Urriðaholtsstræti 44-74 is a terraced housing, consisting of two rows of eight two-story homes. The houses are certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and are situated in the sustainable Urriðaholt neighbourhood, which has also achieved BREEAM Communities certification. The design process focused on careful selection of materials, interior layout, acoustics, natural lighting, and energy saving solutions. The houses are constructed using cross-laminated timber as the load-bearing structure, enhancing sustainability and reducing emissions. All materials are non-toxic and come with the necessary certificates of origin required for the Swan Ecolabel. Each apartment is also equipped with a local ventilation system and air nozzles in every room, contributing to greater energy efficiency. The life cycle assessment was conducted for the following building components over a 60-year lifetime: Exterior walls, windows, flooring, floor slabs, interior walls, partition walls, roofs, plinths, structural frame, ground slab, ceiling, stairs, interior doors and exterior doors. The life cycle assessment shows that the carbon footprint of these houses is 40% lower than that of a typical Icelandic concrete house. The use of cross-laminated timber instead of concrete for the load-bearing structure significantly reduced the carbon footprint, and the energy-saving measures implemented, further contribute to this reduction.

Life cycle modules 
[kgCO₂e/m² reference area * year]

Type of emissions
%

When do emissions occur?
[kgCO₂e/m² reference area * year]

The system boundary includes a share of all life cycle stages.
In the second figure, Operation includes B6, while materials include A1-A5, B4-B5, C1-C4.
In the third figure, Upfront includes A1-A5, scenarios include B4-B5, C1-C4.

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GWP / reference area [kgCO₂e/m² reference area]

Material inventory: All materials
Life cycle modules: A1-A5, B4, C1-C4 

Carbon emissions are distributed quite evenly in this project. Typical for a low-rise structure, roof and ground floor deck, including flooring, top the list.

Building element quantity / reference area [kg building element / m² reference area]

GWP of building element / building element quantity [kgCO₂e / kg building element]

■ Quantity/Area ■ GWP/Quantity

Material inventory: All materials
Life cycle modules: A1-A5, B4, C1-C4

Building element quantity per building reference area is a measure for the material intensity, while element impacts per element quantity is a measure for the elements’ carbon intensity relative to their weight.

Product quantity / reference area [kg product / m² reference area]

GWP of product / reference area [kgCO₂e/m² reference area]

■ Quantity/Area ■ GWP/Area

Material inventory: Top 10 products with the highest impacts
Life cycle modules: A1-A5, B1-B5, C1-C4

Construction product quantity per building reference area is a measure for the material intensity, while product impacts per building reference area is a measure for carbon intensity.

The CLT elements in walls and slabs are dominating the product hot spot list. Further down, the concrete for foundations, the aluminium façade cladding and internal glass doors are shown.