Upcoming events
Past events - 2023
Launching event of the Icelandic network on circular construction - Hringvangur
13/12/2023
It has been decided to create an independent platform for communication about the circular economy in the construction industry. This network will be called Hringvangur. Its establishment is within the Nordic Networks for Circular Construction project, in which the Housing and Infrastructure Agency and Green Building Council Iceland participate. Greenery will manage the venue.
Hringvangur's founding meeting was held on the 13th of December from 15:00-16:30 at the Grand Hotel. The event began with a presentation of Hringvangur's goals, scope and budget. Afterwards, we listened to four inspiring talks about ambitious Icelandic circular construction projects, chaired by Halla Helgadóttir (Iceland Design and Architecture).
Agenda (in Icelandic):
→ Áróra Árnadóttir, Grænni byggð - Hringvangur
→ Björk Úlfarsdóttir, Colas – Endurunnið í malbik
→ Elín Þórólfsdóttir, EFLA and Perla Dís Kristinsdóttir, Basalt Architects - Hringrásarveggur
→ Ragnar Ómarsson, Verkís – Um meðferð á bundnu kolefni
→ Arnhildur Pálmadóttir and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir, Lendager Ísland – Wasteland sýningin
Here, you can find Facebook event.
Energy efficiency of buildings in Iceland - are we ready to add 35,000 apartments in the next 6 years?
30/11/2023
Agenda and presentations:
→ Alma Dagbjört Ívarsdóttir, Mannvit
Orkunýtni bygginga og bætt innivist - notkun á hermihugbúnaði (in Icelandic)
→ Ásgeir Valur Einarsson, Iðan
Þéttleiki húsa - stórt skref í átt að orkunýtni (in Icelandic)
→ Egill M Þorbergsson, Veitur
Forðamál fyrir höfuðborgarsvæðið - 100 ára sýn Veitna (in Icelandic)
→ Katarzyna Jagodzinska, Grænni Byggð
Mikilvægi orkunýtingar þegar horft er til sjálfbærni og hringrásarhagkerfið (in Icelandic)
→ Matthías Ásgeirsson, VSÓ
Ávinningur á bættri orkunotkun eldri bygginga (in Icelandic)
→ Þórunn Nanna Ragnarsdóttir, EFLA
Framtíð orkuútreikninga bygginga og hlutverk vélrænna loftræsikerfa (in Icelandic)
Panellists:
→ Ágúst Pálsson, HMS;
→ Hilmar Hildar Magnsúsarson, Reykjavíkurborg;
→ Íris Þórarinsdóttir, Reitir.
Moderator: Rósbjörg Jónsdóttir, Icelandic Renewable Energy Cluster.
Energy efficiency of buildings in Iceland - are we ready to add 35,000 apartments in the next 6 years?
31/10/2023
Increased energy efficiency in buildings in Iceland
→ How are we doing?
→ Is energy saving in buildings in Iceland necessary?
→ Can we use energy better in buildings?
→ How can we improve utilization?
→ Do we have access to sufficient energy to build 35,000 apartments by 2030 as planned?
These questions and others were answered at the event organised by Green Building Council Iceland, HMS, and Icelandic Renewable Energy Cluster.
The recording of the event can be found here.
Agenda and presentations:
→ Alma Dagbjört Ívarsdóttir, Mannvit
Orkunýtni bygginga og bætt innivist - notkun á hermihugbúnaði (in Icelandic)
→ Ásgeir Valur Einarsson, Iðan
Þéttleiki húsa - stórt skref í átt að orkunýtni (in Icelandic)
→ Egill M Þorbergsson, Veitur
Forðamál fyrir höfuðborgarsvæðið - 100 ára sýn Veitna (in Icelandic)
→ Katarzyna Jagodzinska, Grænni Byggð
Mikilvægi orkunýtingar þegar horft er til sjálfbærni og hringrásarhagkerfið (in Icelandic)
→ Matthías Ásgeirsson, VSÓ
Ávinningur á bættri orkunotkun eldri bygginga (in Icelandic)
→ Þórunn Nanna Ragnarsdóttir, EFLA
Framtíð orkuútreikninga bygginga og hlutverk vélrænna loftræsikerfa (in Icelandic)
Panellists:
→ Ágúst Pálsson, HMS;
→ Hilmar Hildar Magnsúsarson, Reykjavíkurborg;
→ Íris Þórarinsdóttir, Reitir.
Moderator: Rósbjörg Jónsdóttir, Icelandic Renewable Energy Cluster.
Nordic Circular Summit Partner Session: Nordic Circular Construction
ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴄɪʀᴄᴜʟᴀʀ ᴇᴄᴏɴᴏᴍʏ ɪɴ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴇxᴘʟᴏʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ɪɴɴᴏᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
18/10/2023
How can we, stakeholders in the construction sector, facilitate the circularity of our work? What could the Nordic Council of Ministers do to push forward circular construction?
We explored together the need for innovation in the construction sector, focusing on how stakeholders can promote circularity in their work and the Nordic Council of Ministers' role in advancing circular construction at our event on the 18th of October as part of the Nordic Circular Summit conference.
Here you can find the recording of the event.
Agenda and presentations:
Part I: Circular economy in construction – Is it doable in practice?
→ Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Project manager, Grænni byggð
𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘴 – 𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸?
→ Stefan Eriksson, Project manager, Vasakronan
𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴-𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘒𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘈𝘑16 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴
Part II: Group discussion
Topic: New methods and new systems that support the reuse of building materials.
Moderator: Otto-Wille Koste, Demos Helsinki.
Green Building Council Day 2023
27/09/2023
The Green Building Council Day 2023 was held on the 27th of September from 13:00 to 17:00 in Gróska. The event kicked off with 11 interesting talks delivered by sustainability professionals in the construction industry. After the presentations, the Green Shovel was delivered. The prize was awarded to the FSRE and partners for the nursing home Móberg in Selfoss.
At the event, we also had exhibitions of sustainable building solutions from Neuza Valadas, Stúdíó Flétta, Stúdíó Lúdika, and PAGO.
See the Facebook event here.
Agenda and presentations:
Moderator: Þórhildur Fjóla Kristjánsdóttir, EFLA
→ Opnun stjórnarformanns
(Íris Þórarinsdóttir, Reitir);
→ Ávarp
(Andrés Ingi Jónsson, Member of the Parlament);
→ Dagsbirta í byggð (in Icelandic)
(Anna Sigríður Jóhannsdóttir, Architect);
→ Er græn byggð græn án grænna samgangna? (in Icelandic)
(Daði Baldur Ottósson, EFLA);
→ Mannlíf, byggð og bæjarrými (in Icelandic)
(Magnea Guðmundsdóttir, Stika, og Jón Kjartan Ágústsson, SSH);
→ Sjálfbær stýring jarðefnaflutninga (in Icelandic)
(Davíð Thor Guðmundsson og Hallgrímur Örn Arngrímsson, Verkís);
→ Heildrænar áherslur Svansins (in Icelandic)
(Guðrún Lilja Kristinsdóttir, UST);
→ Breytingar á byggingarreglugerð (in Icelandic)
(Þórunn Lilja Vilbergsdóttir, HMS);
→ Áhrif flokkunarreglugerðar ESB á byggingarstarfsemi (in Icelandic)
(Margrét Helga Guðmundsdóttir, Deloitte);
→ Hringrásarsmíði og Hringvangur
(Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Grænni byggð);
Nordic Sustainable Infrastructure Webinar
13/09/2023
Have you thought about the state of ecological infrastructure in the Nordic countries?
On the 13th of September, we, with our sister organizations in Sweden, Finland, and Norway, held a seminar from 10:00 - 11:30.
The state of sustainability in infrastructure in each country will be reviewed, and then we will receive two presentations on outstanding examples. It will also be possible to participate in discussions.
Agenda:
Current state of sustainability in infrastructure from each country:
- from Finland Riina Känkänen, Chair of FIGBC Infrastructure Committee and Head of Sustainability, Ramboll Finland;
- from Sweden Sofie Absér, Senior Green Transformation Strategist, Sweco;
- from Iceland Alexandra Kjeld, Vice-chair of Green Building Council Iceland, EFLA;
- from Norway Ketil Søyland, Project director sustainability, Norconsult.
Interesting project presentations:
- "Crown Bridges - How to make Sustainability part of the project" - Minna Tukiainen, City of Helsinki, Finland;
- "Minimizing life cycle emissions from power stations" - Kristinn Jasonarson, Landsvirkjun, Iceland;
- "Hammarängen" - David Nordberg and Martin Lundholm, Skanska, Sweden.
Joint Nordic event: Nordic Circular Construction and New Nordic Bauhaus
13/09/2023
What should public bodies do to push for a cycle in construction?
How can we, as a society, accelerate the transition to climate neutrality with the circular economy paradigm?
On September 13th, we held a seminar in collaboration with Demos Helsinki, Green Building Council Finland, and URBAN AGENDA to answer these questions.
Agenda and presentations:
Part I: What should the public authorities do to push forward circularity in construction?
→ Policies Enabling the Reuse of Construction Products in the Nordics
(Sidse Zimmermann, Nordic Sustainable Construction project, Denmark)
→ Material passports and a data dictionary for reused building materials
(Katrine Hauge Smith, Senior Consultant - Danish Technological Institute, Denmark)
Group discussion on chosen topics:
→ Secondary materials quality (How could public authorities ensure the quality of secondary materials?)
→ Cost responsibility (If additional assessment/work is necessary to enable reuse, where does the cost burden sit?)
→ Data availability (How can public authorities ensure the availability of secondary materials?)
→ Preparing for the future (What data could be gathered and what infrastructure could be built to avoid issues we're facing now in the future?)
Part II: New Nordic Bauhaus – How will we live in a Carbon Neutral world in 2050?
How do we want to live and build in the future when we do not strain the earth's balance and resources? What is "the good Nordic life" in the CO2-neutral society of the future? With support from the New Nordic Bauhaus initiative, we focus on the lifestyle of the future and, together with the audience, will formulate how we can develop a joint focus on the climate-neutral society of the future and everyday life where we continue to thrive and feel good - preferably with approaches such as art and culture.
The society of the future must be climate neutral, and we must radically reduce our CO2 emissions. But how are we going to build and live, and how do we move forward when we basically know what the problem is, we have legislation, a framework and finances, but still the necessary change is going far too slowly. What can we do in the Nordics, what does the New Nordic Bauhaus look like, and what do we dream of in 2050?
Panellists
Antti Lehto, Assistant Professor – Housing Design, Aalto University, Finland
Charlotte Nyholm, Architect and sustainable construction specialist, Vapaa Collective and Granlund, Finland
Gitte Grønfeld Wille, Director, Nordic Culture Point, Finland
Matti Kuittinen, Professor, Aalto University, Finland
Moderator
Nikolaj Sveistrup, Founder and Director, URBAN AGENDA, Denmark
Key listener
Mads Wolff, Director, Sustainability 2030, Danmörk
CIRCON Conference. Circular construction: Are we ready for the leap?
01/09/2023
Green Building Council Iceland held a conference in Laugardalshöll on September 1 from 09:30 to 16:00.
The conference was part of the Industrial Exhibition, and we worked together with the Housing and Civil Engineering Agency to combine the conference with their exhibition, where grantees from the Aski - Civil Engineering Research Fund were prioritized.
At the conference, practical experience was shared about the circular economy in the construction industry, and the main obstacles were discussed.
Agenda and presentations:
Moderator: Freyr Eyjólfsson, Project manager - Circular economy, SORPA
Session 1: Proof-of-concept - Design:
(Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Project manager - Circular construction, Grænni byggð)
→ Er verið að steypa nýju fötin keisarans? Þegar gagnsæi og rannsóknir gegna lykilhlutverki í vistvænni mannvirkjagerð (in Icelandic)
(Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir, Director of sustainability and quality, Hornsteinn/BM Vallá)
→ Form fylgir framboði (in Icelandic)
(Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, Architect and co-owner, Lendager Island)
→ Jarðsetning: tímans rás (in Icelandic)
(Anna María Bogadóttir, Founder, URBANISTAN)
First panel discussion:
→ Bjarma Magnúsdóttir, Environment director, ÍAV
→ Halla Helgadóttir, Executive director, Iceland Design and Architecture
→ Íris Þórarinsdóttir, Environment manager, Reitir
→ Perla Dís Kristinsdóttir, Architect, Basalt Architects
→ Sigríður Maack, Chairman, Architects Association of Iceland
Session 2: Proof-of-concept - Materials:
→ Kortlagning – en hvað meira? (in Icelandic)
(Guðný Káradóttir, Team leader - The green way, VSÓ)
→ Rúststeinar (in Icelandic)
(Narfi Þorsteinsson, Graphic designer, Narfi)
→ Biobuilding: start small, think big
(Jan Dobrowolski, Founder, Studio Ludíka)
→ PAGO BYLTINGIN (Byggingarefni framtíðar) (in Icelandic)
(Ólöf Salmon Guðmundsdóttir, CEO, PAGO)
→ CIRCULA PackWall Byggingaplötur (in Icelandic)
(Sighvatur Lárusson, Founder, CIRCULA)
Second panel discussion:
→ Aðalheiður Atladóttir, Project manager, FSRE
→ Ásgeir B. Torfason, Financial expert
→ Björg Ásta Þórðardóttir, Director - Construction, the Federation of Icelandic Industries
→ Hulda Hallgrímsdóttir, Project Manager - Economic and Urban Development, Reykjavíkurborg
→ Þórunn Sigurðardóttir, Team leader, HMS
→ Boltinn byrjar að rúlla (in Icelandic)
(Hrafnhildur Sif Hrafnsdóttir, Project manager, HMS) (in Icelandic)
Watch the recording of the event here.
35,000 apartments in 10 years: What is the best way to do this?
22/08/2023
During Design March 2023, the Icelandic Association of Architects, in collaboration with Green Building Council Iceland and the Housing and Construction Authority, held a seminar in Gróska where quality, the environment and society were prioritized. The seminar arose from a new housing plan, where the state and local authorities plan to ensure the construction of 35,000 new apartments in the country over the next 10 years.
The seminar began with presentations from architects and writers, which fed into panel discussions. The meeting was chaired by Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir.
35,000 apartments in 10 years: What is the best way to do this?
05/05/2023
During Design March 2023, the Icelandic Association of Architects, in collaboration with Green Building Council Iceland and the Housing and Construction Authority, held a seminar in Gróska where quality, the environment and society were prioritized. The seminar arose from a new housing plan, where the state and local authorities plan to ensure the construction of 35,000 new apartments in the country over the next 10 years.
The seminar began with presentations from architects and writers, which fed into panel discussions. The meeting was chaired by Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir.
Presentations:
Anna María Bogadóttir, Architect and writer
Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, Architect
Friðgeir Einarsson, Writer
Kristján Örn Kjartansson, Architect
Double discussion panel:
Andri Snær Magnason, Writer
Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, Architect
Ásdís Hlökk Theodórsdóttir, Planner
Borghildur Sturludóttir, Architect
Dagur B. Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavík
Gylfi Gíslason, Manager of Jáverk
Hermann Jónsson, CEO of the Housing and Construction Authority
Jóhannes Þórðarson, Architect
Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjarðarbær
Sigurður Hannesson, Executive Director of the Icelandic Industry Association (SI)
Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister of Infrastructure
Thráinn Hauksson, Landscape architect
Green Leap in Iceland’s construction sector
27/04/2023
Around 300 people took part in the Grænt stökk í mannvirkjagerð (Green Leap in Iceland’s construction sector) event discussing the transition to more sustainable and circular construction. The main message that can be taken from all of the speeches is: we can do it, but we have to work together to make the transition happen. The key lecture was given by Anders Lendager, the CEO at Lendager, who proved that circular construction is possible and dispelled the myth that circular building is always much more expensive than conventional one. His partner in Iceland, Arnhildur Palmadottir, showed her projects proving that circular construction is possible also in Iceland by playing with locally available materials.
In the same subject, we presented a brief overview of new challenges and changes in the roles of stakeholders when switching to more circular construction, one of the outcomes of the CIRCON project. We also discussed other ongoing and recently completed projects, with an emphasis on those related to the Byggjum grænni framtíð - Roadmap towards sustainable construction.
Agenda and the recordings of the presentations:
Moderator: Björg Ásta Þórðardóttir, Director - Construction, the Federation of Icelandic Industries
→ Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister of Infrastructure, Opening speech (in Icelandic)
→ The invention of the (un)natural system
(Anders Lendager, Architect, founder and CEO, Lendager Group)
→ Nordic Sustainable Construction: The Nordic journey in ecological construction
(Helle Redder Momsen, Project manager Nordic Sustainable Construction)
→ Byggjum grænni framtíð: Íslenska vegferðin í vistvænni mannvirkjagerð (in Icelandic)
(Þóra Margrét Þorgeirsdóttir, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability, HMS)
→ Hvernig byggir Grænni byggð grænni framtíð? (in Icelandic)
(Áróra Árnadóttir, CEO, Green Building Council Iceland)
→ Urban society and urban agglomeration. The circular economy
(Jukka Heinonen, Professor, University of Iceland)
→ Arkitektúr og mannvirkjagerð með sjálfbærni og hringrásarhagkerfið að leiðarljósi (in Icelandic)
(Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, Architect and co-owner, Lendager á Íslandi)
→ Circular construction: Can we continue with business as usual?
( Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Project manager, Green Building Council Iceland)
→ Loftslagsmarkmið, vistvæn steypa og byggingariðnaður (in Icelandic)
(Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir, Environmental affairs director, Hornsteinn)
→ Askur styður við stökkið (in Icelandic)
( Hrafnhildur Sif Hrafnsdóttir, Project manager of Askur, HMS)
Anders Lendager (Arkitekt, Architect, founder and CEO, Lendager Group) and Sigurður Hannesson (Director, the Federation of Icelandic Industries)
The event was organised by Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnunar (HMS) with the Federation of Icelandic Industries and Green Building Council Iceland.
The way towards emission-free construction sites - Online event
16/03/2023
Throughout the first phase of this work package, the focus has been on gathering Nordic and European input to publish a report that analyses and determines the general definitions, boundaries, and terminology of the emission-free construction site area. This describes the status of the field today and is a good preparation for the next steps in the area. A standard definition of construction site boundaries and what emissions are included is a foundation for cooperative Nordic development in this field.
Read the report:
An online event was held to promote the publication of the report. There, we also introduced the Nordic network of cooperation and displayed the video from the site visit to the Green Construction Site of the Future. The event's moderator was Hólmfríður Bjarnadóttir, and specialists from Volvo CE and SiteHub talked about their way towards emission-free construction sites.
Recording of the event:
An urgent need for change
19/01/2023
On 19th January stakeholders in the building industry came together for the workshop Round Table for Circularity and had a meaningful conversation on how to implement a circular system in the industry. This is a pressing matter as there is an urgent need for change.
The workshop was organized by Iceland Design and Architecture (Miðstöð hönnunar og arkitektúrs), Architectures Association of Iceland (Arkitektafélagi Íslands), EFLA, and Green Building Council Iceland in collaboration with the Federation of Icelandic Industries (Samtök iðnaðarins), Reykjavik City (Reykjavíkurborg), and The Government Property Agency (FSRE).
Around forty important people from all of the value chain of the building industry took part in the workshop. There were representatives from real estate companies, contracting firms, engineering firms, institutions, architect firms and the government.
The conclusion from the workshop was very clear:
Compared to the neighboring countries, Iceland is behind when it comes to implementing circularity within the building industry and there is urgent need for change.
What needs to be done?
> New regulations for circularity.
> A market square for used construction products.
> A dynamic research center for the building industry.
> Design new buildings with an emphasis on recycling and flexibility.
> Redesign and reutilise older buildings.
> A green incentive system for the building industry.
> A strong collaboration between all stakeholders.
It is clear that there is a great need for a focused conversation and collaboration across all invested parties. All participants at the workshop agreed on how important it is that the whole building industry unites in actions needed to implement a circular system across all fields of the industry. These issues are already being worked on in many parts of the field, but the entire chain must work together in order to ensure success.
At the beginning of the meeting, participants got inspiring talks by Helle Redder Momsen, Head of Secretariat for the Nordic collaboration on Sustainable Construction in Denmark and Alexander van Leersum, director of Build to Impact in Rotterdam, Netherlands, who shared their experience of implementing circular systems in the building industry. Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, architect, and Áróra Árnadóttir, from Green Building Council Iceland, went over recent examples of sustainable projects in Iceland and what the current status is of the implementation of a circular system in the building industry in Iceland.
After the workshop there was an open meeting in Gróska where guests got insight into this important conversation. A lively panel discussion was a part of the meeting. Participants in the panel were Borghildur Sturludóttir, head of department at Reykjavík’s planning office (Reykjavíkurborg), Friðjón Sigurðsson, director of development at Reitir real estate, Halldór Eiríksson, director of Samark, Hermann Jónsson, director of HMS and Kristrún Tinna Gunnarsdóttir, director of strategy and sustainability at Íslandsbanki.
The project Round Table for Circulation (Hringborg hringrásarinnar) is realised with support from the Askur research fund for construction.