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We work to create a healthy, sustainable built environment that promotes well-being for all. More about us can be fouhnd here. Grænni Byggð members Join us By becoming a member you: - get discounts at events; - you become a role model; - your company takes an active responsibility in environmental matters; - you can increase your knowledge about environmental issues; - you get opportunities for networking; - you support professional work and discussions on environmental issues in construction and planning; - your company can be an active participant in Green Building Council Iceland's projects, professional groups and events; - your company can influence the work and strategy of Green Building Council Iceland. Thank you for submitting! Senda Publications Emission-free construction sites C&D Waste Certification systems Other publications

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) events in 2023. 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 The groups are: Certification, Sustainable infrastructure, LCA, Circular economy and public procurement (only for employees of public authorities). Upcoming meetings 11/02/2026 - Certification Midday meeting: Byggjum fyrir fólk (Build for people) 22/01/2026 Nearly all our time is spent inside or near buildings, making them an essential part of our lives. Lately, the impact of the built environment on our health has garnered increasing attention, and the inquiry into how we can enhance buildings to support our physical and mental well-being has been widely discussed among many in Iceland. At the same time, we also aim to improve the construction's environmental impact. Can these two elements work together? This and other questions will be answered at the event in the Nordic House on Thursday January 22nd at 15:00-16:30. The event will begin with introducing a European initiative aiming to integrate environmental sustainability with the well-being of built environment users - New European Bauhaus - and its potential to address certain challenges we encounter in Iceland. A panel discussion on the cultural, social, and environmental dimensions of the built environment and how we can combine them will follow. Agenda : 1. Opening of the event 2. Andri Snær Magnason holds a short introduction. 3. NEB presentation and other presentations 4. Panel. 5. Q&A 6. Meeting summary. Panelists: Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, s. ap arkitektar Elín Þórólfsdóttir, HMS Halla Helgadóttir, Hönnunarmiðstöð Páll Jakob Líndal, ENVALYS and HR Moderator is Anna María Bogadóttir, architect. Registration has been closed for attending in person. The event will be streamed (see the player above and the button below). Stream Past events Midday meeting: BREEAM New Construction v. 7 20/01/2026 On September 30, 2025, BREEAM New Construction Version 7 was officially launched, and all new assignments registered from 27 January 2026 will fall under v.7. GB held a meeting to prepare for the use of the new version with representatives from BRE to introduce the changes and give parties the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers. The meeting was only for GB members. The meeting was well attended and Florence Owens and Alejandro Romero from BRE presented the new focuses of BREEAM v. 7 and many good questions were received from participants.

Green Building Council Iceland members The following companies, organizations, institutions, and individuals are members of Green Building Council Iceland: 1st Category BM Vallá Eik fasteignafélag Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun Reitir fasteignafélag Verkís verkfræðistofa 2nd Category Búseti hsf. EFLA Hafnarfjörður Heimar fasteignafélag Isavia Ohf. Reykjavíkurborg 3rd Category Alta ráðgjöf Alverk Arkitek Arkís arkitektar ehf ASK arkitektar Basalt Arkitektar Byko COWI Eignaumsjón exa nordic Hornsteinar HJARK Hnit verkfræðistofa Húsasmiðjan Iðan fræðslusetur Íslandsbanki Íslenskir aðalverktakar Jáverk Klasi ehf. Landmótun sf Landslag ehf. Landsvirkjun Langeldur Límtré Vírnet Lota ehf Maison Pago Samstæða Orkuveitu Reykjavíkur Staðlaráð Steinull hf. Steypustöðin Stika Solutions Teiknistofan Tark ehf. Teiknistofan Tröð ehf. THG arkitektar Umhverfis- og orkustofnun VA Arkitektar Vegagerðin Verkvist Vista verkfræðistofa VSB verkfræðistofa VSÓ Ráðgjöf Örugg Verkfræðistofa 4th Category Arnhildur Pálmadóttir architect and owner of sap arkitektar Anna María Bogadóttir , architect and owner of URBANISTAN Finnur Sveinsson , Visthús Hildur Ýr Ottósdóttir, Ydda arkitektar Sigríður Maack , architect, arctic space Anna Sigríður Jóhannsdóttir , architect Heimir Hermannsson , CEO, GigOver Bryndís Ósk Jökla Björnsdóttir , MPM Stefanía Sigfúsdóttir , architect at Atrium arkitektar

Grænir verkstaðir About the project Green Construction Sites encompass building projects as well as other infrastructure developments. The Green Building Council Iceland worked on the project Emission-Free Construction Sites over a two-and-a-half-year period from 2022 to 2024. The outcomes of this work included four reports, newsletters, a video presentation, and more. The objective of the Green Construction Sites project is to adapt the findings from the Emission-Free Construction Sites project to the Icelandic market and make them accessible to various stakeholder groups within the industry. This will be achieved by publishing 5–6 brochures containing detailed yet easy-to-read information about emissions from construction sites and guidelines for reducing those emissions.

About Nordic Green Building Councils Network. Nordic Green Building Councils Network To strengthen the transition of Nordic countries to more sustainable, together with Green Building Council (GBC) Denmark , GBC Finland , GBC Norway , and GBC Sweden , we established the Nordic Green Building Councils Network (Nordic GBC Network). We realise our goals by, among others: - organising Nordic Green Building Council Conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015; - realising the Nordic Urban Development project (2014-2015) aiming at creating the framework for sustainable urban development; - realising the Nordic Guide to Sustainable Materials project (2014-2015) aiming at creating guidelines on sustainable, functional criteria for building materials , which included specificity of the Nordic construction market (e.g., materials, production methods, practices used, legislation, and market drivers). - organising educational and professional webinars: > Nordic GBC Webinar #6: Nordic Sustainable Infrastructure Webinar (13/09/2023); > Nordic GBC Webinar #5: Circular Economy in the Real Estate and Construction Sector (03/10/2022); > Nordic GBC Webinar #4 : Resilience and Climate Adaptation (19/01/2022); > Nordic GBC Webinar #3 : Renovation of buildings and the Circular Economy (30/09/2021); > Nordic GBC Webinar #2 : How can we half emissions from construction in two? (27/05/2021).

How to become a member of GBCI ()? Subscribe to our mailing list Become a member Membership categories for 2025: 1st Category - 750.000 ISK/year, 6 votes at the general meeting 2nd Category - 450.000 ISK/year, 4 votes at the general meeting 3rd Category - 150.000 ISK/year, 2 votes at the general meeting 4th Category - 28.000 ISK/year, 1 vote at the general meeting, support membership for individuals As a Green Building Council Iceland (GBCI) member, you are part of a group of ambitious professionals and enthusiasts for increased environmental focus in the construction industry and planning. 90% of GBCI members are somewhat or very satisfied with their membership 90% of the members believe that GBCI fulfil its role well 96% of the members would recommend GBCI membership Thank you for submitting! Senda By becoming a member you: - get discounts at events; - you become a role model; - your company takes an active responsibility in environmental matters; - you can increase your knowledge about environmental issues; - you get opportunities for networking (for example access to GBCI's networking groups on certifications, LCA, procurement and circularity in construction) ; - you support professional work and discussions on environmental issues in construction and planning; - your company can be an active participant in Green Building Council Iceland's projects, professional groups and events; - your company can influence the work and strategy of Green Building Council Iceland. Our members Donations and grants Contact us if you are willing to support our organization with individual grants. The individual grants go to the Green Building Council Iceland's projects. You can also make a direct donation to our account: Kennitala number: 460510-1550 Bank account number: 0537-26-460510 Reference: Donation

Torfhús - getum við lært af fortíðinni? About the project In the preliminary study done in 2024, we analysed the climate sustainability of turf houses by performing a life cycle assessment (LCA) for a model turf house and estimating its carbon footprint throughout its whole life. This gave us a baseline for addressing the following question: Could we learn from the past and change our ways of living and building inspired by turf houses? In this project, we'll investigate past techniques, attitudes toward material use, and living conditions we could adopt to current practices. Within the project, we'll also work on designing a circular house that can be built in Icelandic conditions. Eventually, we'll compare the carbon footprint of a modern circular house to that of a model turf house. Grænni byggð works with Lendager Island and Minjastofnun in this project. Collaborators Overview The project's objective is twofold. It aims to facilitate circular construction in Iceland by providing a proof-of-concept in the form of a circular house design and, simultaneously, bringing attention back to a vital part of Icelandic heritage: turf houses. The project received a grant from Askur - mannvirkjarannsóknasjóður which is funded by Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun, Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education.

Circular economy 1) Eliminate waste and pollution Waste is the result of decisions made at the design stage. Therefore, it is essential to change our mindset when it comes to design and consider waste generation a design flaw. The construction sector plays a crucial role in implementing a circular economy as it is responsible for considerable resource use and waste generation. To prevent our planet's resources from running dry, we need to change our consumption habits and production methods radically. The circular economy can be explained using three main principles from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation :  2) Circulate products and materials (at their highest value) It is important that the products and materials we produce remain within our economy. Therefore, ways of their reuse, repair, or recycle must be widely available. 3) Regenerate nature The circular economy plays in favour of nature in multiple ways by moving from extraction to regeneration, for instance, by reducing the amount of raw materials needed to be mined, thereby returning more land to nature. Currently, a few of the most significant barriers to implementing circular economy principles in the construction sector are: - lack of legal frameworks regulating the reusing of materials, - lack of data on material flows and the quality of materials, - lack of knowledge of circular design. There are several initiatives to solve the above issues. The first example is the criteria for circular buildings created by FutureBuild , stating that a circular building must consist of at least 50% of reused and reusable components. The criteria also cover other aspects, like, for example, design-for-adaptability. More information can be found here (FutureBuilt kriterier for sirkulære bygg ; in Norwegian ). The second example is the EU's set of guidelines for legal and technical stakeholders and policy-makers in the construction sector on how to implement circular economy principles, which can be found here . Hringvangur A network for circular construction in Icelandic building industry was created at the end of 2023. The network is called Hringvangur and Green Building Council Iceland is the host for now. The website is www.hringvangur.is Additional information Does it cost more to renovate than to build new? Answers to this and other questions can be found in GBC Norway's publications Tenk deg om før du river (Think before tearing down; in Norwegian ). Guidelines and business tools for companies in the construction sector on how to implement circular solutions in their activities can be found in Nordic Circular Economy Playbook 2.0 .

Energy use – designed and measured About the project The main goal of the project is to collect information on the (purchased) energy demand of buildings (kWh/m² anually; due to heating and/or cooling on one hand and general electricity consumption on the other) and compare the purchased energy and the estimated energy demand according to calculations . Partners Project partners are: - EFLA ; - the University of Reykjavik ; - Björn Marteinsson. The project received a grant from Askur – Housing and Construction Research Fund. Skoðið skýrslu verkefnisins hér

About the project Nordic Networks for Circular Construction (NNCC) was a two-year project aiming at accelerating the implementation of circular economy principles in the Nordic construction sector. It is financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers . The project consisted of six work packages of which GBCI and the Housing and Construction Authority of Iceland (HMS ) work towards realising Work package 6: National Fora . Other work packages dealed with, among others, analysing the barriers and possibilities in implementing a circular economy in Nordics and metrics for circularity. Skýrsla Work package 6: National Fora One of the crucial parts of sustainable and circular construction development is sharing know-how and hands-on experiences along the entire chain of construction stakeholders. This is often realised by the so-called national fora (networks) consisting of the cross-section of the construction sector. Therefore, one of the goals of Work package 6: National fora was creating such a network in Iceland to facilitate spreading the knowledge on circular construction, especially focusing on the Icelandic and Nordic context, but not excluding European and global state-of-the-art solutions. Additionally, workshops with various stakeholders were organised to strengthen the implementation of a circular economy in Nordic construction. At these workshops, the findings on the barriers to adopting circular construction (Work Package 2: Analysis of Barriers and Possibilities ) were presented, and possible solutions were discussed to define further steps necessary to accelerate the implementation of circular construction. Main objectives > Creating the network on circular construction in Iceland to facilitate sharing of know-how and hands-on experiences among Icelandic and foreign construction sector stakeholders; > Defining further steps necessary to accelerate the adaptation of circular economy in Nordic countries.

About the project The programme Nordic Sustainable Construction is part of Nordic Vision 2030 initiated by the Nordic Ministers for Construction and Housing. The Ministry of Infrastructure of Iceland is responsible for the fourth work package, Emission-free construction sites . Green Building Council Iceland and the Housing- and Construction Authority of Iceland support the Ministry in solving the assignment. The program is financed by Nordic Innovation, an organization under the Nordic Council of Ministers . Overview The Nordic countries are among the first in the world pursuing to set normative limits for the emission footprints of buildings. With the work package on Emission-Free Construction Sites, we are going into depth with one of the modules in a building's life cycle, the construction phase. Until now, the main focus has been on greenhouse gas emissions from the production of building materials and the operational phase of buildings. This is changing as recent studies show that construction phase emissions are a substantial part of the whole life cycle emissions. In buildings where emissions from the operational phase have been minimised, construction process emissions may be up to 15% of the entire life cycle emissions. The main contributors to emissions are transportation, construction machinery, and energy use for heating and drying. Waste and lost material also contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions and must be considered in the construction process. Construction machinery, heating, and transportation rely largely on the combustion of fossil fuels. This has a negative effect on both global climate and local air quality, especially in urban areas. Combustion of fuels produces nitrous oxides, particulate matter, and other airborne substances that negatively affect public health. The intent of the work package is to diminish carbon and other direct emissions at construction sites, e.g., by supporting the transition towards emission-free construction sites. Including the use of emission-free power sources and planning the seasonal use of heat and light at construction sites, but also through the development of logistical solutions to conserve transportation and handling resources in a way that diminishes emissions and resource usage. Currently, none of the Nordic countries has set normative criteria for emission-free construction sites, and the Nordics thus have a unique opportunity to harmonise regulations and guidelines. To create support, visibility, and a solid foundation for an increased focus on low-carbon construction, including emission-free construction sites, a common Nordic declaration will be formulated. Steps will be taken to ensure its endorsement and acceptance by the Nordic construction industry. Progress Report - published 16th of March 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: https://www.norden.org/da/node/79878 Network of stakeholders The work package has also established a network for cooperation which gathers the industry's stakeholders to share and gather information on innovations, gains, and prospects. There is a great interest in emission reduction in the construction process among actors in the value chain. Housing authorities and large public procurers are the main driving actors, but industry associations, building contractors, and equipment manufacturers have already started the journey. The network will facilitate brokering events on construction issues. Sign up for the network: http://eepurl.com/imRdFM Excursion to construction sites Last February, we visited the ambitious construction site in Aarhus, Denmark, The Green Construction Site of the Future. A sensory net around the site measures emissions. Biodiesel machinery is mainly used, but a 23-ton electric Volvo excavator has been tested together with a fast charger from DTI (Danish Technological Institute). The visit aimed to show real working solutions. Here you can find an interview where Lars Overgaard, the Senior project manager at DTI, talks about the project: https://youtu.be/GqktRe3k7KA The way towards emission-free construction sites - Online event 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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNRE0HAhaSw Next up During the project's next phase, the work package will focus on future research needs, collect information about Nordic funding organisations and encourage more emphasis on this topic. A report on future research needs for emission-free construction sites will be published. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening the cooperation network and encouraging debate on important topics regarding incentives, funding, barriers, and more. Upcoming activities → Nordic Declaration on emission-free construction site endorsed by the Nordic Ministers of housing and construction and by the Nordic actors in the construction industry. → Encourage and facilitate Nordic research and innovation to support emission-free construction sites. → Encourage and facilitate the development of guidelines for procurers and construction companies on emission-free construction sites and produce an online guide. Skoðið útgáfur verkefnisins hér

Green Building Council Iceland's materials on other topics than construction and demolition waste or certification systems. Other published materials On this page you can find reports that GBCI has published or been involved in the publication process of. Click the reports to read them. 2025 Nettó Núll - Carbon neutral construction in Icelandic conditions 2024 Nordic Circularity Accelerator Recommendations on how to expedite circular construction nationally, in the Nordics and in Europe. Nordic Networks for Circular Construction Policy patways for fostering circular transition in construction in the Nordic Region 2021 Parents and children's travel habits to kindergarten (in Icelandic) 2020 Let's build a greener future (Byggjum grænni framtíð) - Summary of the state of environmental issues in the construction industry in the Nordic countries (in Icelandic) 2019 The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Umhverfis- og auðlindaráðuneytið )granted GBCI a grant to prepare guidelines for apartment buildings that want to promote more environmentally friendly priorities in their operations. The guidelines were drawn up in collaboration with Sorpa and Eignaumsjón . The guidelines can be read below (in Icelandic). A greener apartment building (in Icelandic) Overview of energy consumption, energy prices and energy requirements for heating in Icelandic buildings (in Icelandic) LCA - Environmental impact of buildings and building materials from cradle to grave (in Icelandic) Environmental description of building materials (in Icelandic) Environmentally friendly building in the Icelandic context (in Icelandic) 2013-2017 Material quality - an overview of common building materials, their properties and main environmental aspects (in Icelandic) Housing and health - the health effects of buildings and the benefits of green buildings (in Icelandic) Ecological urban planning (in Icelandic)