The barren island lies directly below the Arctic Circle. Earthquakes are commonplace here. But the spring of 2021 was extraordinary. In March, a whole swarm of earthquakes rattled the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country. More than 20,000 major and minor quakes measuring up to 5.7 on the Richter scale were recorded by the weather service, that was the harbinger of a volcanic eruption in Mt. Fagradalsfjall which started on March 19, 2021 and lasted 3 months. It was exactly then and there that Icelander Inga Guðmundsdóttir, Xella supplier on the island, built a very special semi-detached house out of autoclaved aerated concrete. 
 
It was an enormous challenge. “The moment we unloaded the trucks with Ytong elements, the Icelandic winter kicked in, with snowstorms and extreme colds. The main theme became snow and super heavy winds,"” reports Inga – the Icelanders address each other by their first names. She has been leading the introduction of Xella sustainable building products within the Icelandic building industry since January 2021. “The snow itself wasn't a problem but the storms forced the contractors into planning their workday by day. We experienced four kinds of weather conditions in a day, repeating in unforeseen order six times during the working hours.” 
 
For good reason, then, the planned semi-detached house, which is made of almost 100 percent Ytong AAC, had to meet all the requirements for durability and stability, even during seismic activity and under extreme snowstorms.

Sustainable builders 

In the Icelandic town of Garðabæ, south of Reykjavik, a new residential area is being built. Two friendly families decided to realize their dream of a sustainable semi-detached house here. To do so, they were prepared to depart from traditional Icelandic construction methods. Concrete is the most widely used Icelandic building material, but these builders decided differently looking for more environmentally friendly solutions in line with the area’s high sustainability demands. First, they explored building solutions outside Iceland, especially in Northern Europe. Then they came to the conclusion: Ytong best supports their sustainable building plans. They also appreciated how research-based Xella is. That was one of the main reasons why they chose Ytong AAC. 
 
Whereby: the costs should also not be higher than those of Icelandic standard materials. Inga is still pleased today: “We succeeded almost 100 per cent.” says Inga, who has been dedicated to bringing Ytong to Iceland as the sustainable option in building methods. “As Iceland is now committed to achieving carbon neutrality and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, bringing Ytong to the building industry is our part to support Iceland in achieving its aim towards climate mitigation as well as in improving the global environmental conditions.”  
  
But it was also an effort because it was the first project of its kind in Iceland. “We had to overcome some obstacles and challenges,” Inga tells us. “We had difficulties finding the right knowledge and equipment. That's why we enlisted the help of our Swedish colleagues. But with this project we have proven that Ytong elements can withstand the extreme Icelandic conditions during the building process as well as after. After this learning spread, we have the knowledge and road map all set for the next Ytong construction project". 
  

5.2 on the Richter  scale

Even if the ground shakes there too. Inga recalls: “We were building during extreme conditions with daily earthquakes up to 5.2 on the scale of Richter ongoing in hundreds per day for weeks, an era resulting in a volcanic eruption within 30 km distance from the building site.” Despite the weather and the volcano, everything went well with the construction of the semi-detached house. 
 
Who knows, maybe well-meaning elves were involved. Many Icelanders would never underestimate the influence of the local mythical creatures. In the small town of Garðabær, a road has already had to give way because it would otherwise have led through a small elf church – a lava rock. So, it looks like they like the new duplex.