44 C O N T E X T 1 4 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 Cultural Heritage Act 80/2012 introduced three levels of protection, depending on the significance of an asset. Spot-scheduling exists, and all buildings over 100 years in age are protected by this legislation. Nonetheless, while prosperity has allowed the administration to allocate resources to building preservation, and civic and archaeological projects, a rash of rather indifferent development is starting to spread alarmingly across the countryside. Materials are evidently as cheap to source here as elsewhere in the developed world, and quite substantial dwellings are springing up all over the rural hinterland of the island’s principal towns.They are not grouped neatly into nucleated homesteads as in the past, but often sited arbitrarily and with little thought to landscaping. This problem seems to be shared in recent years with similarly under-regulated Norway, witness to creeping urbanisation of the countryside. As an outsider I would say that the unspoilt landscape is Iceland’s greatest asset. Sites within their national parks such asThingvellir have an elemental magnetism that is simply extraordinary. One wonders if rural planning legislation can be introduced before a tipping point is reached and the south’s rural landscape loses its qualities forever. A growing population has to be accommodated somehow, but is there a case for the creation of new planned villages or towns? There is a popular preoccupation with ‘elf stones’ – boulders that are accorded special significance. Icelanders are all too ready to warn of the unfortunate consequences that could be visited on anyone removing these unwieldy stones from development sites. Instead it is customary to make a feature of them by integrating them into modern developments. An impressive array of cultural interpretive facilities exists across the island, supporting education and a strong tourism economy. There is a sense of pride in Iceland’s indigenous culture and a drive to share it with visitors. On returning to the UK, I felt that the placement had enriched my practical appreciation of vernacular building in timber and earth, and the skills and knowledge necessary to support it. The earthen structures around Iceland show that it is possible to adapt this type of construction to a range of environments and situations, no matter how extreme or exposed. The placement also demonstrated that developing skills of teamwork between diverse trades and individuals is equally critical – especially for conservators who are often sole practitioners. Matthew Crook, formerly a conservation officer at Wirral Council, is director of Nordmark Consulting. Modern mixed development in Reykjavik Far right:Volcanic stone – heavy, abrasive and intransigent A scheduled (protected) building in Reykjavik, its timber roof proofed by tar
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