Case Study

Kiruna, Sweden

Derby Silk Mill Museum

Kiruna, a mining town in north Sweden, (founded 1900, population 18,200) is moving two miles east, to escape the erosion and deformation caused by centuries of iron ore extraction. White Arkitekter with Ghilardi + Hellsten Arkitekter won an international competition in 2013 for a 20-year masterplan of the phased relocation, aimed at preserving the identity of the existing town while improving the citizens' quality of life.

The consultation team, led by White Arkitekter's social anthropologist Viktoria Walldin, spent two weeks finding out what living there means to its residents, what works well and what could be improved. A picture emerged of an educated, affluent, multicultural community wanting more opportunities to engage and socialise, access to outdoor leisure pursuits and a more cultural and attractive offer. A bienniale has been proposed where visions for the town will be displayed and debated; and there is be a Kiruna Portal - a physical and virtual communal resource. The physical warehouse-style DIY shop will be where elements from the old town - from bay windows and door-handles to trees, sculptures and street signs - can be recycled.

An online version will be for suggestions and feedback. Significant buildings will be relocated wholesale - such as the Clock Tower, which will form the heart of a new civic square, along with a new City Hall, to be designed by Henning Larsen Architects.

Client: LKAB (Sweden's state-owned mining company)
Architecture Masterplan: White Arkitekter and Ghilardi + Hellsten Arkitekter
Cost: Phase 1 - city centre relocation - €415.5m
Schedule: Phase 1 starting 2015, to take an estimated seven years