Iceland: A National Landscape Policy to Better Blend Geothermal Energy Developments With the Environment

Iceland Blends Renewable Energy into the Landscape (The American Society of Landscape Architects)

Hagonguvirkjun / Landsvirkjun, A2Architects

Landsvirkjun, the national power company of Iceland, has created a new landscape policy designed to create a more harmonious relationship between land and energy. And landscape architect Björk Guðmundsdóttir took the initiative to make this all happen.

At the ASLA 2018 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Guðmundsdóttir explained that when she started her multi-year effort, there wasn’t a single design guideline for renewable energy projects. Her task was to create a new national landscape policy for these systems, while being the only women — and landscape architect — working with a team of all-male engineers.

Her first step was to understand the geothermal energy system development process, the legal frameworks that shape energy production, and the broader energy policies. One important high-level Icelandic policy guided her work: energy systems “should operate in harmony with the landscape.”

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