News and information in English

A showcase for promoting UN Sustainble Consumption Practice

Urridaholt was selected as Nordic Best Practice - as a showcase promoting UN SCP (Sustainable Consumption Practice). This article offers a comprehensive summary of what Urridaholt is all about and how the project has evolved throughout the years.

Sustainable Urban Drainage in Urridaholt - video

A part of the sustainability and quality-of-life approach in Urridaholt is an extensive sustainable urban drainage system that preserves the local hydrology in Urridaholt and protects the environmental quality of lake Urridavatn that is perched below the hill.

Blue–green urban drainage solutions in Urriðaholt

Addressing the core idea behind the sustainable drainage solutions (Low Impact Development or Blue-Green drainage solutions) and their implementation in Urriðaholt. Author: Halldóra Hreggviðsdóttir, Managing Director at Alta Consulting in Reykjavik, M.Sc. Engineering-Economic Systems and M.Sc. in Geochemistry of Geothermal Systems from Stanford University.

Incorporating Nature in Urban Planning

A TED talk by Halldóra Hreggviðsdóttir, Managing Director of Alta Consulting at TEDxReykjavik 2013. Halldóra talks about the strength that is inherent in the cooperation between residents and specialists in finding solutions to urban organisation, and traces the success of such cooperation in Urriðaholt..Youtube.

The BREEAM Communities certification for Urridaholt

The Urriðaholt project is the first international project to achieve a final certification under BREEAM Communities 2012 and the first masterplan in Iceland to receive BREEAM Communities certification. BREEAM Communities International is a tool to improve, measure and certify the sustainability of large-scale development plans. It provides a framework to support planners, local authorities, developers and investors through the masterplanning process, before embarking on procurement, detailed building level design and construction.

JTP international masterplanners and the Urridaholt project

Urban design solutions based on best practice ideas, including those of the Winter Cities movement, but tailored to the specific location. A consensus-led masterplan developed through a participatory planning process. An innovative, ground-breaking model for creating sustainable neighbourhoods in cold climates.

JTP - the Urridaholt project in greater detail

In November 2006, the masterplan was officially adopted by the Gardabaer muncipal authority, and has since been selected by the National Planning Agency as a best practice approach to development in Iceland, for a Scandinavian research project looking at urban design in northern latitudes.

Citation for Urban Design - BSA/Build Boston 2007

The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) awarded the Urridaholt masterplan for its innovative approach to urban design in Iceland. The great emphasis on sustainability and community were key factors in this citation.

International LivCom Award for Built Projects 2007 - Urridaholt master plan

The International Awards for Liveable Communities (The LivCom Awards) was launched in 1997 and is endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme, with which it partners a MoU. The LivCom Awards were launched in 1997 and is the World’s only Awards Competition focusing on International Best Practice regarding the management of the local environment. The objective of LivCom is to develop and share International Best Practice, with the further objective of improving the quality of life of individual citizens through the creation of ‘liveable communities’. Since 2007 UNEP has collaborated with the LivCom Awards when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two organisations.