A new sustainable neighbourhood in Iceland designed by JTP has become the first international project to achieve final certification under the BREEAM Communities Standard 2012.
Urridaholt is a 100ha project in located in Gardabaer, a small town close to Reykjavik. JTP led an international design team to develop a consensus-led masterplan through a participatory planning process, with local collaborator Alta Consulting.
The environmentally sensitive hilltop site has panoramic views of the spectacular surrounding landscape, encompassing the Urridavatn Lake, mountains, volcanoes, a lava field and the ocean.
To address the context, the design team developed the masterplan around sustainable principles in close contact with the natural environment, incorporating ideas from the Winter Cities movement. This included measures to encourage an active outdoor environment throughout the year, to enhance the community’s sense of well-being during the dark winter months.
The development also features the first large-scale sustainable drainage system in Iceland, developed with COWI from Norway, and is the only known example of a hillside application of this technology in Europe.
When complete Urridaholt will become a ground-breaking model for creating sustainable neighbourhoods in cold climates and will deliver 1,650 homes and 90,000 sq m of mixed-uses including office and retail space, schools, health and social facilities and cultural venues.
The BREEAM Communities certification is a method for measuring and evidencing 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.
Urridaholt marks JTP’s second certification under BREEAM Communities, having previously been awarded the standard for three sites in Sheffield which were amongst the first residential schemes in the UK to be certified.
Eric Holding, JTP’s lead architect on the project, said “We are thrilled to have been recognised for this certification – sustainable development is a cornerstone of our design principles and we worked with the natural environment to create a successfully integrated, healthy neighbourhood.”
To view the BREEAM case study for Urridaholt click here.
