Kiruna City Hall

The Swedish town of Kiruna, 95 miles north of the Arctic Circle, sits atop the largest iron ore mine on the planet. The mine birthed the town – but a century of mining operations had begun to destabilize the earth around it. The ground was breaking, splitting into deep rifts and falling into sinkholes, threatening to swallow the town. In response to this threat, mining firm Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara (LKAB) proposed a direct solution: move Kiruna three kilometers east.

Demolishing the old Kiruna and moving residents to a fresh city center uprooted generations of local heritage, interrupting tight-knit neighborhoods and erasing multigenerational family stores. The relocation was a challenge of identity, exposing the relationship between architecture and community. With this challenge in mind, LKAB and Kiruna Municipality announced a competition to design a new town hall, the first building in the relocated city center.

“Community identity often has real geographic roots,” says Henning Larsen Partner and Design Principal Louis Becker. “We knew that during Kiruna’s relocation, losing a sense of place could be a major challenge to the town’s residents. Our hope was that this town hall would not only be an effective seat for the local government, but a space that celebrates Kiruna’s history and establishes an enduring symbol of local identity.”

The city hall consists of two building volumes. Its inner core draws inspiration from the angular geometry or iron minerals and makes space for community functions. Public exhibition rooms, workshop spaces and common social spaces ensure the building’s vital function as a community hub. This central crystal allows the town hall to serve Kiruna beyond civic logistics and local governance, becoming instead a space for old friends and longtime neighbors to meet within the new city center, supporting a sense of social unity during the transitory period of Kiruna’s relocation.

The outer volume covers the inner metallic crystal with a sleek circular glass and natural stone façade. Including staff offices for various municipality departments, this section houses the town hall’s civic function, but also contributes to the building’s functional design. The circular exterior forces wind to move around the building, ensuring that the winter’s heavy snowdrifts will not settle against the façade while also optimizing the intake of daylight by 17% compared to a square building volume.

“Sustainability was one of the core values from the very start of the design competition. Other important values have been openness and flexibility. Today, I can say that we are proud of the result.” – Kristina Zakrisson, Mayor of Kiruna Municpality at the building’s inauguration ceremony.

The circular form symbolizes unity and solidarity: centrally located in the heart of new Kiruna, the building encourages equal access to all citizens. In the subarctic sunlight, Kristallen’s white exterior establishes it as a visible landmark for a resilient community.