Search results

We work to create a healthy, sustainable built environment that promotes well-being for all. More about us can be found 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

Team Board Team and board GBCI's team consists of three employees. GBCI's board is comprised of seven representatives who are elected for two years at the GBCI general meeting. Mynd: Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir Our team Katarzyna Jagodzińska CEO of GBCI kjag [at] graennibyggd.is PhD in energy and material recovery from waste Hanna Þráinsdóttir Communication and advocacy manager hanna [at] graennibyggd.is Media, Culture, and Communication M.A. Hjördís Sveinsdóttir Project manager hjordis [at] graennibyggd.is Business B.Sc. and a student in Environment and Natural Resources Our board Elín Þórólfsdóttir Chair of the board elin.thorolfsdottir [at] hms.is Team leader of the civil engineering work - environment at Housing and Construction Authority Jónína Þóra Einarsdóttir Secretary jonina [at] steypustodin.is Leader in sustainability, safety and quality at Steypustöðin Bergþóra Góa Kvaran Treasurer bergthora.kvaran [at] uos.is Specialist at Umhverfis- og orkustofnun Emilía Borgþórdóttir emilia [at] husa.com Project manager of sustainability at Húsasmiðjan Alex Ingi Espersen alexe [at] cowi.com Manager of improved buildings, indoor quality and maintenance team at COWI Perla Dís Kristinsdóttir perla [at] basalt.is Architect and co-owner at Basalt arkitektar Alma Dagbjört Ívarsdóttir alma [at] verkvist .is CEO and co-owner of Verkvist

Information on circular economy principles in construction. 2025 The Green Shovel is an award for buildings that have been built with outstanding environmental and sustainable values. Information about the award itself and the award winners can be found here. Græna Skóflan - The Green Shovel 2024 2023 2022 Græna Skóflan

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) events in 2023. Upcoming events Past events Events 2026 Welcome to our event site! Here you can find information about upcoming events and description of past events. Mynd: Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir 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 are advertised here: Certification: 11.05.2026 Circular economy: 27.05.2026 LCA: 27.05.2026 Circular economy: 24.06.2026 GBCI Networking meetings 23/06/2026 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 are advertised here: Certification: 11.05.2026 Circular economy: 27.05.2026 LCA: 27.05.2026 Circular economy: 24.06.2026 Skráning GBCI Networking meetings 10/06/2026 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 are advertised here: Certification: 11.05.2026 Circular economy: 27.05.2026 LCA: 27.05.2026 Circular economy: 24.06.2026 Skráning Frekari upplýsingar Past events Byggjum fyrir fólk BREEAM New Construction v.7 Aðalfundur Grænni byggðar 2026 General meeting 2026 22/04/2026 The board of Grænni byggð held its annual general meeting on Wednesday, April 22nd at 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM at HMS , Borgartún 21. All members of Grænni byður have the right to send a representative to the annual general meeting. Agenda for the annual general meeting: 1. Report of the board on the association's work in the past year. 2. The board's work plan for the next year. 3. The board's budget for the next year. 4. Financial statements. 5. Proposals and amendments to the association's bylaws. 6. Elections of the board of directors. 7. Elections of auditors (cf. Article 9) 8. Other matters. In addition to the traditional general meeting activities, GBCI staff will give short presentations on exciting projects that GBCI is working on: Handbook on Reuse GBCI is working on publishing a handbook on the reuse of over 35 common Icelandic materials and products and information on legal requirements that reused materials and products must meet in order to be approved for use. Best practices in New European Bauhaus in the Arctic Presentation of projects that are examples of good ways to build in a sustainable, beautiful and inclusive way in difficult weather and environmental conditions (such as in the Arctic) and were recently recognized by the Bauhaus Goes North project. Thank you for coming to the general meeting and we look forward to continued work in 2026-2027! Annual report, financial report and annual general meeting notes can be found on the website under Operations and documentation (Rekstur). 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 were answered at the event in the Nordic House on Thursday January 22nd at 15:00-16:30. The moderator opened the event, followed by a short talk from Andri Snær Magnason. Then an introduction to 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 followed. The event garnered a lot of interest and over 200 people attended both in person and online. A recording from the event can be found below. 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 was Anna María Bogadóttir, architect. 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.

Some EPDs on concrete in Iceland. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) - Concrete in Iceland BM VALLÁ Berglind C25/30 BM VALLÁ Berglind Svan C25/30 BM VALLÁ Berglind C30/37 BM VALLÁ Berglind Svan C30/37 BM VALLÁ Aflsteypa C35/45 FRAUÐSTEYPA EHF Hebel Aereated Concrete Steypustöðin Ready-mix concrete C35/45 XC4 XF3 XD3 D22 S4 Ae Steypustöðin Ready-mix concrete C30/37 XC4 XF2 D22 S4 Ae Steypustöðin Ready-mix concrete C30/37 XC3 D16 S4 Steypustöðin Ready-mix concrete C25/30 XC3 XF1 D22 S4 Ae

Some EPDs on plasterboards in Iceland. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) - Plasterboards in Iceland KNAUF KNAUF Danogips Clima Board KNAUF KNAUF Danogips Solid Wet Board GYPROC KNAUF KNAUF Danogips Secura Board KNAUF KNAUF Gipsplötur GKB KNAUF KNAUF Danogips Solid Board GYPROC GYPROC Bris GYPROC Protect F

Some EPDs on timber materials in Iceland. Environment (EPDs) - Timber materials in Iceland KLH KLH CLT timber pannels Límtré Vírnet KLH CLT timber pannels

Green Building Council Iceland's publications on construction and demolition waste (C&DW). Construction and demolition waste 2022 GBCI received a grant from the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate through the Housing and Infrastructure Agency to work on the mapping and preparation of guidelines on the possibilities of using construction waste. The project is part of action 4.2. in the Icelandic roadmap to ecological construction (Byggjum grænni framtíð) . GBCI got VSÓ Ráðgjöf on board to do the analysis. The results of the research project can be seen below (in Icelandic). Planning and guidance on the utilization potential of construction waste 2019 In cooperation with the celandic Civil Engineering Agency (Mannvirkjastofnun ), Green Building Council Iceland (GBCI) launched the project on the preparation of guidelines for the handling of construction and demolition waste. GBCI and Mannvirkjastofnun were responsible for project management, and the project was realised in cooperation with EFLA , VSÓ Consulting , and Verkís . The project results can be seen below. The circular economy and the construction industry (in Icelandic) The guidelines for the management of construction and demolition waste (in Icelandic) Construction and demolition waste mapping (in Icelandic) The assessment of hazardous substances in construction and demolition waste and a plan for their treatment (in Icelandic)

Bauhaus Goes North (BGN) About the project The Bauhaus Goes North (BGN) project is realised by the Green Building Council Iceland together with 13 partners and associated partners from the Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) region. The project received funding from the Interreg NPA Programme , co-funded by the European Union. The project aims to increase stakeholders' knowledge and facilitate the implementation of best practices that align with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) in the NPA region. The project's main focus are practices linked to circularity and resource efficiency. The NEB initiative was launched to make the European Green Deal a 'tangible experience' - offering a new cultural approach for Europe, a systemic change that is innovative, attractive, and human-centred. It has three core values guiding it: Sustainability (circularity, zero pollution, biodiversity) Aesthetics (quality of experience, style beyond functionality) Inclusion (valuing diversity, securing accessibility and affordability) Deliverables The project will deliver: a Co-Design Playbook and a Replicability Index tool aiming to ensure the replicability of identified best NEB practices, considering local contexts, competencies, capacity building and policy for supporting the transition to circular and resource-efficient economies; three annual Calls for Best Practices in NEB in the NPA Region , which aim to accelerate take-up of replicable solutions; four jointly developed demonstrator projects (i.e., a district plan, a campus and a historic building, and a sustainable island development) to illustrate the practical implementation of NEB aspects in diverse settings and contexts. Project website Overview Green Building Council Iceland is responsible for Work Package 2 (WP2) in the project: NEB Best Practices Competition: Assembling and Disseminating Exemplary Cases in the NPA Region. The main objective of WP2 is to identify best practices aligning with NEB in the NPA region. This will be done through three annual calls. The chosen winning and front-running practices will be highlighted on the Project website and circulated among various Nordic and European networks to disseminate them effectively. Eventually, the identified best practices will be a part of one of the project outcomes – the so-called Co-Design Playbook. Project partners are as follows: University College Cork , Cork, Ireland; Green Building Council Iceland , Reykjavík, Iceland; OULU University of Applied Science , Oulu, Finland; UIT The Arctic University of Norway , Tromsø, Norway; City of Bodø , Bodø, Norway; Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden; Cork County Council , Cork, Ireland. In the project, we also have 7 associated partners from Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, Ireland, and Sweden. Partners The BGN project's total budget is €1,632,526.95, and it benefits from € 1,019,056.94 in Interreg NPA co-financing, including 7.59% of funding covered by the European Regional Development Fund for Icelandic partners (ERDF_IS). The ERDF_IS funding amounts to € 123,930.30.

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) annual reports and board meeting minutes. Operations and documentation Green Building Council Iceland's bylaws can be found here . Mynd: Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir Annual and financial reports, work plans (in Icelandic) 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Annual report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Financial report Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Annual meeting Founding meeting Work plan Work plan Work plan Board meeting minutes (in Icelandic) 2026 02/2026 03/2026 05/2026 2022 01/2022 02/2022 03/2022 04/2022 - 01 | 04/2022 - 02 05/2022 - 01 | 05/2022 - 02 06/2022 09/2022 10/2022 11/2022 12/2022 2023 01/2023 02/2023 03/2023 04/2023 05/2023 - 01 | 05/2023 - 02 08/2023 09/2023 10/2023 12/2023 2024 01/2024 02/2024 03/2024 04/2024 05/2024 06/2024 2025 02/2025 03/2025 05/2025 06/2025 08/2025 11/2025 08/2024 09/2024 10/2024 11/2024 2018 08/2018 09/2018 -01 | 09/2018 - 02 10/2018 11/2018 12/2018 2019 01/2019 02/2019 03/2019 05/2019 2020 01/2020 02/2020 03/2020 04/2020 05/2020 06/2020 08/2020 10/2020 11/2020 2021 01/2021 02/2021 03/2021 04/2021 05/2021 06/2021 - 01 | 06/2021 - 02 08/2021 10/2021 11/2021 12/2021 Other documents → Review of the updated action plan of the City of Reykjavík regarding climate matters (28/01/2021). Document in Icelandic. → Review of the updated climate action plan (01/10/2020). Document in Icelandic. → Comment on the climate-related action plan (01/10/2020). Document in Icelandic. → Comments to the housing matters group on social sustainability and environmental priorities (10/01/2019). Document in Icelandic. → Comment on a meeting with Minister of Transport and Local Government Sigurður Inga Jóhannsson (11/2018). Document in Icelandic. → Comment on incentives to increase the number of green buildings. Document in Icelandic. → Icelandic summary of the World GBC Report on Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront (2020). Document in Icelandic. → The draft target plan of the Board . Document in Icelandic.

Online Event and Report An online event was held to promote the publication of a new report on the status and prospects of emission-free construction. There, we also introduced the Nordic network of collaboration and displayed the video from the site visit to the Green Construction Site of the Future. Volvo CE and SiteHub talked about their way towards emission-free construction sites. Recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNRE0HAhaSw Read the report: https://www.norden.org/da/node/79878 Testing of a battery-electric excavator in Oslo Emission-free excavators have been tested in three different construction sites in Oslo in the last year. In a new report from SINTEF, the results are summarised. The electric excavators from Nasta ran for a total of 6817 hours and saved NOK 372 000 in energy, and emission reductions were in excess of 91 tons CO2. Read the report here. Emissions from a construction site in Oslo n a SINTEF report calculations and results are presented for CO2 emissions on a construction site in Oslo.

How to become a member of GBCI ()? Become a member of GBCI As a member of GBCI you are a part of a group of dedicated professionals interested in increasing the emphasis on environmental issues in construction, design and planning. Mynd: Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir Membership categories for 2026: 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 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 Become a member Thank you for submitting! Send 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