Learn how the strength of Iceland’s turf houses expressed by the people who built them, their tenacity, as well as their respect for the land in past centuries. These simple structures constructed with readily available local resources are the part of Icelandic history for centuries. They belong to the times when people learned to use nature’s gifts and apply the human mind to the utmost. Read this guide to discover what turf houses are and how they were constructed, in addition to understanding the role of façade buildings in people’s lives in the past and now, and where you can pose as a tourist near unique turf houses.
What are Iceland’s Turf Houses?
Turf houses are a specialty of the Icelandic architecture where most of the materials are sourced locally. Their design and construction are based on the severe climate and living experience of the Icelandic people over the centuries.
Definition of Turf Houses
A turf house mainly comprises of a turf (earth with grass), stones and wood. In addition, the turf is used both as an insulating material and construction. It was important because in Iceland it was very cold. As a rule, these houses have long and low lines, thin rut roofs that fitted in the territory.
Origin of Turf Houses
Icelandic turf houses has been in existence since the beginning of the settlement in the 9th century where the Viking’s first settled in the Icelandic terrain. Due to the optimum requirements for warmth, protection from natural conditions and availability of resources in the landscape the settlers had to turn to turf as the main construction material. This form of building was integrated into the Icelandic culture to the extent to which turf houses were still the predominant type of dwelling in the country up to the twentieth century.
Materials that are used and have been sourced to construct these turf houses.
- Turf: Turf the most essential of all the materials was in the form of blocks prepared from the earth and arranged in the form of walls to the house to be constructed. Very efficient in this respect were the thick cloths of mixed grass and soil.
- Stone: So the base and the slabs to which walls were put up were made using stones. If you see the Icelandic trend, the volcanic rock they had was perfect for constructing strong structures.
- Wood: Lumber was employed in frames and columns as well as in doors and windows. However, because of the lack of forests in Iceland, wood was a luxury.
Conventional Building Techniques
Construction of the turf house was not easy because it needed more man power and precision in different stages of construction. The process Least but not the least was by excavating the ground to form a proper base. After the large stones to provide stability for the building, turf blocks were put in place. These were put in course layers whereby each layer overlapped the previous, in an effort to provide enough support to the roofs. The roof of turf was sufficiently substantial to give some measure of heat retention and the gradient was such that rainwater could run off.
Turf houses were usually a one room house, although longer houses with more rooms could be built for the wealthier family or chief. Some of the turf houses had extra amenities, one of which was bog doors which were simply small wooden doors that allowed little heat to escape.
The History and Cultural Significance of Turf Houses in Iceland
Turf houses are not only constructions in Iceland; they are representatives of the country’s history and traditions. It features a number of well-preserved buildings and structures, probably the most important of which are those that can give an account of Iceland’s early settlers, their subjugation to the climate as well as their lifestyle for many hundreds of years.
Historical Context
The history of iceland’s turf houses depicts the early times of Iceland that is, at the time of settlement in the late 9 th century by the Norsemen from scandinavia. The climate in the area included strong winds, abundant snow and severe winters, and so, residents urgently required to build well-resistant homes. Big trees for commercial timber were the spare and therefore the settlers have to make do with what was available, mainly the abundance of turf in the boggy soil.
Most of these homes were built to suit the extreme weather conditions of Iceland. The roofs were made from turfs which were extremely warm during wintertime as well as being really comfortable in summer. In most parts of Iceland where timber was virtually unavailable, the people had for centuries relied on turf as the chief building material up to the 20th century. Such reliance on local and sustainable materials made the turf house to be the best representation of the settlers’ relationship with the land.
Evolution Over Time
When Iceland began to increase its population, the same went for the progress of their construction designs. At first, the turf houses consisted of a small and uncomplicated construction. These structures were later expanded to cater for big families and the social cultural setting enjoyed by Icelanders at that time. Turf houses became better by the end of the 18th century and by the 19th century, turf houses were more commodious with many rooms and a better design plan. The principal residential area, called the stofa, was commonly serving the functions of a bedroom, a kitchen, and a place for settling. Additional rooms were constructed as small annexes for using in storage or for freeing up space for livestock.
People of one family, sometimes including three generations, lived together in rural regions of the United States. Some of the more affluent farming families living in Iceland were able to build the larger and these even those built in mud are more complex than the previously mentioned ones since they were more complex in their layouts. Some of these big houses also had narrow passageway called föringahús intended to shield a person from the icy draughts when opening the door to enter a dwelling.
Cultural Symbolism
Turf houses were always more than just homes, they are primarily identified as dwellings. These are people who are deeply involved in the cultural and religious activities of the state of Iceland. These homes are symbols of being individualistic and sustaining oneself, a principle which manifested itself in the reliance by families during that period on their own resources. As many have manifested the fact, turf houses were an integral part of the Icelandic farming complex, most of the structures being built on the farms and designed to accommodate the entire family and house not only living and working facilities but also loafing quarters. The houses on occasion were located next to farmland so the occupant would be able to monitor his crops and animals.
Since they were built while the surrounding natural environment was changing to a significant extent due to the actions of man, these turf houses became associations with Icelandic endurance. To this day they inspire patriotic feelings in people of Iceland and give an understanding that the ancestors had a difficult period in their lives. They are also a material link; to a more innocent age where man still embodied the closeness with land and earth.
Role in Icelandic Society
In past, turf houses are well integrated to the life of the Icelanders and was very useful to them. Douglas Buildings were not only places of abodes, but social, cultural, and economic facilities as well during those years. Members of these families would sit in a stofa, even in the same sitting area where they would eat together, gossip or even exchange incidents. There was this aspect of living in a community was desirable since in the long dark winters isolation becomes a challenge.
Traditional turf houses were the focal point of the Icelandic farms for numerous decades and had proper participation in the Iceland’s ago agricultural oriented economy. In fact, the plan and construction of the turf house were also linked directly with the requirements of farming people. The structure was made of thick growing turf which insulated the home during winters, and the roofs, set up of sods, were used to cultivate vegetables and herbs which was a double benefit.
In the following centuries with the development of demographic density and, respectively, the more differentiated economic model in Iceland, the meaning of the turf house starts evolving. Turf houses eventually came to be replaced through the course of the twentieth century as the process of industrialization and urbanization spread rapidly. But they are still a significant cultural reference and today you can see a pretty large number of them in various museums and historical-quarter-like places.
How Turf Houses Were Built: Traditional Techniques
That Iceland’s earliest settlers were able to build the turf houses before the introduction of modern technology deserves a standing ovation. Constructed from locally processed materials these houses provided shelter against the harshest of the Icelandic climate. The construction techniques as used in the construction of the entire building show the kind of and the kind of wisdom of the Icelanders.
How a House is Built: Detailed and Comprehensive Construction Plan
Constructing a turf house must have been a lengthy and backbreaking task since apart from the appropriate materials, one needed skills in building a house. Here’s an overview of how these homes were traditionally built:
1. Selecting a Location
- Choosing the Right Spot: Erecting a turf house started with choosing a site that has materials close enough, such as turf for walls, stones for a foundation, and timber for the roof. The land had to not be steep in order to exert the load to the building as well as protect it against gusts.
- Foundation: Turf house, that is the structures used by the people of Greenland could only be able to survive for long when it was established well. Furniture and other material items were first buried into the ground and stones were laid out to form a base bearing walls and roof. The foundation also made it easier to cover the interior part from the coldness of the ground.
2. Preparing the Turf
- Cutting the Turf: It was used an item referred to as turf spade to cut out the turf from the ground. The turf blocks were usually 2ft x 4ft and they were well aligned in order to form a thick insulating wall.
- Laying the Walls: The turf blocks were laid in end on each other as bricks in a stone wall are arranged in a vertical position. The first row of the animal hides was put on the cement, the following layers were placed on top of each other so the blocks fit into one another securing a strong non-water permeable wall.
3. Building the Roof
- The Turf Roof: The most outstanding part of a turf house was its roof. The partition was created after the walls were erected across which a framework of wooden beams was placed. They then spread a thick layer of turf on the beams to form the roof, and made it slightly slanting so that the water will drain off. The turf was usually placed on a layer of soil, though sometimes only grass was used to avoid loss of soil.
- Insulation: The thick turf roof was in his opinion of particular importance for the insulation of the house. It proved useful in that it was able to keep the inside warm during the winter and cool during the summer. In addition the roof was also incorporated in such a way that it could merge with the surrounding environment of the house and thus could not be easily noticed.
4. Finishing Touches
- Windows and Doors: Original doors and windows were from woods, while windows made from glasses were out of reach for the most part of the societies in Iceland. The doors were small, and were generally augmented by the bog door, which was a small low door that served, among other things to keep out the cold.
- Interior Spaces: In the house most of the rooms were again partitioned by means of wooden barriers and tussocks. The main room of the house called stofa taking its name from the word stovar stalling was the focal point where the families lived, ate, slept and entertained themselves.
Turf is generally understood as a significant factor eradicating insulation.
Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of turf houses was the fact that turf provided good insulation. The material of turf is arranged in such a way that it has the quality of effectively holding air between these layers and thus offers excellent insulation. This was important particularly in Iceland region where the climate can be characterized by extremely low temperatures during winter periods.
- Winter Warmth: construction of thick turf walls and roofs helped to keep the inside warm even during the coldest weeks. The main source of heat within a house was the central fireplace, from where food was also prepared and from which heat was produced.
- Summer Coolness: During the summer the decision to use turf layer proved useful as it made it easier to cause the interiors to stay cool even in the brief moments of sun, heat and daylight.
They also had an added advantage of acting as insulators, they being made of turf and having green roofs. Some of these roofs were sown with grass or moss to make them act as insulators and at the same time cool the interiors. Related to this was that the turf house was developed to be an environmentally sustainable structure that conserved energy – an energy efficient building that was in tune with its environment.
Other Building Materials: Stone, Wood, and Sod
In fact the most common material that was used in the construction of these houses was turf but stone and wood were also heavily used.
- Stone: Earthen material was used because of their hardness to provide support for the house structure to avoid shifting of the walls. At some point, stones were also employed for making the walls stronger or to build small aspects such as a chimney or a fir-_place.
- Wood: The most significant application of wood was as load bearing members and as the doors and windows. This was because wood was almost nonexistent in Iceland and so whenever it was used, it was only in limited portions. But it was crucial when establishing the roof structure since it shapes the overall morphology of the house and developed the internal supports as well.
- Sod: Turf, or Sod, which is the grass-covered earth, was employed occasionally along the walls or the roof. It gave extra insulation and was usually installed in parts of the indoor environment where turfs might wear off rapidly, such as the roof strip area.
Maintenance and Durability
Structures built from turf needed constant repair just as with any other building. The roofs required rolling in fresh trues every few years so that they could serve the purpose of insulation as they were supposed to. The turf would wear out due to weathering and thus good roof cover needs to be put on to avoid the formation of leaks.
The walls as well needed to be washed form time to time. Eventually the turf blocks could tilt and there were spaces which require more of the turf to be placed. Proper maintenance kept the homes operational and warm in spite of the worst Icelandic weather conditions.
Where Can You Find Turf Houses in Iceland?
As beautiful and impressive such constructions as turf houses of Iceland are but they are also a peephole to the history and traditions of the country. The following structures constructed from locally available materials give insight in to the kinds of constructions that the early immigrants to Iceland developed. Currently, there are several preserved turf houses, as well as museums all over the country where tourists can get a taste of the peculiar feature in the historical background of Iceland.
Iconic Turf House Locations
Here are some notable sites where you can explore Iceland’s turf houses:
Visiting Tips
- Opening Hours: Most of these sites work on a three-hundred and sixty-five days a year basis though they are busiest between the middle of spring and early autumn. It is always safe to visit their websites to get the most up to date information.
- Guided Tours: Booking for a tour must wanted and preferred in this place which can offer better understanding regarding the experience and the history of the turf houses.
- Preservation Efforts: In some cases, these sites are still under the ongoing preservation programs. Evening donating those gifted items to their organizations or patronizing their gift shops assist in preserving these cultures.
Gregory’s R G has been rewarded for its efforts by Save Our Surfaces for approaching Floor graphics with the intent of preserving the company’s cultural significance.
There may be several reasons to protect turf house, but the most important of them is the desire to preserve own country’s identity and exclude similar experience of other countries. People and institutions try to preserve these structures to pass them with the history and hope they can be helpful for future generations. By visiting these sites, the guests can actually experience the history of Iceland enhanced by the feeling of being surrounded by constructions which should be preserved and therefore financial aid will help to promote this kind of architecture.
Visiting turf houses of Iceland presents a group with a chance to learn more about the nation’s background therefore getting a closer look into the ability of the Icelandic people.
The Future of Turf Houses in Iceland: Challenges and Opportunities
Even though turf houses are historical structures, part of the cultural heritage of Iceland, more specifically-their further existence cannot be predicted with certainty. There are certain difficulties can occur and can threaten these unique structures. However, there are also some striking perspectives for their reactivation mainly in the context of the emerging green Architecture, the saving of energy, and the preservation of cultural monuments.
Contemporary Preservation Procedures
- Climate change has presented Iceland with sever effects such as unabated harsh weather and volatile factors such as temperature increase, these issues have made the conservation of turf houses difficult. Published meteorological data point out that over the centuries, increased precipitation and wind that characterizes the Icelandic climate and especially the winter period affect the state of these constructions. But, nowadays technology assist in preserving these historic structures and many other are being restored.
- Climate Monitoring and Data Collection: Consequently, the condition of turf houses is being checked by various modern technologies. The idea is to have a constant stream of data on temperature, humidity, and other factors condition of the environment in order to assess the effects of climate on the buildings and the further prompt actions with the problems occurred could be made by preservationists.
- Use of Traditional Materials: While modern materials are applied in repairs, some practitioners are embracing traditional materials such as turf, stone and timber in an effort to make repairs as real as possible to recreate the original look and feel of the buildings. In this way many of these buildings remain accurately preserved that was constructed like hundreds of years ago by utilizing the similar techniques as well as similar materials.
- Digital Archiving and 3D Models: However, in some cases turf houses are undergoing the process of digitization with the help of 3D scanning. This makes it possible to produce accurate digital replicas of the houses so that even if the physical structures are destroyed or their construction forgotten, the technique used to construct these homes shall have not been lost. These models also have instructional purposes, enabling individuals worldwide to familiarize themselves with Icelandic architecture without the ability to directly view the original structures.
Thus, architects often face a challenge of how they can appropriately strike a balance between culturally history and contemporary design.
As more and more advancements are made in Iceland, there is recognition of a dichotomy between aesthetics of the turf houses and more contemporary ones. Growing requirements for new dwelling and facilities have brought urbanization to a number of rainbow areas in Iceland which have been developed and modernized.
Icelandic turf houses, may be incorporated into the construction of contemporary buildings. Having old and new structures means there are possibilities to bring in new ideas into the system.
- Sustainable Architecture: For the future development of turf houses, one of the major chances is a growing tendency in the aspects of ecological approach in contemporary architecture. Turf is effective in providing insulation and since the construction materials for some of the turfs embrace ecological consideration, they are becoming popular given the current debate on climate change. The professional is even seeing some of his colleagues try to incorporate slash and other natural products in new constructions, adopting past techniques for modern structures.
- Tourism and Cultural Heritage: Iceland has been a popular tourist destination for the last few years with traveler being attracted to its natural beauty and environment. Turf houses, being historical and having unique appearance, are thus very important in the aspect of the tourist industry. These buildings should continue to be used as cultural sites so that people of the country feel proud of their heritage and the return generated out of these sites can be utilized for further restoration.
- Eco-Tourism and Education: Turf houses therefore present themselves as unique attractions for eco-tourism and educational projects. Tourists get to know the concepts of the sustainable design of Geothermal Wellness Center, energy conservation, and traditional construction techniques when discovering the cultural Icelandic identity. Museum education tools, cultural fairs, and educational tourism incorporated in the depictions of turf houses can therefore play a big roll in enhancing understanding of the nations future and past.
The first of the topics discusses the challenges faced by turf houses.
However, several challenges persist in the effective revitalizing and preservation of turf houses as seen below. All of these must be undone if turf houses are to remain as important landmarks of Iceland’s history.
- Weathering and Deterioration: First, there is an issue of how the turf houses withstand weather elements. Roofs are another part which is greatly vulnerable to rain, wind, and snow, which in their turn increase the degradation of the turf. Whereas the importance of maintenance cannot be overemphasized, constant repairs and restoration are a huge drain in resources.
- Declining Number of Skilled Craftsmen: Art of constructing and repairing and maintaining turf houses has been lost because this construction skill is not widely practiced. The number of people who is able to study such disciplines decreases and the information obtained from generation to generation is gradually erasing. These houses may turn into ruins if such professional people as artisans are not produced in future to maintain them.
- Urbanization: With the growth of population and its becoming more urbanized than rural, the need for new constructions, mainly the habitation and infrastructure in Iceland. This has resulted to demolition or failure to continue using the turf house especially in urban areas. It remains a problem to look for potential to preserve these architectural masterpieces and incorporate them into the expanding world of neo-classical design.
The Impact of Tourism in Conservation
It has been observation that tourist Industry can assist in the preservation of turf houses in Iceland. The marked increase in visitors who are interested in history make the turf house not only a part of the country’s cultural root but also important for tourism industry. These structures should be well emphasized so that many tourists be encouraged to play a role in maintenance of these structures as part of the heritage.
Today some of the turf houses are preserved within the area of the historical and cultural heritage, within the open-air ethnographic museums where one can feel as in the centuries, people of Iceland lived. Visitation fees, contributions, and sales of token souvenirs further provide for constant maintenance and subsequent restoration of such site. This is beneficial because through the promotion of historically important knowledge to the visitors, more generations will also be able to benefit from the appreciation of these turf houses.
Their fears are warranted as the following sections reveal a great number of opportunities for revitalization.
While the challenges are significant, there are also exciting opportunities for revitalizing and preserving Iceland’s turf houses:
- Modern Eco-Villages: It is thus possible to have green architectures for other new eco-villages or any sustainable communities using turf and other preferred traditional materials. In this case, through a fusion of traditional Icelandic architecture and state of the art technology that incorporates energy efficient structures in homes, these villages can be used as case studies for sustainable building.
- Cultural and Educational Projects: Workings with local people, museums and other cultural institutions will result in educational initiatives and programs that will help people understand the significance of turf houses. These could be workshops, lectures or even life like Iceland ‘s heritage sites where people can get a feeling of actually how some artefacts or structures were made.
Conclusion
The turf houses of Iceland are not mere structures; they stand as dwelling Continue reading the original article symbols of strength, heritage and natural continuity. They represent what Iceland used to be, namely a country of cold climate known for the tough living conditions people had to endure, the turf, the stones and the wood used for constructing these houses form an ideal example of how the early inhabitants of Iceland had to make do with what little they could find around them.
Turf houses originally started in the Viking age and reached their prime in the nineteenth century being an essential element of Icelanders’ culture. They were the residential, communal, and spiritual buildings, and sanctuaries that still present cultural values in the current society. Looking forward the issue to be addressed in detail is the issue of making changes and improvements to these historic homes which this brief discussion of new technologies and architectural solutions is alluding to.
There are already undertakings to retain turf houses with the use of some advanced approaches such as monitoring of climate, scanning, and using of original materials.
Furthermore, with the increasing awareness of the adaptive reuse of the ageing structures and the concept of green ecology tourism; these occasions hold out new vistas of challenging opportunities for the rebirth of these structures. From the sustainable housing constructions of ecological villages that employ the native turf structures to the tourism raising consciousness of historical structures such as those found in the turf regions of Iceland, the future is definitely promising for turf houses, in equal measure as long as active conservation and emphasis on this distinct icon of Iceland practice is adopted.
When you look around these homes when located in museums, cultural centers, or hike through the isolated farmhouses of Iceland, you are not only in a house but in a home that represents the essence of the culture of the Icelandic people. Through the preservation of existing turf houses, and evaluating their design, we guarantee that this aspect of Iceland’s history will still be here for future generations to enjoy.
References
- Icelandic Tourism Website: Information on turf houses and cultural heritage sites.
- Árbaer Open Air Museum: Overview of one of the most famous turf house locations.
- Glaumbær Museum: Details on the turf houses in the Skagafjörður region.
- The National Museum of Iceland: Historical context of Iceland’s architectural history.
- Research Papers on Sustainable Architecture: Insights into the eco-friendly aspects of turf house design.
- Local Icelandic Architectural Guides: Insights from modern architects about the continuing influence of turf house design.
