Working in Wet Rooms, the Norwegian Method

Björn Ágúst currently works at Tengi. He recounts that around 1996, he worked on a project for which he received an award from the Icelandic Association of Plumbers. This recognition made Björn more critical of his own work. He no longer wanted to just get the job done, but to deliver truly excellent work. As the years went by, he moved more into technical implementations in plumbing and professional solutions.

Björn is a specialist in wet rooms, which in all normal residential housing are bathrooms and laundry rooms. He says that kitchens are not defined as wet rooms, but according to the definition, wet rooms are areas where water can be expected on both walls and floors.

It was a turning point in Björn's life when he and his family moved to Norway. He quickly realised that compared to his colleagues there, he lacked knowledge. The Norwegian system, he says, is based on the cooperation of professionals and uses a standardised procedure for finishing wet rooms that applies to all the tradespeople involved in the work.

Björn is now working on translating Norwegian standards for wet room construction, which IÐAN will publish and introduce to professionals in Iceland. "We're not going to eat the elephant in one bite," says Björn. It will take time to implement new standards and perhaps even a new way of thinking, but we believe this can reduce water damage related to wet rooms.

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