I thought I would just share some inspiring images of Icelandic turf houses.  This type of construction has been done for centuries and I still find it unbelievable how the United States is just now starting to catch on – very slowly. 

“The Icelandic turf house was the product of a difficult climate, offering superior insulation compared to buildings solely made of wood or stone. And the relative difficulty in obtaining other construction materials in sufficient quantities.

Iceland had few forested areas when it was settled, and what forests there were was often largely birch trees. Birch timber is not well suited to large and complex structures, but nonetheless a frame could be made with it. This also meant that it was difficult for ships to be built, this culminated with a lack of vessels that could transport large cargos (Iceland’s harsh winters added to the problem by increasing ship maintenance and occasionally destroying them). Due to the lack of transport and Iceland’s remoteness, importing foreign timber was not very common and was mostly reserved for ship and church building. However, Iceland did have a large amount of turf that was suitable for construction.”

Images from Flickr

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