the story of our
ECOLOGICAL HOUSE
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floor- and roof material: recycled wood from the old bridge over Skeiðará river, which was destroyed in a “jökulhlaup” in 1996 (built up meltwater increasing pressure under the ice cap that causes flooding) // gólf og þak er smíðað úr timbri úr gömlu Skeiðarárbrúnni sem fór í jökulhlaupi árið 1996.
site preparation. weathered powerline poles from the region act as the buildings structural element.
SJÁLFBÆRA HÚSIÐ okkar
Fréttir bárust af þýskum puttalingum sem voru farandssmiðir í leit að vinnu - og voru þeir sendir í Skaftafell um hæl til að hjálpa okkur við smíðavinnuna.
the old Skeiðará bridge: the final chapter in the ring road was originally completed in 1974
highly technical procedures floor + roof: recycled wood gólf + þak: endurnýttur viður
professional help was desperately needed - so everyone was very happy when these 3 german travelling carpenters were reported hitch-hiking in the area and immediately transported to our building site!
structure: powerline poles beinagrind: rafmagnsstaurar úr sveitinni
wall stability: chicken wire
metal grates on top of the wooden boards have been removed, but have left a distinct structure, characterizing our floor.
Glacial floods destroyed the bridge in 1996 - remains of its steel construction are still visible, but the wood has been recycled and parts of it used for our house.
straw bales used as insulation in the walls of the house are reinforced with iron for stability. // hjálmbaggarnir eru járnbundnir til að auka styrk veggja.
the straw bales have been covered by chicken wire on the inside and out for more stability // hálmbaggar klæddir hænsnaneti til að styrkja veggi
hjálmbaggarnir komu undan Eyjafjöllum í Framsóknarflokkstrukki!
wall insulation: straw bales vegg einangrun: hálm baggar
DANGER - high voltage!
green roof gras á þakinu
walls: fiber mixed concrete vegg klæðing: múr the powerline poles tucked into the straw bales, and later clad with fibermixed concrete
front door: donated! hurð: kreppugjöf! the story of our front door: Glacier Guides were quick on their feet when news reported of an angry house owner who was demolishing his home after it being taken over by his bank. We hurried to the demolition site and asked the angry man if he could donate his door.
turf used from Hnappavellir farm, close to Skaftafell. The outsides of the walls are clad with a mixture of cement and black sand from the nearby beaches - and HANDsmeared onto the chicken wire and straw bales. // grasþökur voru fengnar af Hnappavöllum. Múrblandan er samansett af steypu, trefjum og svörtum sandi úr fjörunum í sveitinni.
ENERGY // RAFMAGN wind- and solar energy provide our house with enough energy for indoor lighting, computer plugs, wireless internet and extra plugs for various use. // vindmylla og sólarsellur sjá okkur fyrir nægri orku til að keyra lýsingu, tölvur og annan raftækjabúnað
sagan af hurðinni: Þegar Jöklamenn fréttu af manni sem var að jafna hús sitt við jörðu sökum yfirtöku bankans af eign sinni útá Álftanesi, voru menn fljótir til að drífa sig á svæðið og sníkja hurð...
late june - arrival of the straw bales! Farmers on the south coast of Iceland provided us with first class straw bales [size 40x40x80]