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Moa flat - renovation

Garðabær follows specific procedures if mold is suspected in housing or municipal structures. Engineering firm Cowi (formerly Mannvit) is available to advise on sampling, remediation, and actions.

Moisture damage procedures

Case history

1) Samples taken at the short-term storage facility Móaflöt

Garðabær follows specific procedures if mold is suspected in a building or municipal structure. When suspicions of moisture damage arose in Móaflat's building, samples were taken.

Reports:

2) Project status

In January 2022, samples were taken from the premises of the short-term accommodation facility Móaflöt.

  • Eight samples were taken at Moaflöt (six of which were material samples from walls or floor coverings and two were DNA dust samples).
  • Two of them indicated significant contamination - that is, mold growth under the floor covering. These were samples from a bathroom in the garage of Móaflat, which is adjacent to a bedroom, and one sample from a bedroom in the hallway.
  • Due to the damage, it was necessary to close these two spaces so that damage could be repaired, unused building materials removed, cleaned, and the premises restored to normal.
  • It involved renovating the room and cleaning the household items.
  • There was no suspicion of illness among the children staying at Móaflöt or among the staff due to this. If such a thing is suspected, it is important to inform the director at the earliest opportunity.

3) Next steps

Garðabær temporarily closed the short-term care center Móaflöt due to construction that began immediately to ensure the safety of staff and children.

Construction began on Monday, February 27, when it became apparent that the building's plumbing needed to be replaced. The management was informed on March 3 that Móaflöt would have to be closed indefinitely, likely for 6-8 weeks. Work is underway to find temporary accommodation for Móaflöt's operations.

Garðabær wants to make an effort to ensure a healthy and safe environment in its facilities and requests good consultation with administrators, employees and service users. Garðabær submitted a special plan for renovation of the municipality's housing, which was followed up with funding in Gardabaer's budget for 2023.

Information about the project is provided by:

Moa flat - renovation - Garðabær