engineering

Verkís

Verkís is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Verkís rather than just read about it. In short: Verkís Consulting Engineers is the oldest consulting firm in Iceland and is one of the largest engineering firms in Iceland with around 380 employees. Verkís is a multidisciplinary consulting firm, providing services in all fields of engineering and related professional disciplines of consulting.

Verkís — illustration

Key takeaways

Verkís belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Verkís to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Verkís from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Verkís Consulting Engineers is the oldest consulting firm in Iceland and is one of the largest engineering firms in Iceland with around 380 employees. Verkís is a multidisciplinary consulting firm, providing services in all fields of engineering and related professional disciplines of consulting. Verkís offers engineering, consulting, management, operational and EPCM services. Core disciplines include geothermal and hydroelectric power and Verkís has participated in nearly all geothermal and hydroelectric projects in Iceland as well as in several projects abroad. Other core disciplines include geothermal district heating, power transmission, buildings, transport, infrastructure and industry. Ever since the early 1930s, Verkís has participated in the engineering of most of Iceland's biggest and most prominent construction projects, covering disciplines such as civil and structural design, mechanical engineering, electrical HV, MV, and LV engineering, systems engineering, automation and control. Egill Viðarsson is the CEO and Snæbjörn Jónsson is the chairman of the board. The headquarters are in Reykjavík but in addition there are eleven branches around Iceland.

History Verkís traces its origin back to 1932, making it the oldest consulting company in Iceland, and has a firm background in the energy- and construction industry both in Iceland and abroad. Verkís was formed in 2008 by the merger of five well established Icelandic engineering consulting firms:

VST - Verkfræðistofa Sigurðar Thoroddsen VST was established in 1932 and has over the years provided a wide range of services. Consultancy services in the building industry, energy and infrastructure has been the main area of activity and VST took part in most hydropower projects in Iceland. In recent years, VST has offered a variety of other services, especially within the aluminium industry, and also in the fields of project management, construction, safety and environmental management.

Rafteikning Rafteikning was established in 1965 and has been one of the leading electrical consulting service firms in Iceland. The main focus of activity has been on power and control engineering and the firm has participated in the electrical design of several hydropower and geothermal power plants.

Fjarhitun Fjarhitun was established in 1962 and has been a leader in designing district heating systems, utilizing the geothermal hot water in Iceland and has also participated in the design of many geothermal power plants. Fjarhitun has provided a wide range of services in other fields of mechanical engineering.

Fjölhönnun Fjölhönnun was established in 1970 and has been active in the design of roads, bridges and similar structures and the structural design of buildings. The firm has also participated in many projects, providing supervision and project management.

RT-Rafagnatækni RT Rafagnatækni was established in 1961 and has specialized in the planning, design and programming of control systems for power plants and other systems in the field of automation, measurements and communication. RT has also been providing services in field of electronics.

Almenna Consulting Engineers (Almenna verkfræðistofan hf.) On 17 April 2013 Almenna Consulting teamed up with Verkís. Almenna Consulting Engineers Ltd. was founded in 1941 as "Almenna byggingarfélagið", it played an important role in modernising the infrastructure of the country as it took part in developing the country's first large hydroelectric power plants in the 1960s. In 1971, the company was reorganized as Almenna Consulting Engineers Ltd.

Management and Organisation Verkís is divided into seven divisions, five of which are business segment divisions. In addition to the business segment divisions, there is an office support division and a branch office division. Each business segment division is split into discipline sections. The management team consist of the CEO and seven division managers. The board represents the owners of the company and has five members and two alternate members.

Services Verkís provides consultancy services in most fields of engineering and related disciplines. The services offered includes: Project Management and EPCM, Cost Estimation and Planning, Engineering and Design, Project Controls, Feasibility studies, Inspection services, Procurement, and Commissioning. Support functions such as Risk Assessment, Quality Management, Health Safety and Environment, and the development of Environmental Impact Assessments are also an integral part of the services.

Project Examples Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant Qorlortorsuaq Dam Ilulissat Hydro Electric Project Hellisheiði Power Station Reykjavík district heating Harpa Concert Hall Arnarnesvegur Highway Project Veröld - Vigdís-house, University of Iceland Selfoss Sports Centre Vaðlaheiðargöng Keflavík International Airport National Theatre of Iceland Stapaskóli elementary school Sea bath in Húsavík Sundhöll Reykjavíkur

Branches Akureyri Akranes Blönduós Borgarnes Egilsstaðir Hvammstangi Húsavík Ísafjörður Reykjanesbær Sauðarkrókur Selfoss

Subsidiaries OPVC Norway Verkís Greenland LP-Verkis

Affiliated companies HRV Engineering, Iceland Raförninn, Iceland Svarmi, Iceland

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Verkís

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Verkís claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Verkís before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Verkís ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Verkís

In research: Verkís appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Verkís in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Verkís is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1932 establishments in Iceland, Consulting firms established in 1932, Engineering companies of Iceland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Verkís outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Verkís in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Verkís means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Verkís out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Verkís in simple terms?

Why does Verkís matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Verkís?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Verkís.