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

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.

Green Building Council's (Grænni byggð) events in 2023. 2026 Past years Events On this page you can find GBCI's events Mynd: Ástrós Steingrímsdóttir 2026 2025 2022 2024 2021 2023 Fyrir 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

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 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 .

2021 Nordic GBC Webinar #3: Renovation of buildings and the Circular Economy 30/09/2021 The webinar was organised by Green Building Council Denmark within the Nordic Green Building Councils Network initiative. Arnhildur Pálmadóttir (architect at sap architects) and Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir (the board member of Green Building Council Iceland and Docent at the University of Iceland) represented Green Building Council Iceland. Among other things, they presented a new BM Vallá's project on circular concrete. Slides from the event (in English) are available here: → Introduction to circular economy (Lau Raffnsøe, Technical director, Green Building Council Denmark) ; → Sweden: Recycle and reuse an entire building (Magnus Tengberg, Head of real estate, Gothenburg Region, Vasakronan) ; → Norway: First circular building (Trond Simonsen, Manager sustainability, Entra ASA) ; → Finland: Circular approaches to planning in Hartaanselänranta, Oulu (Tuuli Kassi, Circular economy specialist/Architect, Ethica Finland) ; → Iceland: Circular concrete (Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, Architect, sap architects & Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir, Docent, the University of Iceland) ; → Denmark: Construction waste reused as resources in new constructions in the initiative City Loop (Klaus Kellermann, Sustainability architect, Roskilde Municipality). Nordc GBC Webinar #3 Nordic Climate Forum for Construction 2021 27/09/2021 The conference Nordic Climate Forum for Construction 2021 was held on September 27, 2021, at 8-13. The event took place in English. Further information can be found here . Agenda: → Moderator's welcome (Sigríður Ósk Bjarnadóttir, Board member of Green Bulding Council Iceland); → Opening words (Ásmundur Einar Daðason, Minister of Social Affairs in Iceland); → On time and water (Andri Snær Magnason, Writer); → Oslo: How to reduce GHG emissions by 95% by 2030? (Heidi Sørensen, Director of Oslo’s Climate Agency); → European Commission: Construction products regulation and Environmental product declarations (Tapani Mikkeli, Head of Sector, Sustainable Construction, European Commission, DG GROW); → Status and current issues from academia (Jukka Heinonen, Professor, University of Iceland and Aalto University in Finland); → Status and current issues from authority (Kristina Einarsson, Boverket, Sweden & Luzie Rück, Bolig- og Planstyrelsen, Denmark); → Status and current issues from industry (Björt Ólafsdóttir, Real Estate Developer, Iða and former Minister of the Environment in Iceland) ; → Implementation of limit values in the Netherlands (Jos Verlinden, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Netherlands) ; → Limit values in the Nordic countries (Matti Kuittinen, Senior advisor, Ministry of the Environment in Finland) ; → Roundtable discussion: Limit values and Nordic harmonisation 20-24/09/2021 World Green Building Week 2021 In September every year, the so-called "Green building week" is organized by the World Green Building Council. This year, the main topic is "Building resilience", which deals with how to build resilience in the built environment. More information about the event can be found here . Green Building Day 2021 02/09/2021 The annual Green Building Day was held in IÐNÓ this year on Thursday, 2nd September. The talks were given by leading professionals in design, planning and civil engineering, where sustainability in the built environment will be the guiding principle. The event was held in Icelandic but two presentations was given in English. Unfortunately, the recording of the meeting was lost and streaming is not available this year. Facebook event can be found here . Agenda: Moderator : Elín Hirst Opening speech : Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland → Catastrophic warming as an icentive for change (in English) (Jukka Heinonen, Professor, Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, the University of Iceland); Jukka Heinonen's presentation: → Græn framtíðí í Hafnarfirði (Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður); → Tækifæri og áskoranir við það að fjármagna grænni byggð (Kristrún Tinna Gunnarsdóttir, Head of Strategy & Sustainability, Íslandsbanki); → Grænþvotturinn leysir ekki loftslagsmálin (Þorsteinn Víglundsson, CEO, Hornstein ehf); → Kynning á fagviðurkenningunni Græna skóflan (Ragnar Ómarsson, Chairman of the Green Building Council Iceland board); → The change that has taken place in the Norwegian construction industry in terms of sustainability, and the drivers behind this change (á ensku) (Marit Kindem Thyholt, Chief adviser on climate and environment, Skanska); Marit Kindem Thyholt's presentation: → Grænir hvatar í tengslum við uppbyggingu og rekstur fasteigna með fókus á atvinnuhúsnæði (Friðjón Sigurðarsson, Executive director, Reitir); → I nnri og ytri hvatar í umhverfismálum (Hrólfur Karl Cela, Architect, Basalt); → Byggjum grænni framtíð, samstarfsverkefni stjórnvalda og hagaðila byggingariðnaðarins um vistvænni mannvirkjagerð (Þóra Margrét Þorgeirsdóttir, Specialist, Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun). 03/06/2021 Morning meeting - Energy transition at the construction site On June 3, Grænni organized an exciting seminar in collaboration with Landsvirkjun, Húsnæðis- og mannvirkjastofnun, and Green Energy. The topic of the seminar was energy transition at the construction site. The live video can be found here (in Icelandic ). Nordic GBC Webinar #2: How can we half emissions from construction in two? 27/05/2021 The webinar was organized by the Norwegian Green Building Council with the Nordic GBC Network initiative. Recordings of the presentations are available here: → Our sector as a solution to the Paris Agreement ( Katharina Th. Bramslev, CEO, Norwegian Green Building Council ) → Marked initiatives and common practice in our countries ( CEOs from the GBCs in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland ) → Concrete goes low carbon in Denmark ( Jan Søndergaard Hansen, Managing director, Unicon A/S ) → Nordic collaboration for low carbon construction ( Matti Kuittinen, Senior advisor, Ministry of the Environment in Finland ) → Low carbon dwellings in Iceland ( Benedikt Ingi Tómasson, General manager, Vistbyggð ) → Lidl Visby and Noll CO2- why and how? ( Mattias Tas, Sustainability manager, Lidl ) Annual Green Building Council Iceland Meeting 21/04/2021 The meeting agenda depends on the general meeting duties according to the GBCI's bylaws and was as follows: 1. The board's report on the GBCI's work in the past year. 2. The board's work plan for the next working year. 3. The board's budget for the following operating year. 4. Invoice submission. 5. Proposals and changes to the GBCI's bylaws. 6. Election of the board of directors. 7. Inspectors' remuneration (cf. Article 9) 8. Other matters. Minutes of the general meeting can be found here (in Icelandic) . Nordc GBC Webinar #2 Strategy meeting with GBCI' partners 17/03/2021 Lectures on sustainability in the construction industry 10/2020-02/2021 IĐAN educational centre and Green Building Council Iceland organised a series of lectures on the sustainability of the construction industry: 1. BYKO's sustainability and environmental strategy. 2. Purchase of building materials and Iceland's first Swan-certified residential building. 3. Swan-certified Kársnes School and Húsasmiðinn's environmental policy. 4. Socially certified Selfoss and vision of sustainability. 5. Innivist and the "unsustainable generation". 6. Garbage as a resource and reuse of structures. See all the lectures that have been given and recordings from them (in Icelandic ) on the IDUNNAR website here.

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 .

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.

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 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.

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.