Norconsult creates Arctic neighbourhood for recycling in Kiruna

Norconsult, one of the Nordic region's largest urban planning consultancies, has developed a plan for a new neighbourhood in the new Kiruna.

The area is located south of the new city centre and connects the town hall square and the new train station.

The old industrial area will be transformed into a new, attractive and sustainable neighbourhood. An important part of this is recycling.

In Kiruna, the conditions are unusually favourable because an entire city is to be relocated, something that Norconsult has taken into account. Reuse can include everything from building components such as bricks, windows and doors to entire buildings, such as an old bus garage that can become a food court. But it also involves replanting viable trees in the park environment.

"Many newly planted trees grow slowly in Kiruna. By preserving and moving what is already there, we can get viable and full-sized trees along streets and park paths," says Camilla Estvall, plan architect at Norconsult and sustainability advisor in the project.

The plan contains a variety of concepts and ideas. These include an arctic block type that closes tightly to the north-east and opens up to the south-east to protect from the north wind and let in the sun and create courtyards with a good microclimate.

"You can think of it as a goodie bag of suggestions. We have tried to include many different concepts and ideas so that there are many possible tracks to work on. Now we'll see which parts the municipality chooses to develop further," says Ulf Barkan.

The structural plan was submitted to the municipality in March 2024.

Lennart Håkansson

editor@northswedenbusiness.com