Ombudsman demands answers over continued use of Stuðlar building

Iceland’s Ombudsman for Children has asked Reykjavík’s building official for detailed information about the decision to allow continued use of the building housing the emergency unit at the Stuðlar treatment centre, mbl.is reports.

The building is being used under temporary measures, although no safety and completion inspection certificate has been issued. Concerns were raised about fire-compartment doors that do not comply with the design documents.

The building was brought back into use in April last year after an extension housing the emergency unit was destroyed by fire in October 2024. A 17-year-old boy died in the fire. The temporary arrangement has now been in place for 16 months.

An investigation by the Housing and Construction Authority found serious deficiencies in the fire protection systems. The destroyed extension had not received a safety and completion inspection certificate. According to the authority’s report, the death could have been prevented if the fire protection systems had complied with the fire safety design.

Correspondence between the Ombudsman and Reykjavík’s planning and building office showed that the building official notified the owner, the Icelandic State Construction Contracting Agency and Government Property Agency, on May 5 that use of the building was prohibited in its existing condition.

After receiving a response from the owner, the building official decided to permit temporary use subject to measures including increased staffing. Follow-up on the arrangement is still under way.

“Children who have been deprived of their liberty stay at Stuðlar’s emergency unit to ensure their safety, and it is therefore particularly important that the highest possible safety standards are maintained,” the Ombudsman for Children said in a letter to the building official.

The Ombudsman is seeking information about the temporary measures required for continued use, including the staffing requirements, and how compliance with those requirements and other measures has been monitored.

The office is also asking about the current status of the case, including repairs to the fire-compartment doors and when the work is expected to be completed so that a safety inspection certificate can be issued.

Work is under way at Stuðlar. The treatment centre is to be converted into what has been called a social emergency reception centre for young people. It will provide emergency accommodation and facilities for children in pre-trial detention or serving sentences. The work is expected to continue at least until the end of this year.