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About the project The programme Nordic Sustainable Construction is part of Nordic Vision 2030 initiated by the Nordic Ministers for Construction and Housing. The Ministry of Infrastructure of Iceland is responsible for the fourth work package, Emission-free construction sites . Green Building Council Iceland and the Housing- and Construction Authority of Iceland support the Ministry in solving the assignment. The program is financed by Nordic Innovation, an organization under the Nordic Council of Ministers . Overview The Nordic countries are among the first in the world pursuing to set normative limits for the emission footprints of buildings. With the work package on Emission-Free Construction Sites, we are going into depth with one of the modules in a building's life cycle, the construction phase. Until now, the main focus has been on greenhouse gas emissions from the production of building materials and the operational phase of buildings. This is changing as recent studies show that construction phase emissions are a substantial part of the whole life cycle emissions. In buildings where emissions from the operational phase have been minimised, construction process emissions may be up to 15% of the entire life cycle emissions. The main contributors to emissions are transportation, construction machinery, and energy use for heating and drying. Waste and lost material also contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions and must be considered in the construction process. Construction machinery, heating, and transportation rely largely on the combustion of fossil fuels. This has a negative effect on both global climate and local air quality, especially in urban areas. Combustion of fuels produces nitrous oxides, particulate matter, and other airborne substances that negatively affect public health. The intent of the work package is to diminish carbon and other direct emissions at construction sites, e.g., by supporting the transition towards emission-free construction sites. Including the use of emission-free power sources and planning the seasonal use of heat and light at construction sites, but also through the development of logistical solutions to conserve transportation and handling resources in a way that diminishes emissions and resource usage. Currently, none of the Nordic countries has set normative criteria for emission-free construction sites, and the Nordics thus have a unique opportunity to harmonise regulations and guidelines. To create support, visibility, and a solid foundation for an increased focus on low-carbon construction, including emission-free construction sites, a common Nordic declaration will be formulated. Steps will be taken to ensure its endorsement and acceptance by the Nordic construction industry. Progress Report - published 16th of March 2023 Throughout the first phase of this work package, the focus has been on gathering Nordic and European input to publish a report that analyses and determines the general definitions, boundaries, and terminology of the emission-free construction site area. This describes the status of the field today and is a good preparation for the next steps in the area. A standard definition of construction site boundaries and what emissions are included is a foundation for cooperative Nordic development in this field. Read the report: https://www.norden.org/da/node/79878 Network of stakeholders The work package has also established a network for cooperation which gathers the industry's stakeholders to share and gather information on innovations, gains, and prospects. There is a great interest in emission reduction in the construction process among actors in the value chain. Housing authorities and large public procurers are the main driving actors, but industry associations, building contractors, and equipment manufacturers have already started the journey. The network will facilitate brokering events on construction issues. Sign up for the network: http://eepurl.com/imRdFM Excursion to construction sites Last February, we visited the ambitious construction site in Aarhus, Denmark, The Green Construction Site of the Future. A sensory net around the site measures emissions. Biodiesel machinery is mainly used, but a 23-ton electric Volvo excavator has been tested together with a fast charger from DTI (Danish Technological Institute). The visit aimed to show real working solutions. Here you can find an interview where Lars Overgaard, the Senior project manager at DTI, talks about the project: https://youtu.be/GqktRe3k7KA The way towards emission-free construction sites - Online event An online event was held to promote the publication of the report. There, we also introduced the Nordic network of cooperation and displayed the video from the site visit to the Green Construction Site of the Future. The event's moderator was Hólmfríður Bjarnadóttir, and specialists from Volvo CE and SiteHub talked about their way towards emission-free construction sites. Recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNRE0HAhaSw Next up During the project's next phase, the work package will focus on future research needs, collect information about Nordic funding organisations and encourage more emphasis on this topic. A report on future research needs for emission-free construction sites will be published. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening the cooperation network and encouraging debate on important topics regarding incentives, funding, barriers, and more. Upcoming activities → Nordic Declaration on emission-free construction site endorsed by the Nordic Ministers of housing and construction and by the Nordic actors in the construction industry. → Encourage and facilitate Nordic research and innovation to support emission-free construction sites. → Encourage and facilitate the development of guidelines for procurers and construction companies on emission-free construction sites and produce an online guide. Skoðið útgáfur verkefnisins hér

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

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

Some EPDs on cement and masonry mixtures in Iceland. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) - Insulating materials in Iceland STEINULL Steinull þéttleiki 20-75 kg /m3 FRAUÐSTEYPA EHF Multipor þéttleiki 115 kg /m3 STEINULL Steinull þéttleiki 75-100 kg /m3 Límtré Vírnet Trapisu yleiningar þéttleiki 100 kg /m3 STEINULL Steinull þéttleiki 100-200 kg /m3 Límtré Vírnet Sléttar yleiningar þéttleiki 100 kg /m3

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.

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. 2024 Turfhouse event 08/10/2024 GBCI and Lendager Iceland held a morning meeting about turf houses at Norræna húsið on october 8th. The event included lectures about the history of turf houses, their carbon footprint, and what can be learned from the past about circularity in future building projects. Hjörleifur Stefánsson , a turf house expert, spoke about the final era of the Icelandic turf house in the first decades of the 20th century. Katarzyna Jagodzińska from GBCI explained a Life Cycle Assesment (LCA) done on a model turfhouse, which serves as a baseline for further conceptual investigation of how to adopt “past” techniques and materials in modern design and build circularly. Arnhildur Pálmadóttir from Lendager Iceland spoke about the future of building with circularity, and the opportunities to learn from the past. Recording of the meeting can be found here. GBCI Day 2024 25/09/2024 The Day of Green Building, GBCI's annual conference, was held in IÐNÓ on the 25th of September. Keynote speaker was Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov . Kasper is a Danish architect who specializes in transforming complex environmental and social challenges into innovative, sustainable building solutions, promoting inclusive design and inspiring social change. He has been actively involved in numerous construction projects whose main goal is to minimize CO2 emissions, and at the same time demonstrate that low-carbon buildings can be built without costing more. Moderator was Freyr Eyjólfsson , musician, entertainer, media person, and current project manager of education and promotions at SORPA. Freyr has long advocated for the transformation towards a circular economy, not least in the construction sector. On the agenda was a diverse set of lectures on the design and construction of environmentally friendly buildings, as well as a panel discussion about needs and proposed solutions in the industry. The full agenda can be seen here below. At the end of the day the Green shovel was awarded to Urriðaból , a kindergarten in Garðabær. Launching event of the Icelandic network on circular construction - Hringvangur 15/05/2024 At this half-day conference, among other things, the status, challenges and future of Icelandic timber products for the construction industry were discussed, but in addition several projects were presented that received funding from the Askur - Construction Research Fund and examples of Icelandic structures made of timber were shown. The conference was part of the Innovation Week and was held by Green Building Council Iceland, the Housing and Construction Authority, Land and Forestry, Trétækniráðgjöf slf., and Iceland's Farmers' Association. Agenda (In Icelandic) Loftslagsávinningur timburvara Áróra Árnadóttir, framkvæmdastjóri Grænni byggðar og aðjúnkt hjá umhverfis- og byggingarverkfræðideild HÍ CE merking og staðlavinna Eiríkur Þorsteinsson, trétæknir hjá Trétækniráðgjöf Áskoranir, staða og framtíð íslenskra timburvara Ólafur Eggertsson, sérfræðingur hjá Land og skógi og dósent við LBHÍ Timbur sem efni í nærumhverfinu - Landsfjórðungahús Auður Hreiðarsdóttir, arkitekt hjá Esja Architecture Krosslímdar timbureiningar – áhættuþættir og meðhöndlun Gústaf Adolf Hermannsson, sérfræðingur hjá HMS Hlé Mannvirki úr íslensku timbri Hreinn Óskarsson, sviðsstjóri þjóðskóga og landa,og Trausti Jóhannsson, skógarvörður hjá Landi og skógi Tækifæri í timbri Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, arkitekt og eigandi Lendager á Íslandi Íslenskt timbur Hlynur Axelsson, arkitekt hjá HAX arkitektúr og stundakennari við Listaháskóla Íslands Gestastofa í Þjórsárdal Marcos Zotes, arkitekt og meðeigandi hjá Basalt arkitektum Val á íslensku timbri Halldór Eiríksson T.ark. Fundarstjóri var Þóra Margrét Þorgeirsdóttir, framkvæmdastjóri hjá HMS Upptöku má finna hér . Annual General Meeting 23/04/2024 GBCI's annual general meeting was held on April 24 from 14:00 - 16:00 in the Verkís building at Ofanleiti 2. Before the usual meeting work began, Magnús Arason and Björgvin Brynjarsson from EFLA gave a presentation on Carbon calculations for infrastructure projects, and Þóra Margrét Þorgeirsdóttir from HMS discussed the implementation of life cycle analyzes in building regulations. Five seats on the board were elected, four to two years and one to one year. With sustainability as a life's work 21/03/2024 On Thursday, March 21, the University of Iceland, the Architects' Association of Iceland, Green Building Council Iceland and HMS held a seminar on the sustainable solutions of architect Jón Kristinsson on the occasion of Jón's 60th work anniversary. The seminar took place in Veröld - Hús Vigdísar, and lasted from 15.00-17.00. Jón has lived in Deventer in the Netherlands for most of his life and studied architecture at Delft University of Technology, where he later held the position of professor in environmental technology and design. He is known for having designed the most eco-friendly building in the Netherlands and is widely known for his inventions in the field of sustainability. On the first of last January, Jón was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon for pioneering work in ecological building design on the international stage. Agenda: Opening Sigríður Maack chairman of the Icelandic Association of Architects, and Sigurður Magnús Garðarsson, president of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences of the University of Iceland, welcome guests Integrated sustainable design by Jón Kristinsson Prof.dr.ir. Andy van den Dobbelsteen PhD, Professor at Delft University of Technology. Frequency of moisture damage and quality of indoor air - can the problem be reduced with heat exchange on ventilation? Björn Marteinsson architect and civil engineer and former teacher at UI. In the beginning, the end should be considered Arnhildur Pálmadóttir architect talks about sustainable building Panel discussion Jón Kristinsson, architect and guest of honor; Koos Slootweg, engineer; Þórhildur Fjóla Kristjánsdóttir, engineer; Björn Marteinsson, architect; Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, architect and Andy van den Dobbelsteen, engineer Moderator: Guðrún Ingvarsdóttir architect Workshop on environmental conditions in tenders and construction contracts 6/03/2024 Central Public Procurement, the Federation of Icelandic Industries, the Housing and Construction Authority and Green Building Council Iceland called for an open conversation about environmental conditions in tenders and construction contracts in Iceland. The meeting took place on Wednesday, March 6 at 14.00 to15.30 in Hús atvinnulífsins in Borgartún 35, in the meeting hall Hyl. Agenda Þóra Margrét Þorgeirsdóttir from the Housing and Construction Authority reviewed the criteria and objectives of action 6.4 in the Roadmap towards sustainable construction 2030. Sveinbjörn Ingi Grímsson from Central Public Procurement discussed about scope in public procurement to apply environmental conditions within the legal framework. Áróra Árnadóttir, CEO of Green Building Council Iceland, discusses the results of a response survey on the use of environmental conditions in tenders and work contracts for the purchase of services and goods in the civil engineering sector in Iceland. Ragnar Ómarsson project manager at Verkís hf. deals with the topic of environmental conditions in Nordic models and Icelandic ideas. A workshop with open discussions at work tables on priorities and priorities in harmonized environmental conditions for tenders and selection criteria for tenders. The moderator was Elísa Arnarsdóttir, business manager of the housing division at the Federation of Icelandic Industries Slides from the meeting can be accessed here . Let's talk about the circular economy 28/02/2024 The event Let's talk about the circular economy was held in Gróska on 28 February at 13.00 - 15.30. After discussions with stakeholders, we know that there are numerous actions that can be taken to facilitate the introduction of the circular economy in the Icelandic construction industry. But which actions should be prioritized? What should public bodies emphasize in order to promote the implementation? We summarized the possible actions that were discussed, in these three categories: Improved architectural design Correct recording of the environmental impact of new buildings and renovations Reduce risk and improve the efficiency of circular projects In the second part of the event, participants were asked to answer which activities, aimed at facilitating circular construction, the Nordic Council of Ministers should focus on. They were also invited to answer the question: what should the Nordic countries strive for at the European level? Webinar: Emission-free construction sites: Knowledge gaps and research needs 15/02/2024 In the middle of February, we held an online event where we presented a new version related to emission-free construction sites in the project Nordic Sustainable Construction, but the report points out where the focus should lie in knowledge acquisition and experimental projects. You can now watch a recording of the event and view slides here .

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)

About the Nordic Networks for Circular Construction project. Nordic Circularity Accelerator (NCA) About the project The Nordic Circularity Accelerator (NCA) project aimed to increase cohesion and cooperation related to circular construction among Nordic stakeholders . It was a side-project of the Nordic Networks for Circular Construction (NNCC) project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The NCA project set its eyes on life beyond the NNCC project scope, and it produced recommendations for enhancing circularity in construction at national, Nordic, and European levels . See the recommendations here Main objectives The research was structured to build upon existing knowledge and dig deeper into identified specifics. The original research questions are as follows: > What measures should the public sector take to accelerate circularity in the markets? > What was of Nordic-level interest, and what should be considered at a local level? > How could the Nordics influence EU decision-making processes? > How could contributions from the Nordic Council of Ministers to the development of circular construction at Nordic and local levels be facilitated, and what aspects should be prioritised? After formulating the specific research questions and identifying knowledge gaps, the latter were discussed at workshops with almost 150 market representatives from five Nordic countries. Project partners Green Building Council Iceland and the Finnish Green Building Council realised the NCA project in cooperation with the Danish Technological Institute , the Norwegian Green Building Council , Sirkulær Ressurssentral , CCBuild and IVL Sustainable Building AB .

Newsletter 16.06.2023 Helsinki Central Library Oodi The CIRCON compendium includes over 25 case descriptions representing circular construction aspects in practice. One is the Helsinki Central Library Oodi, an example of the design-for-adaptability principle combined with high sharing potential. The building’s structure has a form of an asymmetrical bridge consisting of steel trusses and beams supported by two massive steel arches. This solution resulted in a column-free interior space with high spatial flexibility and adaptability. As a result, the space has a unique, inclusive vibe attracting hundreds of visitors every day. Currently, it is used as, among others, a library, a conference and exhibition venue, a co-working space, a photo and recording studio, an office space, or a café and restaurant. More information about the building can be found here . The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 23.05.2023 Lecture on the circular economy in the construction sector We had the pleasure of giving a lecture to the students from Aalto University in Finland on circular construction. Besides discussing the general overview of the aspects of circular economy in the construction sector (e.g., design-for-adaptability or design-for-disassembly), we also tried to debunk some myths about circular construction – is it always more expensive than conventional construction or are all aspects of the circular economy always related to lower carbon footprint? We’ll discuss these issues further also in our meetings organised in the future. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 10-11.05.2023 Partners' meeting in Poland Last year, in August, our Polish partners in the CIRCON project visited us in Iceland. Now it was our turn, and we went to Poland for our partners’ meeting last week. As we’re in the second part of the project already, we not only discussed our further steps but also celebrated our progress so far. We also had an opportunity to take a closer look at many old industrial buildings preserved as a part of the cultural heritage of the Silesian region in Poland. In the photo, you have an example of a multi-family house initially designed for industrial workers, typical for the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in the industrial towns of Silesia. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 28.04.2023 Second work package is completed By the end of April, the second work package in the CIRCON project will be completed. Recently, we had two working group meetings at which we predominantly discussed barriers (with their possible solutions) in implementing circular construction in Iceland. The outcome of these discussions will be published in the upcoming months. But maybe you have some ideas on how to facilitate circular construction and want to share them? The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 27.04.2023 Green Leap in Iceland’s construction sector 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 . The recording of the meeting can be found here . The event was organised by Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun with Samtök iðnaðarins and Green Building Council Iceland. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 08.12.2022 Last CIRCON meeting in 2022 At the last meeting within CIRCON this year, we discussed the first draft of the compendium of knowledge with our partners - Polish Green Building Council and Silesian University of Technology . But now, as Christmas is closer and closer, we want to wish you all the best over the holidays. See you in 2023! The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 01.12.2022 Nordic Circular Summit Despite the break in our meetings in the CIRCON project, we are not sleeping. Last week we participated in #NordicCircularSummit – the biggest conference on circular economy in the Nordics organised in beautiful Stockholm. There were so many insightful presentations regarding circular construction that it is hard to mention them here. For those who could not attend, keep an eye on the event’s website – presentations should be uploaded in the nearest weeks. But two blunt end messages need to stay with us: 👉🏻As Kari Herlevi from Sitra said: “It is not just about maximising value; it is about reducing the negative impacts and then moving on to being nature positive ”, and, following Nancy Bocken from Maastricht University: “There is no business to be done on a dead planet, so focus on regeneration! ”.👈🏻 Last but not least, the next #NordicCircularSummit 2023 will be in Reykjavik! The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 31.10.2022 First work package is completed With the end of October, the first work package in the CIRCON project is completed. As the last part of the first work package, we had two working group meetings at which we discussed the created circularity indicators, which will be a part of the primary project outcome - guidelines on the circular design. The proposed circular indicators 🏠 take into account the following: - the amount of secondary materials used in the construction or renovation process; - the amount of waste reduced during the demolition or renovation process; - building's adaptability and disassembly potential; - the potential for sharing space; - building's energy efficiency. The guidelines with the circularity indicators should be published at the latest in summer 2023. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 05.08.2022 Our visit in Drangar As a part of our partners' meeting in Iceland, we visited one of the rare European examples of rural buildings redefined and reconstructed in the spirit of the circular economy - Drangar. Drangar, located in Skógarströnd, is a complex of former farm buildings (a tractor shed, a cowshed, a farmhouse, and a barn) built in the 1980s and operating as such until 2001. After 12 years of falling into disrepair, the new owners brought it back to a new life by cooperating with architects from Studio Granda. Now, the buildings serve as guesthouses (former tractor shed and cowshed) and private accommodation (former barn and farmhouse). * Myndin að neðan: Dawid Franke. Preserving the character of the buildings' was the idea standing behind the renovation. That is why the primary structure, the shape, and arrangement of windows and doors, were kept. Furthermore, even though some of the roofs had to be replaced, they were not wasted. Their elements were used - the corrugated tin was used as shuttering for new concrete walls, and the timber structure was transformed into solid dining tables. The floor in the cowshed, crossed by concrete slats and steel grills, was replaced by a terrazzo floor, while the concrete slats and the steel grills were used as terrace paving and headboards in the guestrooms, respectively. Last but not least, most of the existing concrete walls remained. The materials preservation involved not only the construction materials themselves. For landscaping, earth from the site was used. Also, the manure from the cowshed was used as a fertiliser around the property in the owners' ambitious forestry project, currently scoring at around 50,000 trees and seedlings planted. The last stage of the project was renovating the old farmhouse, which was designed solely by the Drangar owners, naturally using the remaining materials left from the previous renovations. So now, only one non-restored element in Drangar – is a hay tower from the 1950s. When asked about it, one of the owners said, 'every respected guesthouse or hotel needs to have an old ruin, so we also have one'. This, however, does not mean the end of the Drangar project, as the owners are full of energy and motivation to continue developing their premises. More information about Drangar: Home The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 04.08.2022 Partners' meeting in Iceland After a short summer break, CIRCON started again. We started with a partners' meeting in Iceland. At the meeting, we discussed data on the Polish and Icelandic construction sectors collected so far. We also discussed real-life examples of implementing circular economy principles in construction and the main project outcome - the compendium of knowledge. Eventually, we planned our further steps. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 15.07.2022 July's partners' meeting Even during summer CIRCON team does not rest. Today we had a partners’ meeting with PLGBC Polish Green Building Council and the Silesian University of Technology. We discussed a draft version of the circularity indicators, which will be part of the main project’s outcome – guidelines on the circular design of buildings. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 15.06.2022 Time for a summer break – three working group meetings already behind us On 15th June 2022, we met for the third time and intensively discussed existing circularity indicators found in the open literature (and there are many of them - around 30!). We also tried to formulate the main criteria that should be considered when assessing circularity in the Icelandic context. And now it’s time for the summer holidays! The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 15.06.2022 Can the circular economy help solve the Icelandic construction sector’s challenges? The construction sector is facing increasing pressure due to the urgent need for more housing available in the capital area and the inevitability of the transition to circular and sustainable solutions. Can CIRCON contribute to easing this burden? A small piece of information was published regarding that in Frettabladid under the link: Link The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 07.06.2022 Our second working group meeting On 7th June 2022, we met for the second time. This time we discussed the role of different stakeholders in implementing circular economy principles in the construction and at which stage of building life implementing them has the highest potential. Eventually, as there is no universal definition of a circular building, we debated what it really means that a building is circular. The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 25.05.2022 The first working group meeting is behind us On 25st May 2022, our working group of experts representing the cross-section of the Icelandic construction sector met for the first time. We discussed the importance of implementing a circular economy in the construction sector, the main obstacles/challenges related to that and how we can accelerate the transformation of the sector into a more circular one. In the photo, you can see our views on the primary motivations for circular economy implementation in the construction sector. Can you think of any other one? The CIRCON project benefits from a € 361,422 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-funding by the national funding of Poland. Co-funding from the Polish state amounts to € 54,213. 04.05.2022 A new project on circular economy started in GBCI On 1st April 2022, GBC Iceland launched a new project on circular economy CIRCON - The circular economy in construction: eco-design of circular buildings. The project will be realised for 2 years with two Polish partners - the Polish Green Building Council and the Silesian University of Technology. 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.

About our partners in the CIRCON project. Project partners Our project partners have long-standing experience in both practical and research aspects of circular economy implementation in the construction sector. Polish Green Building Council (PLGBC) Polish Green Building Council (PLGBC) has realised the mission of making sustainable construction the norm in Poland since 2008. To do so, they cooperate with a broad range of experts, ranging from architects through local governments, scientists, other NGOs, enterprises to media companies. The key areas of their activities are buildings decarbonisation and adaptation to climate change, circular economy in the construction sector, biodiversity increase, and improvement of society's quality of life. Home Silesian University of Technology (SUT) The Silesian University of Technology (SUT) is one of the leading Polish universities in technology and innovation. The team appointed to the project has over 30-year experience in waste management and circular economy principles, gained while working with national and international research, governmental, and industrial partners. Home

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 from all over that address sustainable construction. Click the reports to read them. 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)