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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.

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)

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)

Green Building Council Iceland's materials on certification systems. Certification systems 2023 Green Building Council Iceland published the reports: 1) The impact of building materials and energy efficiency on the carbon footprint of buildings - Comparison of the carbon footprint of building materials and energy consumption in BREEAM certified and non-certified buildings (Áhrif byggingarefna og orkunýtingar á kolefnisspor bygginga - Samanburður á kolefnisspori byggingarefna og orkunotkunar í BREEAM vottaðri og óvottaðri byggingu) and 2) Stakeholder experiences with certification systems - Interviews with the construction industry (Reynsla hagaðila að vistvottunarkerfum - Viðtöl við byggingariðnaðinn). The reports were written in cooperation with the Housing and Construction Authority (HMS), with a grant from the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate, and are a part of action 5.2.1 in Vegvísir að vistvænni mannvirkjagerð 2030 (roadmap to sustainable construction) : Analysing the benefit and cost of environmental certifications. Click on the reports below to read. 2019-2020 GBCI worked together with the Icelandic Civil Engineering Agency (Mannvirkjastofnun) on a research project on the certification system of buildings. Two certification systems were chosen for research - BREEAM and Swan. The project goal was to carry out tests and instructions on the systems and to study how they adapt to the conditions in the Icelandic construction market. The reports can be read below. BREEAM certification scheme for buildings - Brochure (in Icelandic) BREEAM 2016 Energy requirements and the experience of meeting them in Icelandic projects (in Icelandic) BREEAM - Visual comfort (in Icelandic) BREEAM quality and environmental management - The requirements and how they have been met in Iceland (in Icelandic) The experience of the environmental certification Swan for buildings - Part I General review (in Icelandic) BREEAM In-Use (in Icelandic) BREEAM Construction materials and waste - The requirements and how they have been fulfilled in Iceland (in Icelandic) Transport and land use requirements in BREEAM international 2016 (in Icelandic) BREEAM Building materials - Introductory brochure on the requirements (in Icelandic) The experience of the environmental certification The Swan for buildings - Part II The rating system (in Icelandic) The annexe can be found here (in Icelandic). Environmental certification system for buildings - analysis of the feasibility and adaptability of foreign certification systems for the Icelandic construction market (in Icelandic)

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.

Some EPDs on wall coverings in Iceland. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) - Wall coverings in Iceland ALUCOBOND Alucobond 3A Composites GmbH ISOPAN Sandwich panels with steel facings and expanded polyurethane or polyisocyanurate insulating core KME KOPARINN TECU® Oxid copper sheets and strips VM ZINC ALPOLIC Alpolic Composite Panels KME KOPARINN TECU® Bronze copper alloys sheets and strips KME KOPARINN TECU® Patina copper sheets FALZONAL Falzonal aluminium outdoor panels KME KOPARINN TECU® Classic copper sheets and strips VM ZINC ANTHRA-ZINC QUARTZ-ZINC PIGMENTO

Information on LCA and LCC. Life cycle assessment (LCA) Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to evaluate a product or service's local and global environmental impact over its lifetime or "from cradle to grave". More precisely, the overall environmental impact is analysed, so the one occurring at all stages of the ecosystem or across the entire value chain, i.e. due to the acquisition of raw materials, production, use and disposal. The framework and methodology of performing LCA for buildings are presented in the EN 15978 standard (Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of environmental performance of buildings - Calculation method). According to the standard, the LCA results are presented for five main phases, and each phase is identified with a letter and serial number: The following software can, for example, be used to create an LCA for buildings: One Click LCA - Simple LCA calculations in the design phase of buildings Danish LCAbyg - From Denmark: Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut, Aalborg Universitet Copenhagen Green Delta’s OpenLCA – From GreenDelta in Berlin, Germany Life cycle costing (LCC) Often, Life-cycle costing (LCC) is performed together with LCA. LCC is used to analyseall the costs incurred during the asset's lifetime (e.g., product, service, building). The considered costs are, among others, purchase costs and costs associated with that (e.g., delivery or installation costs), operation costs (e.g., energy or fuel costs, maintenance costs), and end-of-life costs (e.g., disposal or recycling costs). LCC can also include the asset's residual value, so potential revenue from its reuse or sale.

Nýting gagna fyrir grunnviðmið kolefnisspors vegna losunar frá verkstöðum About the project The aim of the project Nýting gagna fyrir grunnviðmið kolefnisspors vegna losunar frá verkstöðum is to provide updated average values for phases A4 and A5. During the certification process for buildings, data on emissions from construction is collected. This data is mostly used for compliance and documentation, but has so far not been used to improve the accuracy of baseline criteria. The Icelandic average values given for phases A4 and A5 are 19.79 kgCO₂-ig/m² and 42.5 kgCO₂-ig/m². These values are based on Icelandic life-cycle assessments that were available in 2022, but not many were available. Vegvísir að vistvænni mannvirkjagerð states that the aim is to reduce emissions from A4 and A5 by 70% by 2030. Updated average values for emissions from construction sites contribute to achieving these goals – both in the context of Iceland’s commitments and within individual projects. More accurate data makes decision-making more purposeful and makes it easier to clarify where the greatest reduction in emissions is possible. Such work can also be an incentive to improve accuracy in other phases of life cycle assessment. 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 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.

Some information about EPDs,PCR and some EPDs for Icelandic products. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) An environmental product declaration (EPD) is a document providing confirmed information about the environmental impact of the product's life cycle based on the results of performed life cycle assessment (LCA). The EPD also contain the information required by the specific Product Category Rules (PCR) and General Programme Instructions . Eventually, EDP is verified by a third party who evaluates the analysis independently. As the methodology of its preparation is regulated, EPD help build transparency and increase confidence that environmental claims made by manufacturers are accurate. In many ways, such a statement is similar to the ingredient descriptions of food products, but instead of information on nutritional value, there is information on the product's environmental impact. The first Icelandic EPD was published for Steinull , based on the analysis done by EFLA , confirmed by SINTEF building research in Oslo and published by EPD-Norge . More information on EPDs can be found on the International EPD System website or in the presented video. An open EPD database can be found on the InData network website . Product Category Rules (PCR) A Product Category Rule provides specific instructions for how life cycle assessment (LCA) should be performed for a particular product category. More precisely, it includes, among others, the so-called system boundaries (which processes and product's life cycle stages should be considered) and declared or functional units, which should be used for specific products. More information on PCR can be found on the International EPD System website , and the PCR library can be found here . Some of the EPDs for construction products and materials in Iceland Plasterboards Timber Paints Wall coverings Cement and masonry mixtures Concrete Insulating materials Building blocks Steinefni Pípur

BREEAM - An cost-benefit analysis of sustainable building certificates About the project Many stakeholders in the construction market do not fully understand the overall benefits of sustainable building certificates in Iceland and have requested data and information in this regard. The project aimed to meet that need by mapping the success, benefits and costs of certification systems and increasing knowledge of the systems' advantages and disadvantages . It is hoped that in this way, it will be possible to further contribute to the increase in the number of certified construction projects. Overview The project is twofold: 1. A stakeholder analysis focusing on their experiences with sustainability building certificates – BREEAM and Nordic Swan 2. Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions through LCA – BREEAM certified and non-certified. It is also planned to add LCC analyses, where the lifetime costs of certified buildings are compared to the lifetime costs of non-certified buildings, and that part will be done in collaboration with Verkís . The project received a grant from the Icelandic Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate. Skoðið útgáfur verkefnisins hér

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