Fjällbäcken Housing, Sweden Apartment Building, Architecture Design, Swedish Property Images
Fjällbäcken Housing Kiruna
Contemporary Swedish Apartments design by Kjellander + Sjöberg Architects
12 Feb 2015
Fjällbäcken Housing in Kiruna
Location: Kiruna, Sweden
Design: Kjellander + Sjöberg Architects
Climate optimized block at the Kiruna Square
Kiruna is the northernmost town in Sweden with 18,200 inhabitants, located in the province of Lapland 145 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in a subarctic climate region, 530 meters above sea level. The town was founded 100 years ago under the influence of the Swedish mining company LKAB between two mountains with the largest and richest bodies of iron ore in the world, Kiirunavaara and Luossavaara.
The first phase of the re-development comprises the buildings forming the vibrant new Kiruna Square with the town hall in the centre.
Today the town faces an unprecedented challenge – the whole town needs to be moved about 3 km (2 miles) towards the east, because of the continuously increasing ground fracturing due to the mining of a larger body of ore found underneath the western parts of the town.
Hand sketch
Moving such a town involves radical changes and puts high demands on the strategic planning, civic dialogue and the importance of maintaining the town’s identity and collective memory. However the process also provides the opportunity to transform the city to the better – a socio-economically sustainable and resource-efficient town that addresses climate change and utilizes the local conditions.
The urban block at the new Kiruna Square designed for an active urban life that can be used year-round
The first phase of the re-development comprises the buildings forming the new Kiruna Square around the town hall. K + S together with Skanska have been granted a land transfer agreement as a result of a competition organized by the Kiruna Municipality.
The ground floor offers an attractive social content with multipurpose areas for sport, leisure activities and a local food market.
The proposed urban block comprises new housing units around a green courtyard, Fjällbäcken, with a natural local character, introducing sustainable solutions for rainwater management and supporting opportunities for species dispersal transversal to the longitudinal urban structure. The overall shape of the block is optimized for the extreme local conditions including large snow loads, with considered snow storage space creating an effect and lending quality in winter. The inner courtyard is connected to the Kiruna Square by a diagonal public staircase that turns into a ski slope during winter time.
The block opens up to the square with a local food market, a café and the entrance to the activity and leisure centre
The ground floor facing the square offers an attractive social content with multipurpose areas for young people and sport and leisure activities for all generations that can be used year-round. The buildings are expressed in natural materials of local character, such as stone and wood.
Diagram – ground floor, courtyard and roof-scape
Fjällbäcken Housing in Kiruna images / information from Kjellander + Sjöberg Architects
Location: Kiruna, Sweden, northeast Europe
Architecture in Sweden
Swedish Architecture
Swedish Architecture Designs – chronological list
Swedish Architect – architecture practice listings on e-architect
Swedish Architecture – Selection
Swedish Architectural Designs
Swedish Architecture Designs – architectural selection below:
Magnolia restaurant, Stora Sköndal, Southern Stockholm
Design: Kjellander Sjöberg Arkitektkontor
image Courtesy architecture office
Magnolia Restaurant
Jo¨nko¨ping Bathhouse, Lake Vättern, Jönköping, southern Sweden
Design: White Arkitekter
White Arkitekter © Jo¨nko¨ping Bathhouse
Jo¨nko¨ping Bathhouse Building in Sweden
Danderyd House
Design: Tham & Videgård Hansson Architects
Danderyd House
Lidingo houses
Tham & Videgård Hansson Architects
Swedish homes
Archipelago House, Stockholm archipelago
Tham & Videgård Hansson Architects
Swedish house
Swedish Architect Studios
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