Reitir and Hýsi-Verkheimar have started a collaboration on the development of school buildings for municipalities and other parties, with an emphasis on kindergartens built from standard and portable building units. The solution is presented as both a faster and cheaper alternative to traditional construction methods, at a time when in many places there is an urgent need for new kindergarten housing.
According to Guðna Aðalsteinsson, CEO of Reita, it is possible to go from an initial drawing to a finished nursery in about six months. He says that it is a very short period of time compared to what generally happens when the construction of a kindergarten is started in the traditional way.
“There, in collaboration with Hýsi, we can offer, for example, a 90-room kindergarten in just six months, and there we set such a new tone,” says Guðni in an interview with a news agency.
He says that by doing so, municipalities are being offered a solution that can quickly respond to the lack of kindergarten places. This not only means shorter delivery times, but also lower costs.
Says the cost is about half of what is known in Reykjavík
Guðni says the companies confirm that the cost of these buildings is about half of the known cost of building a kindergarten in Reykjavík.
It is one of the main points in the company’s presentation of the project. Municipalities not only had to deal with long waiting times for new housing, but also very high construction costs. The solution that Reitir and Hýsi are now presenting is to meet both of these factors at the same time.
There is a preliminary design for a five-section kindergarten for ninety children, and it is also possible to expand the design to a seven-section kindergarten for up to 120 children. The companies also say that it is possible to adapt the housing to different sites and needs, including in terms of internal layout, cladding, roof shape and heating.
Negotiations with municipalities begin
According to Guðna, the reception to the idea has been good. He says that the companies have already presented the solution to local authorities in the south and that another meeting with the City of Reykjavík is planned in the near future.
“We have been promoting this solution in municipalities here in the South and the West, and we are going to another meeting with the City of Reykjavík very soon,” he says.
From his words, it can be deduced that the companies believe that there is interest in local authorities who are faced with a great need for new kindergarten premises, but also want to avoid lengthy preparations and high costs.
Building on experience from Reykjanesbær
The project is not presented as an untested idea. Guðni points out that a similar school building has already been built in Reykjanesbær and that the experience there has been good.
“School buildings have been built in Reykjanesbær and they have been very well received by both the students and the staff. The air conditioning and other such things are just very good and people are happy with this,” he says.
In a press release from Reitum, it is stated that Hýsi-Verkheimar has already built three elementary schools and three kindergartens from standard building units in this country, a total of about 4,500 square meters. It also states that ten years have passed since the first school building was built and that the experience of operating, maintaining and moving such a building has been good.
A whole school can be moved between places
One of the things that the companies emphasize is that the units are portable. This means that an entire school building can be moved between locations if the population composition changes or the need for housing moves within a municipality.
That flexibility can be important for municipalities that need to react quickly to the increase in the number of children in certain areas, but at the same time want to avoid tying up a lot of resources in buildings that may later be in the wrong place.
According to the partnership, Reiter will handle the leasing and operation of the kindergarten buildings, while Hýsi will handle communication with the manufacturer of the units and their installation in Iceland.
There is a great need for new kindergarten premises
The background of the project is that it has been pointed out in many places about the lack of kindergarten places and the accumulated maintenance and construction debt of local authorities. Reita’s press release refers to a survey by the Association of Icelandic Municipalities from the year 2022, which stated that 65 percent of children were enrolled in kindergarten at the age of eighteen months or later. Only eight percent got a place at the age of twelve months, when maternity leave usually ends.
Reference is also made to the fact that infrastructure debt in real estate owned by municipalities has been estimated at 95 billion ISK, and that schools and kindergartens weigh heavily on that.
Reitir and Hýsi therefore step into a discussion that has increasingly revolved around how to build faster, reduce costs and meet shortages without waiting years for traditional construction.
