate chaos

Published in Sustainability magazine, Spring 2007

Climate change’s fastest growing contributor requires urgent action, and is being fueled by the banality of modern living, writes Lenny Antonelli

The road to zero waste

Published in Sustainability magazine, Spring 2007

The minister for the environment has been busy praising his government’s record on residential and commercial waste management in light of a new EPA report, but a whole new approach is necessary if we are serious about conserving our most precious resources, writes Lenny Antonelli

Tragedy and comedy – An interview with Robert Fisk

Published in Sin, 2005.

Waiting for Robert Fisk is rather unnerving. You expect him to arrive looking forlorn, with a furrowed brow and an air of sobriety that you might think comes with living in the most tragic place on earth for almost 30 years. But the Bob Fisk you expect never shows up.

Instead, a genial and pleasant Englishmen bumbles into the room apologetically, putting everyone at ease. He refuses to take the designated seat behind the front table at a makeshift mini-press conference in the Irish Centre for Human Rights, declaring it to be foreign territory for a journalist, and opts instead to sit with the assembled reporters.