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Leiðbeiningar um endurnýtingu byggingarefna og ábyrgt niðurrif (BGF 4.9 , 4.10 ) About the project Grænni byggð worked within two actions in Vegvísir að vistvænni mannvirkjagerð 2030: 4.9. Gefa út leiðbeiningar um úrgangsforvarnir, undirbúning fyrir endurnotkun, endurvinnslu og aðra endurnýtingu byggingarefna við hönnun nýrra mannvirkja og á endurbótum . 4.10. Gefa út leiðbeiningar um ábyrgt niðurrif . To address the objectives of these two actions, the concise yet informative materials were published on the Hringvangur website . The two actions were tackled collectively as they are interwoven (i.e., reuse and recycling of materials is a significant part of selective demolition). The materials contain information on, among others: Circularity potential of most commonly used materials and products (e.g., concrete, steel, wood, glass, sanitary equipment, fire equipment, indoor products – windows, door, ventilation ducts); Environmental motivation standing behind circular practices and selective demolition with examples of real-life circular solutions and projects; New roles and responsibilities of chosen main stakeholders in circular projects.

Past projects Establishing clear requirements for reporting actual waste volumes (BGF 4.7 ) 2024-2025 About Establishing clear requirements for reporting actual waste volumes (BGF 4.7 ) 2024-2025 About Guidelines for the reuse of building materials and responsible demolition (BGF 4.9 , 4.10 ) 2024-2025 About CIRCON (The circular economy in construction: eco-design of circular buildings) 2022-2024 About Partners Newsletter CIRCON website Nordic Circularity Accelerator (NCA) 2023-2024 About Report Nordic Networks for Circular Construction (NNCC) 2021-2024 About Report Nordic Sustainable Construction - Emission-free Construction Sites 2022-2024 About Energy use - designed and measured 2022-2024 About BREEAM - An cost-benefit analysis of sustainable building certificates 2022-2023 About HringRás (Circularity) 2022-2023 About Mapping and guidance on the utilization potential of different construction waste 2022 About Past projects On-going projects Here you can find our current and past projects that cover various topics, e.g., circular construction, BREEAM certification, and a net-zero building in Iceland. Projects Mynd: Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir On-going projects Bauhaus Goes North (BGN) 2024-2027 About Better data on carbon emissions from construction sites using real-world data 2025-2026 About Hringvangur – the Icelandic network for circular construction 2025-2026 About Carbon-neutral building in Icelandic conditions 2023-2025 About Guidelines to emission-free construction sites (BGF 2.9) 2023-2025 About Investigate the possibilities and opportunities for the increased implementation of a circular economy in the use of building materials 2025-2026 About Turf houses – can we learn from the past? 2025-2026 About

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.

Demonstrating Real and Affordable Sustainable Building Solutions with Top-level whole life cycle performance and Improved Circularity (Drastic) About the project Drastic is a four-year Horizon European project that aims to showcase innovative solutions to reduce whole-life carbon and the climate impact of construction across the entire construction value chain in Europe. There are 23 partners in the project from 8 European countries. Green Building Council Iceland worked on the project in 2024 as a part of World Green Building. We were responsible for: gathering profiles of businesses and organisations involved in or influencing circular and sustainable practices within Iceland's construction sector. These actors are listed in the Stakeholder Map ; communication and dissemination activities. Drastic Website Stakeholder map The Drastic project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101123330.

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 the project Hringvangur—the first (and only so far) Icelandic network for circular construction—was opened as a public-private project as part of the Nordic Networks for Circular Construction (NNCC) project, realised in Iceland by Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun (HMS) and Grænni byggð . In 2024, Hringvangur was launched and hosted by Grænni byggð with support from HMS and Verkis. Now, operations must be sustained in the following year and built on the existing solid foundation. Overview The project's primary goal is to continue Hringvangur's statutory activities, which are, among others:  managing the platform to promote circular projects and solutions in Iceland; managing the website as a database of existing knowledge on various aspects of circular construction; updating stakeholders with the state-of-the-art; acting as a contract platform to facilitate cooperation between stakeholders. Hringvangur website The project received a grant from Askur - mannvirkjarannsóknasjóður which is funded by Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun (Icelandic Housing and Construction Authority), Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education.

Rannsaka möguleikana og tækifærin á innleiðingu hringrásarhagkerfis í auknum mæli tengt notkun byggingarefna About the project Grænni byggð works with Lendager Island , Minjastofnun , SORPA , and Verkís hf on this project. There is a noticeable interest in the Icelandic construction sector in material and product reuse; however, the reuse is in its infancy due to: a lack of knowledge among stakeholders on how to reuse construction materials and products the common belief that the reuse of materials and products is blocked by current legal regulations (e.g., building code, need for CE marking, lack of standards for reused materials/products) in Iceland. The project aims to address these aspects. The project outcome will provide an overview of opportunities and identify risks for reusing various construction materials and products. The information on the legal requirements the secondary material and products need to meet to be approved for use will also be included, followed by suggested possible directions to change these legal requirements to facilitate reuse. Mynd: Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir Collaborators 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.

Koma á skýrri kröfu um skil á rauntölum um magn úrgangs og virkja eftirfylgni (BGF 4.7 ) About the project Grænni byggð worked within an action 4.7 Skil á rauntölum um magn byggingarúrgangs in Vegvísir að vistvænni mannvirkjagerð 2030 aiming to improve data collection and processing on construction and demolition waste in Iceland. We were responsible for preparing an overview of systems and ways of collecting and processing data on waste in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. This overview was based on desk research and interviews with key stakeholders dealing with waste data in the Nordic countries. This overview will provide a foundation for further work of the parties responsible for the action.

About World Green Building Council and Europe Regional Network. World Building Council The Green Building Council Iceland is a member of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) since November 2018. WorldGBC is an umbrella organisation of over 70 Green Building Councils around the world enabling its members to work closely on reducing emissions from the building and construction sector by 2050. If you want to know more about the WorldGBC and its activities, courses, and events, click here . From World Green Building Councils AGM, which GBCI's CEO, Áróra Árnadóttir, and GBCI´s project manager, Katarzyna Jagodzińska, attended. Europe Regional Network WorldGBC network is divided into five regional networks as different regions face different challenges. We are a part of the Europe Regional Network (ERN), gathering not only European Green Building Councils but also key regional partners from the construction and materials sector, and thousands of other members. The ERN's mission is to ensure that sustainability is embedded across the whole sector value chain by leveraging the power and knowledge of our network to transform the European buildings market. To know more about ERN activities, click here . From World Green Building Councils AGM, which GBCI's CEO, Áróra Árnadóttir, and GBCI´s project manager, Katarzyna Jagodzińska, attended.

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) events in 2023. Upcoming events Morgunfundur - Bílakjallarar eða bílastæðahús: áhrif, áskoranir og framtíðarsýn 25/02/2025 Grænni byggð hélt morgunfund þann 25. febrúar klukkan 9:00 um bílakjallara og bílastæðahús. Fundurinn samanstóð af tveimur erindum og pallborðsumræðum. Yfir 90 manns sóttu fundinn sem var í streymi. Upptökur frá erindunum og pallborðsumræðum má finna hér að neðan. Takk fyrir komuna! Kolefnishlutlaus Reykjavík 2030: uppbygging og loftslagsáhrif - Hrönn Hrafnsdóttir og Herdís Sigurgrímsdóttir , Reykjavíkurborg Hrönn og Herdís kynntu verkefni sem hófst hjá Reykjavíkurborg nýlega og snýr að því að umbylta vali íbúa á ferðamáta og hvernig mismunandi lausnir þegar kemur að bílastæðum hindra eða liðka fyrir breytingum á samgönguvenjum í borginni. Ein af spurningunum sem verkefnið miðar að því að svara er: munu bílakjallarar breyta venjum okkar þegar kemur að samgöngum eða festa bílinn í sessi sem okkar helsta ferðamáta? Bílastæðahús og Borgarlína á Keldnalandi - Þorsteinn R. Hermannsson , Betri Samgöngur ohf. Þorsteinn kynnti tillögu að uppbyggingu nýs hverfis að Keldum og Keldnaholti með þremur Borgarlínustöðvum sem gerir ráð fyrir að byggð verði nokkur bílastæðahús á svæðinu. Bílastæðahúsin, sem hvert og eitt samnýtist fjölda íbúða og atvinnuhúsnæðis á nálægum lóðum, komi að mestu í stað einkabílakjallara og einkabílastæða inni á lóðum. Horfa á til þess að húsin geti hýst miðlæga þjónustu fyrir aðliggjandi svæði á jarðhæð og að hægt verði að breyta þeim í atvinnu- eða íbúðarhúsnæði ef bílastæðaþörf minnkar í framtíðinni. Pallborðsumræður Í pallborði sátu: Elín Þórólfsdóttir, teymisstjóri starfsumhverfis mannvirkjagerðar, Húsnæðis og mannvirkjastofnun. Borghildur Sölvey Sturludóttir , arkitekt og deildarstjóri deiliskipulagsáætlana, Reykjavikurborg. Ólafur Árnason , forstjóri, Skipulagsstofnun. Íris Þórarinsdóttir, stjórnarformaður Grænni byggðar var fundarstjóri og stjórnaði pallborðsumræðum. Upptaka Upptaka Upptaka Upcoming events Morgunfundur: Ávinningurinn af viðhaldi innbyggðs kolefnis í fasteignum 24/01/2025 Grænni byggð hélt á dögunum morgunfund í samstarfi við Iðuna fræðslusetur og Verkís , um ávinninginn af viðhaldi innbyggðs kolefnis í fasteignum. Viðhald fasteigna er sjaldan rætt í samhengi við samdrátt í kolefnislosun. Miklu frekar er rætt um efnahagslega hagkvæmni viðhaldsaðgerða. Ólafur Ástgeirsson , leiðtogi bygginga- og mannvirkjagreina hjá Iðunni setti fundinn og bauð áheyrendur velkomin. Ragnar Ómarsson, byggingafræðingur og viðskiptastjóri sjálfbærni hjá Verkís, hélt síðan fyrirlestur um málefnið og ræddi meðal annars hvernig samdráttur kolefnislosunar og kostnaðarhagkvæmni geta haldist í hendur, hvað felst í því að viðhalda innbyggðu kolefni, hvað björgunarverðmæti bygginga er og hvernig það er reiknað út. Góð mæting var á fundinn sem var í streymi. Upptaka af fundinum verður aðgengileg hér innan skamms tíma. Heimsókn í Landsbankabygginguna 23/01/2025 Meðlimum Grænni byggðar bauðst þann 23. janúar að fara í heimsókn í nýtt húsnæði Landsbankans við Reykjastræti 6. Húsnæði Landsbankans var tilnefnt til Grænu skóflunar árið 2024 og var til dæmis BREEAM vottað. Þátttakendur fengu kynningu á byggingarsögu húsins, hönnun, notkun, vottanaferli og fleiru. Þar á eftir fengu þátttakendur að skoða húsið með leiðsögn. Við þökkum Landsbankanum kærlega fyrir góðar móttökur!

Some EPDs on paints in Iceland. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) - Paints in Iceland JOTUN Jotun Heftgrunning Universal JOTUN Jotun Lady Pure Color JOTUN Jotun Sparkel Fin Gipsplate JOTUN Jotun Jotaproff Akryl 10% JOTUN Jotun Pilot WF Primer JOTUN Jotun Sparkel Vegg & Tak medium JOTUN Jotun Jotaproff Primadekk JOTUN Jotun Prosjektsparkel JOTUN Jotun Trebitt Oljebeis

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) annual reports and board meeting minutes. Documentation The bylaws of Green Building Council Iceland can be found here. Annual and financial reports, work plans (in Icelandic) 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 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 Founding meeting Work plan Work plan Board meeting minutes (in Icelandic) 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 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.