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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.

About the project titled: HringRás (Circularity) (2022-2023). Carbon-neutral building in Icelandic conditions About the project The main goal of the project is to define a carbon-neutral building under Icelandic conditions . Project partners The partners of the project are: - Green Building Council Iceland; - Elín Þórólfsdóttir (EFLA, University of Iceland, HMS); - Þórhildur Fjóla Kristjánsdóttir (EFLA, Reykjavík University). View the project's first report here Part of the project was to develop a certification system for carbon-neutral building under Icelandic conditions. The report below provides instructions on how carbon-neutral buildings in Iceland can be developed and lays the groundwork to the certification system NettóNúll. View the project's report on NettóNúll here The project received a grant from Askur – Housing and Construction Research Fund.

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 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

Some EDPs on aggregates in Iceland. Environmental product declaration (EPDs) - Building blocks in Iceland Steypustöðin Bakki aggregate Jarðefnaiðnaður ehf. Steypustöðin Hólabrú aggregate Björgun Steypustöðin Vatnsskarðs aggregate Björgun Pumice and scoria (hekluvikur) Natural and Crushed Aggregates from Lambafell Natural and Crushed Sea-dredged Aggregates from Álfsnesvík

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) events in 2023. 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 Ice landic) → 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 (i n Icelandic) → Katarzyna Jagodzinska, Grænni Byggð Mikilvægi orkunýtingar þegar horft er til sjálfbærni og hringrásarhagkerfið (i n Icelandic) → Matthías Ásgeirsson, VSÓ Ávinningur á bættri orkunotkun eldri bygginga (i n Icelandic) → Þórunn Nanna Ragnarsdóttir, EFLA Framtíð orkuútreikninga bygginga og hlutverk vélrænna loftræsikerfa (i n 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 (i n Icelandic) → Katarzyna Jagodzinska, Grænni Byggð Mikilvægi orkunýtingar þegar horft er til sjálfbærni og hringrásarhagkerfið (i n Icelandic) → Matthías Ásgeirsson, VSÓ Ávinningur á bættri orkunotkun eldri bygginga (i n Icelandic) → Þórunn Nanna Ragnarsdóttir, EFLA Framtíð orkuútreikninga bygginga og hlutverk vélrænna loftræsikerfa (i n 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 Ic elan dic) (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 Ic elan dic) (Davíð Thor Guðmundsson og Hallgrímur Örn Arngrímsson, Verkís ); → Heildrænar áherslur Svansins (in Ic elan dic) (Guðrún Lilja Kristinsdóttir, UST ); → Breytingar á byggingarreglugerð (in Ic elan dic) (Þórunn Lilja Vilbergsdóttir, HMS ); → Áhrif flokkunarreglugerðar ESB á byggingarstarfsemi (in Ic elan dic) (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. NordicSustainaleInfrastrucureWebnar 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: → CIRCON project (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 Ic elandic) (Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir, Director of sustainability and quality, Hornsteinn /BM Vallá ) → Form fylgir framboði (in Ic elan dic) (Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, Architect and co-owner, Lendager Island) → Jarðsetning: tímans rás (in Ic elandic) (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 Ic elandic) (Narfi Þorsteinsson, Graphic designer, Narfi ) → Biobuilding: start small, think big (Jan Dobrowolski, Founder, Studio Ludíka ) → PAGO BYLTINGIN (Byggingarefni framtíðar) (in Ic elandic) (Ólöf Salmon Guðmundsdóttir, CEO, PAGO ) → CIRCULA PackWall Byggingaplötur (in Ic elandic) (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 Ic elandic) 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, Writ er 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 J áverk Hermann Jónsson, CEO of the Housing and Construction Authority Jóhannes Þórðarson, Architect Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjarðarbær Sigurður Hannesson, Executive Director of the Icel andic 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 - Constructio n, the Federation of Icelandic Industries → Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister of Infrastructure, Opening speech (in Ice landic) → 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 ) → Panel discussion 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: https://www.norden.org/da/node/79878 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 .

Some EDPs on building blocks in Iceland. Environmental product declaration (EPDs) - Building blocks in Iceland PAGO Durisol D365 Standard Block FRAUÐSTEYPA EHF Unreinforced AAC building block BM VALLÁ Filigran element

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) events in 2022. 2022 Morning meeting - emission-free construction sites 15/12/2022 In this morning meeting, emission-free construction sites were discussed. There was a presentation on work package 4 in the Nordic Sustainable Construction project, which relates to emission-free construction sites. The Ministry of Infrastructure is responsible for that part of the project and is working on it in collaboration with Green Building Council Iceland (GBCI) and the Housing and Infrastructure Authority. GBCI's staff discussed the system boundaries of the site and solutions, but the emphasis was on discussions and a dialogue between stakeholders. The conversation was rich in knowledge, and therefore the discussion part of the morning meeting has been included in the published recording. Slides are available here . Morning meeting - The design process of the kindergarten in Urriðaholt 25/11/2022 At the meeting, Hulda Jónsdóttir , owner and architect at HJARK , presented the design process of the kindergarten in Urriðaholt. The presentation was in Icelandic. The kindergarten will be located at Holtsvegur 20 and will accommodate up to 120 children. The kindergarten's design process focused on ecological solutions, and Hulda, among other things, reviews this process considering the requirements of Nordic Swan Certification. The building will be made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) on concrete foundations. Reception of construction waste 25/11/2022 The Icelandic Industry Association (Samtök iðnaðarins ) and the Contractors' Association (Mannvirki – félag verktaka ) hosted a meeting on the reception of construction waste. You can find the recording here . The meeting was held in Icelandic. The heating supply - is there always enough? 17/11/2022 Samorka held a morning meeting on the heating utilities and the state of the geothermal resource and reserves. It was also reviewed how the government can support the sustainable development of heating systems. You can access the recording of the meeting here . Carbon footprint of construction - priorities and actions 16/11/2022 Landsvirkjun , Vegagerðin and Isavia , held an open meeting on the carbon footprint of construction and how to minimize it (including what actions are needed). You can access a recording of the meeting on the Facebook page of the event . 03/11/2022 Morning meeting - Design and implementation of Brákarborg This morning meeting discussed the design and implementation of the structure that won the Green Shovel in 2022 - the Brákarborg kindergarten in Reykjavík at Kleppsvegi 150-152, owned by the City of Reykjavík. Gyða Mjöll Ingólfsdóttir and Sólveig Ingimarsdóttir gave the presentation on behalf of the City of Reykjavík, and they both work in the construction and maintenance office of the City of Reykjavík. Gyða Mjöll is project manager for environmental affairs and Sólveig is project manager for new buildings and also project manager for construction. The presentation was given in Icelandic. There are many things that are exemplary in the reconstruction of Brákarborg. The goal setting of the project was ambitious, both in terms of the community activities and results in environmental matters. During design, a life cycle analysis was used and a comparison was made of the environmental impact of building materials, and the choice of materials was then based on the results. The building is BREEAM certified for design and construction, so the follow-up will confirm the sustainability goals. The building houses important social services, but the site can also be used by those who live in its immediate vicinity. The concrete structure was used continuously, and thus the carbon footprint of the building was kept to a minimum. Green Building Day 2022 30/09/2022 The annual Green Building Day was held in IÐNÓ this year on Friday, September 30, 2022. The event began with 12 interesting professional talks given by experts in sustainability in the construction sector. After the presentations, Ragnar Ómarsson, the Chairman of the GBCI board, gave the Green Shovel Award for the first time. Over 130 participants took part in the event. The event was held in Icelandic. The Facebook event can be found here. Agenda: Moderator : Kristjana Ósk Jónsdóttir → Byggjum grænni framtíð: Staða á aðgerðum á ábyrgð HMS sem eru komnar af stað (Þóra Margrét Þorgeirsdóttir, Team leader of the Innovation team , Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun); → Umhverfisvænasti fermeterinn - Sóknarfærin í samfélagslega ábyrgum rekstri eignasafns FSRE (Guðrún Ingvarsdóttir, CEO , Framkvæmdasýslan-Ríkiseignir); → Þegar núllið verður ætlunarverkið – vegferðin í átt að vistvænni steypuframkvæmdum (Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir, Environmental affairs director, Hornsteinn); → Góðir hlutir gerast (of) hægt (Brynjólfur Bjarnason, Business manager and member of the sustainability committee, Íslandsbanki); → Nýr sjálfbærnisrammi í framkvæmdum (Jón Kolbeinn Guðjónsson, Head of the Faculty of Engineering, Isavia); → Sjálfbærnivegferðin hjá Regin. Hvernig náum við hámarks árangri sem fyrst (Helgi S. Gunnarsson, CEO, Reginn); → Viðbrögð við loftslagsbreytingum (Íris Þórarinsdóttir, Environmental manager, Reitir); → Ártúnshöfðinn - BREEAM vottað hverfi í Reykjavík (Ólöf Kristjánsdóttir from Mannvit – f.h. Reykjavíkurborgar ); → Lágmörkum lífsferilsáhrif virkjana (Jóhanna Hlín Auðunsdóttir, Director of Climate and Green Solutions, Landsvirkjun); → UAveiro green buildings – Dæmi um hringrásarhagkerfi í byggingariðnaði (Ragnar Ómarsson, Expert in the sustainability of structures, Verkís); → Hvernig skilar hönnun lægra vistspori í mannvirkagerð – dæmi frá EFLU (Þórhildur Fjóla Kristjánsdóttir, Energy and environmental engineer, EFLA); → Umhverfisvæn hús í Urriðaholti (Benedikt Ingi Tómasson, Executive director, Vistbyggð). Project meeting of the Nordic Sustainable Construction project in Oslo 07/09/2022 On September 7, the Nordic Sustainable Construction project meeting was held. Green Building Council Iceland is responsible for work package 4 (Emission-free Construction Sites), and the scope of the work package was presented at the meeting. More about the project can be found here . Byggjum grænni framtíð. Roadmap to green infrastructure 2030: Emissions, targets and actions 08/06/2022 On June 8, an event was held organized by Byggjum grænni framtíð about the publication of the 2nd and 3rd parts of the 2030 Environmental Roadmap . Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister of Infrastructure, and Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate, addressed the guests. Áróra Árnadóttir, CEO of Green Building Council Iceland, and Þóra Margrét Þorgeirsdóttir, project manager of Byggjum grænni framtíð (Build a green future), gave a talk on the roadmap after the two ministers' speeches. The event was held in Icelandic. More information about the road map can be found here . The program can be found here . A recording of the event can be accessed here . Morning meetings 02-05/2022 The first meeting (16/02) was on green building certification systems. The presentations (in Icelandic ) can be found here: Svanurinn BREEAM The second meeting (16/03) was about the circular economy and was held in collaboration with KLAK Icelandic Startups. The presentations (in Icelandic ) can be found here: Hringiða Hringrásarbyggingar SORPA The third meeting (28/04) was combined with the Annual Green Building Council Iceland Meeting. Bridge engineer, Andri Gunnarsson, presented the example of using Icelandic timber in an outdoor bridge over the Þjórsá river. The presentation summary can be found in the meeting minutes (point 6; meeting minutes are in Icelandic ). The fourth meeting (18/05) was on the concrete. The presentation (in Icelandic ) can be found here: Hornsteinn Annual Green Building Council Iceland Meeting 28/04/2022 The Annual Green Building Council Iceland Meeting took place on 28th April at 15:00 in the Verkís lecture hall. In addition to the traditional general meeting activities, the following was on the agenda: → a new project manager introduced the CIRCON project; → the winning proposal from the idea competition for the Green Shovel prize was presented; → Andri Gunnarsson, bridge engineer at EFLA, presented the use of Icelandic timber in a bridge over Þjórsá river. Minutes of the general meeting can be found here (in Icelandic ). Forum on improved energy efficiency in buildings 31/03/2022 OR / Veitur and Green Building Council Iceland held a seminar on the responsible use of natural resources and reducing energy waste. Live video on Facebook can be found here . The event was held in Icelandic. Nordic GBC Webinar #5: Circular Economy in the Real Estate and Construction Sector 10/03/2022 The event was organised within Nordic Green Building Council Network and was held in English. Agenda: → On the importance of Circular Economy (Green Building Council Finland) ; → Introducing the Nordic Network for Circular Construction (Matti Kuittinen, Ministry of the Environment of Finland) ; → State of the Art Analysis on Circularity in the Nordic Construction Sector (Sabine Barth, WSP) ; → How to work with Circularity – New Handbook by the City of Copenhagen (Jens Runge, Chief consultant & head of sustainability) ; → Practical Examples from the Field : - Regional Circularity (Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadótti) ; - Reusing concrete slabs in commercial construction (Henning Fjeldheim, Skanska Norway) . Nordic GBC Webinar #5 Nordic GBC Webinar #4: Resilience and Climate Adaptation 19/01/2022 Live video hér : This webinar was organised within the Nordic Green Building Councils initiative in cooperation with IĐAN Educational Center. Experts in the Nordic countries educated us about the dangers posed by climate change in the Nordic context and climate adaptation of the built environment. The event was held in English. Agenda: → Climate changes in the Nordic countries - The IPCC report and how climate change will act out in the Nordic hemisphere (Dr Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir, Professor of Geophysics, University of Iceland)) ; → Potential impact on the built environment and infrastructure - How the effects of climate change differ between regions (Miisa Tähkänen, Expert in a sustainable built environment, GBC Finland) ; → Scenario Analysis in Climate Related Risks & Opportunities - A scenario approach to baselines for assessment of actions towards resilience and climate adaption (Sigurður Freyr Jónatansson, Expert on financial stability, the Central Bank of Iceland) ; → Climate change adaption in a man-made environment : - Climate Adaption for urban rainwater & sewage systems (Dr Kim Haukeland Paus, Engineer, Asplan Viak) ; - Sankt Kjeld’s Square and Bryggervangen, a case study (Alexandra Vindfeld Hansen, Landscape architect and Head of SLA’s R&D division sLAB). Nordi GBC Webinr #4

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 .

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.

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 CIRCON project. About the project The CIRCON project (full name: The circular economy in construction: eco-design of circular buildings) was realised by Green Building Council Iceland (GBCI) in cooperation with two Polish partners – a mirror to GBCI organisation Polish Green Building Council and the Silesian University of Technology. The project lasted 2 years (01/04/2022-31/03/2024). Overview The urban population is growing globally, and so does the demand for housing and accommodation. This means the growing intensity of construction-related activities and, consequently, increasing construction and demolition waste (C&DW) generation. This calls for action as, currently, C&DW already comprises one of the largest waste streams in the EU and Iceland. Even though C&DW recovery rates are high, their recovery leaves room for improvement as it is predominantly low-grade (for instance, backfilling). To preserve the value of construction materials and thus keep them on the market as long as possible, the implementation of circular economy principles in the construction sector is necessary. This would result in reducing the amount of not only C&DW produced but also the raw materials used. Building materials are responsible for around half of the carbon footprint of an Icelandic building during its lifetime. Doing so requires developing solid and systematised knowledge of circular economy principles regarding construction processes. This is why, in the CIRCON project, we aimed to create practical guidelines, emphasising circular building design as everything starts with the plan and design. These guidelines included the specificity of Icelandic and Polish construction sectors and were disseminated among the key stakeholders in the sectors. This was done to familiarise the key actors with optimal building design regarding not only buildings' longevity and durability but also their sustainability and material circulation through possible reusing of building components after its deconstruction. Main objectives The project aimed to strengthen the implementation of circular economy principles in the Icelandic and Polish construction sectors through: 1. Creation of practical guidelines on circular economy implementation in building design, including Icelandic and Polish market characteristics, needs, and specific Icelandic geographical and resource conditions. 2. Dissemination of the above guidelines among key stakeholders in the construction sector. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. More about the project Project partners Newsletter CIRCON vefsíðu Information on EEA and Norway Grants The EEA and Norway Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway towards a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. There are two overall objectives: reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe, and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The donors have provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes between 1994 and 2014. For the period 2014-2021, the EEA and Norway Grants amount to €2.8 billion. The priorities for this period are: #1 Innovation, Research, Education and Competitiveness #2 Social Inclusion, Youth Employment and Poverty Reduction #3 Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy #4 Culture, Civil Society, Good Governance and Fundamental Rights #5 Justice and Home Affairs Eligibility for the Grants mirror the criteria set for the EU Cohesion Fund aimed at member countries where the Gross National Income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90% of the EU average. The EEA and Norway Grants scheme consists of two financial mechanisms. The EEA Grants are jointly financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, whose contributions are based on their GDP. Norway Grants are financed solely by Norway. More information can be found on: https://eeagrants.org/ Information on co-funding by the national funding of Poland The co-funding from the Polish state was granted to the project within the program: Environment, Energy and Climate Change , program area: Climate .

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.