Upcoming events
GBCI Networking meetings
Networking groups are for all members of GBCI. If you are a member and want to register for a networking group, send us an email at gb@graennibyggd.is
Networking meeting on certifications
🗓️ 16. december 10:00-11:00
📍Online
Morning meeting: Standards in the built environment - the knowledge in the standard
26/11/2025
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GBCI and Icelandic Standards (IST) have joined forces to promote a sustainable construction industry - where standards play a key role. If you want to know more about:
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the importance of standards in a sustainable construction industry
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current and upcoming standards
…and hear about the upcoming mirror committee with the European Technical Committee TC350, join us for a morning meeting on November 26th from 9-10 am on zoom.
The Technical Committee TC350 discusses standards related to sustainability in the construction industry, with the subcommittee on the circular economy and working groups working on building simulation, construction, digital transformation, etc. The mirror committee will monitor the development of new standards and have the opportunity to influence their creation, in addition to receiving first-hand news from the standards world.
At the meeting, Helga Sigrún Harðardóttir, Director of the Icelandic Standards, will bring us closer to the above topics and answer your questions at the end. The meeting will be moderated by Bergþóra Góa Kvaran.
Morning meeting: Frakkastígur 1
03/11/2025
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The project on Frakkastígur 1, owned by Iða fasteignaþróunarfélags and designed by Lendager Ísland, is another example of ambitious construction aiming to reduce the carbon footprint by 50% compared to conventional buildings.
Do you want to hear more about how it was done and what the experiences and challenges were for the designer and material provider?
Grænni byggð and the GBCI networking group on LCA is inviting you to a morning meeting on 3. December at 9:00-10:00 on Zoom.
Save the date and stay tuned - the registration will open soon!
Past events
Nordic Climate Forum for Construction
28/10/2025
On 28 October, Nordic stakeholders gathered at the Nordic Climate Forum for Construction in Copenhagen. The conference discussed practical steps towards a green transition in the construction industry.
The conference focused on two topics:
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Life cycle assessments and how to make them more efficient, cost-effective and digital.
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Better utilisation of existing buildings and their reuse instead of new construction.
The conference discussed the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) and new rules on the lifetime carbon footprint (GWP) of buildings in Europe, as well as sufficiency in connection with the increased emphasis that the European Commission intends to place on the utilisation of existing buildings in Europe.
Representatives from the Nordic countries reported on progress and innovations in their countries, including Elín Þórólfsdóttir from HMS, who reported on, among other things, the new building regulations in Iceland and the digital LCA submission portal.
Stakeholders from various countries and sectors reported on innovative projects related to digital solutions and building reuse.
Discussion and ideas from the conference are a good starting point for the Nordic Sustainable Construction 2025–2027 project, which aims to promote a green transformation in the construction industry with a focus on circularity and digital solutions, among other things.
Healthy Buildings Conference Series, Europe 2025 (HB 2025)
08/06/2025 - 11/06/2025
The European Regional Conference on Healthy Buildings was held in Reykjavík from 8 to 11 June.
During these times of climate change, we must ensure that buildings do not harm the planet or the health of those who live in them. We need to focus on both the environment and people. In order to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and promote sustainability, we need to combine diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. At the same time, we must ensure that indoor air is as safe and healthy as possible. The condition and design of buildings play a key role in shaping indoor air quality.
The conference lasted three days and after the main program ended, a symposium was held for Icelandic professionals on 11 June at 13:00.
Katarzyna Jagodzińska from Green Building Council Iceland gave a talk on New European Bauhaus at the end of the symposium and discussed how NEB can be used to improve the quality of buildings. A recording of the seminar can be found below.
Workshop: Can New European Bauhaus be the answer to the challenges Icelandic architecture and design face?
04/06/2025
A workshop on the New European Bauhaus concept was held on Wednesday, June 4th, at 9:30-11:00 in Fenjamýri in Gróska in collaboration with the Icelandic Association of Architects and GBCI.
Elín Þórólfsdóttir gave a short talk about New European Bauhaus and Katarzyna Jagodzinska from Grænni byggð then took over and explained the ideology further. After that, the participants took part in a workshop where discussions took place in smaller groups and at the end the groups shared their ideas with the whole group. About 35 people participated and interesting and necessary discussions took place about sustainability, beauty and inclusion in the construction industry!
Background
Beauty and sustainability
For several years now, there has been much discussion about sustainability in relation to Icelandic architecture and design, and the environmental impact has often dominated the discussion. However, social and aesthetic aspects are gaining more and more importance, as can be seen from the recent and ongoing discussion about the aesthetics of new Icelandic buildings. The question that arises most is whether it is possible to combine these three aspects - aesthetics, the social aspect and sustainability?
New European Bauhaus (NEB) The idea of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) could answer this question, as it combines sustainability, beauty and inclusion in the construction industry. It defines these three aspects in a clearer and more practical way that is on the verge of being measurable. But what is the usefulness of NEB in the Icelandic context? Can NEB help solve the problems that Icelandic architecture and design are facing?
What is New European Bauhaus?
New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a policy and funding initiative that makes green transformation in the built environment – and beyond – attractive, enjoyable and accessible for all. Even the smallest communities have the right to a quality of life in spaces that enhance their well-being and sense of belonging. The project promotes solutions that are not only sustainable, but also inclusive and beautiful, while respecting the diversity of places, traditions and cultures in Europe and beyond.
Niðurstöður
Eftirfarandi eru niðurstöðurnar úr vinnustofunni. Þátttakendur röðuðu lykilatriðum innan þriggja aðalhluta NEB - sjálfbærni, fegurðar og inngildingar - eftir mikilvægi.
Ítarlegri umfjöllun um niðurstöðurnar, auk niðurstaða úr annarri vinnustofu um NEB sem haldin var 11. júní á málþinginu Byggjum til framtíðar (Healthy Buildings 2025) kemur út í fréttabréfi Grænni byggðar í haust (skráðu þig á póstlista). Við stefnum á að halda umræðunni um NEB á lífi áfram - fylgist með samfélagsmiðlunum okkar!
Sjálfbærni:
Tvö lykilatriði voru sett í efsta sæti í hlutanum um sjálfbærni, þó margir hópar hafi einnig talið mörg önnur lykilatriði mikilvæg:
- Hringrásarhagkerfi í byggingargeiranum (S.9);
- Að ná sem bestum grænum áhrifum opinbera geirans hvað varðar efnahagslega þátttöku hans í sjálfbærni byggða umhverfisins (S.7).
Algengasta ástæðan fyrir því að Hringrásarhagkerfi í byggingargeiranum var valið var að hugtakið er margþætt og nær yfir mörg atriði, sem gerir það yfirgripsmikið og þar af leiðandi viðeigandi fyrir stóran hluta af hagsmunaaðilum byggingargeirans. Hóparnir lögðu einnig áherslu á mikilvægi þess að fjármálageirinn og opinberir aðilar taki þátt í sjálfbærni aðgerðum.
Eftirfarandi tvö lykilatriði enduðu í neðstu sætunum:
- Lágmarka umhverfisáhrif á loft og vatn sem ekki tengjast orku (S.5);
- Lágmarka notkun jarðefnaeldsneytis í byggðu umhverfi (S.1).
Ástæðan fyrir þessu var að samkvæmt þátttakendum hefur mikil áhersla þegar verið lögð á þessi atriði og fjölmargar aðgerðir nú þegar í gangi í tengslum við þau.
Fegurð:
Líkt og í sjálfbærni hlutanum voru tvö lykilatriði í efstu sætunum:
- Að hámarka endingu og líftíma (B.6);
- Að tryggja heilsu, þægindi og vellíðan íbúa (B.4),
en Stafræn umbreyting í byggingariðnaði (B.1) var afgerandi sett í neðsta sæti.
Margir hópar lögðu áherslu á mikilvægi þess að lengja líftíma bygginga og byggingarhluta, sem og mikilvægi þess að leggja meiri áherslu á vellíðan fólks í byggðu umhverfi (dagsbirta var til dæmis nefnd sem eitt af mikilvægustu atriðunum í þessu samhengi). Í tengslum við umræðu um að lengja endingu bygginga nefndu hóparnir einnig að hugarfarsbreyting væri nauðsynleg og að meðhöndla þurfi byggingar öðruvísi en aðrar neysluvörur sem er hent/breytt í samræmi við tískustrauma.
Þegar kom að Stafrænni umbreytingu í byggingariðnaði þótti þátttakendum erfitt að sjá tengslin milli skilgreiningar NEB á fegurð og forsmíði bygginga og byggingarhluta, forsmíði virðist vera andstæða fegurðar, sérstaklega hvað varðar fagurfræði.
Inngilding:
Þessi hluti vinnustofunnar var mesta áskoruninn fyrir þátttakendur, en þeim fannst skorta sérhæfða þekkingu til þess að meta þessi atriði. Mörg atriði voru einnig talin nátengd og sum sköruðust við lykilatriði í hlutanum um fegurð. Tvö atriði voru samt sem áður metin mikilvægust í íslensku samhengi:
- Hagkvæmni (e. affordability) (I.2);
- Alhliða gæði, jafnrétti og aðgengi (I.3).
Í tengslum við Hagkvæmni (e. affordability) voru vandamál á íslenskum húsnæðismarkaði nefnd og áhrif þeirra á samfélagið í heild, en sérstaklega áhrif á viðkvæma hópa (t.d. hversu erfitt það er að eignast húsnæði á Íslandi). Alhliða gæði, jafnrétti og aðgengi var talið tengjast Hagkvæmni á beinan hátt sem og lengri endingu bygginga (þ.e. rétt viðhald rýma og þjónustu).
Hér má finna ýtarlega skýrslu um NEB sem og tól sem hægt er að nota til þess að meta atriði úr NEB í eigin verkefnum.
Dagur Grænni byggðar - Green Building Council Iceland Day
08/10/2025
Green Building Council Iceland Day was held at IÐNÓ on October 8! The program began at 1:00 PM and ended with the presentation of the Green Shovel at 5:00 PM. After that, drinks and snacks were served. Moderator was Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir from Hornsteinn and board member of GBCI.
This year's conference placed a special emphasis on the social aspects of sustainability - the well-being of users in the built environment.
✨Program ✨
💡Keynote speaker: Natalia Olszewska 💡
🏡 Natalia Olszewska is a doctor and also holds an MSc degree. She is passionate about health-oriented design and the creation of environments that support health and well-being. With this goal in mind, she specializes in utilizing neuroscience and psychology in architecture and building design, basing her work on a deep understanding of physiology and medicine.
📖 Natalia has a unique interdisciplinary background, with degrees in medicine, neuroscience, and neuroscience in architecture, as well as research at Harvard University and the Collège de France.
✏ Natalia is one of the founders of IMPRONTA, a research and consulting firm focused on the science behind design that focuses on health and well-being. She has worked on architectural projects around the world that have in common the design of buildings to support cognitive, emotional, and social development.
👩🏫 Natalia teaches Neuroscience in Architecture at IUAV University in Venice. All of her work is based on the belief that architecture should do more than just serve its basic purpose and should fulfill our deepest biological, emotional, and social needs. She lectures and writes on the connections between health, neuroscience, and the built environment.
💡 Lecture: The healing power of nature – landscape design with an emphasis on recovery - Íris Reynisdóttir, Efla💡
🏗 The built environment and its inhabitants are diverse, landscape architecture works in an interdisciplinary way to create green spaces for different user groups. The talk discusses how the team of landscape architects at Efla approaches their projects to create a healthy environment for all.
💡 Lecture: The present and future of daylight in Icelandic buildings - Ásta Logadóttir, Lota💡
🏗 Light has a direct impact on health, vision and our experience of spaces. In the lecture, Ásta Logadóttir, team leader at LOTU, discusses the state of daylight in Icelandic buildings and RB blöð connected to it.
💡 Lecture: Energy classification of houses in Iceland - Björn Marteinsson💡
🏗 Presentation of the activities of the working group organized by HMS regarding the energy classification of residential buildings in Iceland and ongoing work regarding the energy classification of other types of buildings.
💡 Lecture: Action Plan Building a Greener Future - new actions - Elín Þórólfsdóttir, HMS 💡
🏗 The latest actions in the Action Plan Building a Greener Future will be presented. They support the goals of carbon neutrality, circular economy, sustainability in the construction sector and the implementation of nature-based solutions.
💡 Lecture: New hotel site rises with sustainability at the forefront - Berglind Ósk Ólafsdóttir, Reitir 💡
🏗 Reitir is currently building a HYATT hotel at Laugavegur 176. The talk will discuss how sustainability has been integrated into the design, construction and future operation of the hotel on this historic building site at Laugavegur 176.
💡 Lecture: Less waste and more value creation - Emilía Borgþórsdóttir, Húsasmiðjan 💡
🏗 Húsasmiðjan has worked diligently to improve processes within its operations, which promotes the renewal of materials and the value creation of building materials. In the talk, the sustainability project manager at Húsasmiðjan will discuss how sustainability is used in innovation within the company.
🗣 Panel: User Well-being in the Built Environment - The Biggest Challenge of Our Time 🗣
🏗 The panel will include experts and representatives from various stakeholders within the construction industry. Confirmed panelists are Páll Jakob Líndal from ENVALYS and Reykjavík University, Guðrún Ragna Yngvadóttir from ASK Architects, Guðrún Álfheiður Thorarensen from EIK and Ingvi Jónasson from Klasi. Moderator of panel discussion is Anna Sigríður Jóhannsdóttir, architect and board member of GBCI.
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Opening: New European Bauhaus in an Icelandic context
21/08/2025
Green Building Council Icelands thanks everyone for coming to the opening of the exhibition New European Bauhaus in an Icelandic Context in Arctic Space on August 21st!
The exhibition introduces the concept of New European Bauhaus (NEB) and places special emphasis on its applicability in the Icelandic context. The history, development and background of the NEB concept are reviewed, as well as the main elements, values and working principles related to NEB are explained. Examples of Icelandic projects that follow the values and working principles of NEB are also shown.
New European Bauhaus is a concept that promotes solutions in construction, architecture and design that are not only sustainable but also inclusive and beautiful. Could NEB help us solve the problems that Icelandic architecture and design are facing? What aspects of the NEB concept can we use in architecture and design in Iceland?
All are welcome to view the exhibition during Arctic Space opening hours:
Fri : 15:00 - 18:00 | Sat : 13:00 - 16:00
or by appointment by sending an email to info@arcticspace.is
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Visit to Urriðaból - 2024 Green Shovel Award winner
23/05/2025
On May 23, Green Building Council Iceland and HJARK hosted a visit for GBCI members to Urriðaból preschool in Garðabær, the winner of the Green Shovel Award in 2024.
During the visit, Hulda Jónsdóttir from HJARK, the main designer and design manager of the building, walked with participants through the building in its entirety and talked about the design process, the construction, the certification process and more. The participants then had the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable insight into various aspects of the design process.
Information about Urriðaból can be found on our website under Green shovel.
Thank you to those that came on the visit and to Hulda for an interesting introduction!
GBCI General Meeting 2025
29/04/2025
Green Building Council Iceland general meeting was held on Tuesday, April 29th at 3:00 PM in the HMS offices in Borgartún. All member companies of GBCI were invited to the meeting and there was a good turnout. Traditional general meeting business was carried out in addition to elections for three board seats. The following were elected to the GBCI board:
Alex Ingi Espersen, structural engineer at COWI
Anna Sigríður Jóhannsdóttir, architect FAÍ
Bergþóra Góa Kvaran, specialist at the Icelandic Environment and Energy Agency
Alex and Bergþóra are new members of the board and Anna Sigríður is re-elected. Anna Kristín Hjartardóttir, Elín Þórólfsdóttir, Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir and Sunna Hrönn Sigmarsdóttir have a mandate for one more year and will therefore remain on the board. Íris Þórarinsdóttir and Alexander Helgason are stepping down from the board and we would like to thank them very much for their good work.
The annual report and financial statements for GBCI's operations in 2024 can be found under Documentation on the website.
In addition to the traditional general meeting activities, GBCI staff gave short presentations on two exciting projects that GBCI is working on.
Aðalsteinn and Ástrós presented new guidelines for emission-free construction sites that are intended to be useful to all those who want to reduce emissions from construction sites. The brochures with the guidelines can be found under Publications - Emission-free Workshops on the website.
Katarzyna spoke about the New European Bauhaus concept and GBCI's role in the Bauhaus Goes North project.
Morning meeting - Car cellars or parking garages: impact, hindrances and future visions
25/02/2025
Green Building Council Iceland held a morning meeting on February 25th at 9:00 AM about parking garages and car cellars. The meeting consisted of two presentations and a panel discussion. Over 90 people attended the meeting, which was live streamed. Recordings of the presentations and panel discussions can be found below. Thanks for coming!
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Carbon-neutral Reykjavík 2030: development and climate impact - Hrönn Hrafnsdóttir and Herdís Sigurgrímsdóttir , City of Reykjavík
Hrönn and Herdís presented a project that recently began at the City of Reykjavík and revolves around revolutionizing residents' choices of transportation and how different parking solutions hinder or facilitate changes in transportation habits in the city. One of the questions the project aims to answer is: will car cellars change our transportation habits or solidify the car as our primary mode of transportation?
Parking garages and Borgarlína in Keldnaland - Þorsteinn R. Hermannsson , Betri Samgöngur ohf.
Þorsteinn presented a proposal for the development of a new district at Keldur and Keldnaholt with three Borgarlína stations, which envisages the construction of several parking garages in the area. The parking garages, each of which will be shared by a number of apartments and commercial buildings on nearby plots, will largely replace private basements and private parking on plots. It is intended that the buildings can accommodate central services for the adjacent area on the ground floor and that they can be converted into commercial or residential premises if the need for parking decreases in the future.
Panel discussion
The panel included:
Elín Þórólfsdóttir, team leader from Húsnæðis- and mannvirkjastofnun
Borghildur Sölvey Sturludóttir , architect and head of the department of local planning, City of Reykjavik.
Ólafur Árnason , Director, Icelandic Planning Agency.
Íris Þórarinsdóttir, the chair of the board of Green Building Council Iceland, was the meeting moderator.
Small steps, big impact – reducing the environmental effect of the construction industry
03/04/2025
In connection with DesignMarch, the Icelandic Association of Architects, in collaboration with Green Building Council Iceland, Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun, Miðstöð hönnunar og arkitektúrs and Viska union, held a symposium on eco-friendly construction. The symposium was also supported by Starfsþróunarsetur háskólamanna.
One of the keynote speakers at the symposium, architect Sinus Lynge , is one of the founders of EFFEKT design studio. His vision is to reconnect people with nature through good design in a broad sense. EFFEKT is also one of the founders of the non-governmental organization Reduction Roadmap , which has published a roadmap of the same name. Sinus Lynge presented the philosophy behind the roadmap, which is very ambitious and also shows how much emissions from construction need to be reduced in order to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement.
The other keynote speaker was Harpa Birgisdóttir, Professor and Head of the Department of Sustainable Buildings at Aalborg University. She has worked on developing software that calculates the ecological footprint of buildings, research that has supported the implementation of legislation regarding the ecological footprint of buildings, and research that shows what actions are needed to ensure that buildings do not exceed planetary boundries.
Elín Þórólfsdóttir , architect MAA , MA in environmental and resource science and team leader at HMS, then discussed Vegvísir að vistvænni mannvirkjagerð (roadmap for sustainable construction) , the achievements made and the next steps. She also discussed life cycle assessments (LCA) in regulations, how they are implemented in Iceland and what impact they have on the construction industry.
After the lectures, a panel discussion took place, with the following members of the panel:
Sinus Lynge, speaker
Harpa Birgisdóttir, speaker
Elín Þórólfsdóttir, speaker
Logi Einarsson, Minister of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education
Borghildur Sturludóttir, architect and Department Head at City Planning in Reykjavik Municipality
Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, architect and Icelands representative in the Venice Biennale in Architecture
Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir, engineer og CEO of the Environment and Quality Department at Hornsteinar
Andri Snær Magnason, writer and environmentalist
Morning meeting: the benefits of the maintenance of embodied carbon in real estates
24/01/2025
Green Building Council Iceland recently held a morning meeting in collaboration with Iðun fræðslusetur and Verkís , about the benefits of maintaining embedded carbon in real estate. Real estate maintenance is rarely discussed in the context of reducing carbon emissions. Much more is discussed about the economic feasibility of maintenance measures.
Ólafur Ástgeirsson , leader of the construction and civil engineering sectors at Iðan, opened the meeting and welcomed the audience.
Ragnar Ómarsson, structural engineer and business manager for sustainability at Verkís, then gave a lecture and discussed among other things how reducing carbon emissions and cost efficiency can go hand in hand, what it means to maintain embedded carbon, what the rescue value of buildings is and how it is calculated.
There was a good turnout at the meeting, which was livestreamed.
A recording of the meeting will be available here shortly.
Visit to Landsbankinn
23/01/2025
