Sustainable Icelandic Turf Houses: Local Materials and Traditions

ABSTRACT

Traditional Icelandic Turf Houses are sustainable because they use local methods and materials while also responding to the local climate. The local building practices of a turf house are proven to be sustainable through the lens of Cradle to Cradle’s ideas of material and locality. This building methodology is continued in current building practices by focusing on the idea of local. The sustainable effects of locality are seen in the traditions of the step-wells of Ahmedabad and the use of local materials and resources in the Vancouver Convention Centre. Legislation is needed to implement this on a larger scale. Localized building codes are a viable solution that can implement sustainable local building traditions and materials.

INTRO

Over the years of human existence, every area of the world has developed its own ways of building. These local building strategies are influenced by the weather, available resources and culture. With the rise of modernism, the idea of mass housing for all was introduced. Buildings were created that are simply placed on a site with no consideration for the local needs. This has caused lots of issues with sustainability through shipping materials long distances and the destruction of local ecosystems. Local building strategies must be implemented to make building more sustainable. Icelandic turf houses are an example of locally driven architecture in Iceland. Icelandic Turf Houses are sustainable because they use local methods and materials while also responding to the local climate. This localized building methodology is still viable and different examples are seen throughout the world.

WHAT IS A TURF HOUSE?

First, let's examine what a turf house is. The traditional Icelandic turf house dates back to the 9th century in Iceland. The methods of building and specific materials used will differ from region to region. In general, the lower part of the wall is built with stones and the upper part with turf (The Turf). The walls are reinforced with whatever lumber is available. The defining aspect of these houses is the turf roof. This consists of a top layer of local grass with dirt underneath. The amount of dirt differs from 10 to 20 cm depending on the region for insulation (The Turf). The roof is supported again by lumber. Wood panelling is used on the inside if the family is wealthy enough, if not, the turf and dirt would be exposed on the inside (The Turf). The roof is normally sloped to deal with the rainy climate.

LOCALITY

The traditional Icelandic turf house is sustainable because every part is based around locality. The materials used to build the houses are all responsibly taken from the surrounding environment. Once these materials have reached the end of their life span they decompose safely back into the earth. The design thinks about the local rainy and cold weather. The turf roof responds to the local climate by being sloped while also absorbing some of the rainwater to grow. It has thick walls that insulate in the winter. Every decision made when building the traditional turf house was based on the local conditions.

GLAUMBÆR

(Hrönn)

When looking at Glaumbær in Skagafjörður, the local attributes of the traditional Icelandic turf house are seen. This cluster of houses is grouped and used to be part of the vicarage (The Turf). The timber front has been recently updated since it is now a museum but the turf and form date back to the 11th century (The Turf). Since this is in northern Iceland, the layers of turf are far thicker compared to the south and more turf than stone is used. Before the modernization, all materials used were found on the site. The turf, soil and stones were taken from the site that the building sits on (The Turf). It is hypothesized that the lumber used in sites near water was mainly from shipwrecks (The Turf). Since Skagafjörður is along the northern coast of Iceland, at some point these buildings could have used that as well. Overall, Glaumbær is a very well preserved and modernized example of a traditional Icelandic turf house and is sustainable because of the local materials and methods used to construct it.

C2C

In Cradle to Cradle, there is a strong emphasis on the idea that “all sustainability is local” (Braungart, 123). One of the authors, Bill McDonough, designed a plan for the Jordan River Valley that uses local materials and traditions instead of a one size fits all approach. The project was sustainable because the materials proposed were “uniquely situated to the hot, dry climate” and the designs worked to optimize the temperature flux of the region (124). The social, economic and material needs of each region will be different. The idea of “biologically and technically reusable” materials was also introduced (124). This means that certain types of material can be infinitely upcycled instead of having a fixed lifespan. When looking at local building practices, most of the materials used are biodegradable and will enrich the environment around them when they decompose.

C2C IN THE TURF HOUSE

The use of biological and technical materials is seen in turf houses. The turf and soil biodegrade naturally and feed the land. The small amount of lumber used is also a biological material. The local stones used in the walls will last forever and can easily be reused for the same purpose. All materials used are from the site so there is no need for resources to be used to ship them. The form of the houses is also derived from the local climate like cooling methods used in the Jordan River Valley. There are thick walls and a sloped roof for heat and rain protection on the inside.

MODERN TAKE

Currently, nobody lives in traditional Icelandic turf houses. The ones that still exist are mostly museums. But, we do have some modern buildings that take from the ideologies of these amazing local houses. The most notable aspect that is used today is the green or living roof. That being said, just throwing a green roof on a building does not make it sustainable. For the idea of a traditional Icelandic turf house to still be a sustainable building strategy the idea of locality must be used.

STEP WELLS

When looking at the step-wells of Ahmedabad, we can see the importance of using local building materials and traditions. In this case, the local traditions of using step-wells to collect water were changed to centralized groundwater piping when colonial policies came into place (Jain). This means that “the region has become vulnerable to floods, instead of being dependent on them” as their water source (Jain). The local tradition of saving excess water from abundant seasons was destroyed for a one size fits all approach. This standardized model hurt the community and their aquifers. Recently, the city of Ahmedabad has changed to an approach that uses traditional ideas of the step-well in a modern way. This is done by shifting to “design practices that localize collection [and] replenish aquifers through recharge wells” (Jain). Step-wells use the local semi-arid climate as a system. This case study shows how important local traditions are. What has worked for centuries in a certain area will always be the most sustainable practice. It is seen in Ahmedabad that the use of new technology and engineering can hurt an ecosystem. Designs must take advantage of local conditions instead of covering them in concrete.

VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE

The Vancouver Convention Centre takes the turf house into the modern world. This building is located on the west coast of Canada, so uses different design strategies than a turf house, but is sustainable because it uses local materials and traditions. There is a green roof with indigenous plants and grasses from the area. The use of indigenous flora is important because it will thrive in that climate without much maintenance. Local British Columbia lumber is used throughout the building, which reduces shipping emissions. The convention centre uses the site to its advantage by implementing a seawater heating and cooling system. Not only are local materials used, but the site itself is used to power the building. Even though the Vancouver Convention Centre is LEED double platinum, the defining sustainable design decisions are made through the lens of locality.

(Vancouver)

LEGISLATION

One way to implement more local building strategies is by changing legislation. Building codes should be very regional and take into account the local building traditions and materials available. A bill is being proposed in the USA to reduce plastic production. This is being done by “put[ing] the burden of dealing with plastic waste squarely where it belongs – on the shoulders of the producers of plastic waste” (Martinko). If standardized buildings are substituted for plastic waste, then architects should be held responsible for producing them. Building codes should be written in a way that enforces local building strategies. For example, buildings in British Columbia should only be able to use local lumber from BC. The buildings would perform better because the wood is already native to the area, emissions would be cut down because it will not need to be shipped across Canada and it will stimulate the local economy. This is, of course, one specific example and should be adjusted for the local traditions and resources available in

specific regions. Communities should create legislation that embraces local traditions and materials to create more sustainable buildings.

CONCLUSION

The use of local traditions and materials has been proven to be a sustainable building practice and can be seen in Traditional Icelandic Turf Houses. Local building strategies are still being used today in sustainable designs such as the step-wells of Ahmedabad and the Vancouver Convention Centre. C2C gives a framework for why local building is sustainable. Sustainable building strategies do not have a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Each building and site will differ and how the site is used is very important. The days of destroying a site with concrete are over. The next step is to create legislation that encourages local building strategies. We must change how we think about how resources are used and start to think more local.

WORK CITED

Braungart, Michael, and McDonough, William. “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”. London: Vintage, 2009.

Jain, Tanvi. “Stepwells of Ahmedabad: water-harvesting in semi-arid India”. 8 April 2021. https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/water/stepwells-of-ahmedabad-water-harvesting-in-semi-arid-india?fbclid=IwAR3QZjkAgNZ-KcmLN7IkUlxDIa-jRd65BrQJWaKgpVfxqtFvejg M8bADlQ8. Accessed 16 June 2021.

Martinko, Katherine. “Proposed Legislation Would Deal With the Plastic Pollution Problem”. 29 March 2021. https://www.treehugger.com/proposed-legislation-deal-with-us-plastic-pollution-problem-5119338. Accessed 16 June 2021.

“Sustainability” Vancouver Convention Centre. https://www.vancouverconventioncentre.com /about-us/sustainability. Accessed 23 June 2021.

“The Turf House Tradition”. Unesco. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5589/. Accessed 23 June 2021.

IMAGES

Hrönn, Regina. https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/regina/glaumbaer-in-skagafjorur-in-north--iceland

“Vancouver Convention Centre Goes Double Platinum” https://www.tsnn.com/news/vancouver-convention-centre-goes-double-platinum