Relocation of Kiruna

First the Town Hall, Then the Entire City

The city of Kiruna in Northern Sweden, which originally grew around the LKAB iron ore mine, is relocating to make way for the mine’s expansion. In practice, the city center is moving three kilometers east in a massive project to exploit the ore deposit worth hundreds of billions of euros lying beneath the ground.

YBT has been involved in the project from the beginning and delivered the elements for the first building in the new city center in 2016-17: Kiruna’s new and architecturally stunning town hall. The historic clock tower was moved from the old center to next to the town hall.

Around the town hall, a new city center has begun to take shape, block by block. In addition to the town hall, YBT has supplied elements for residential buildings, the Scandic Hotel, and Kunskapsskolan, which will house a high school, a cultural school, and a learning center.

A Major Project, Fast Timelines

Through its Swedish subsidiary Prefabmästarna Sverige (PFM), YBT has established itself as an important element supplier for the construction in Kiruna. Alongside PFM’s Öjebyn factory, YBT is the largest single element supplier for the construction in Kiruna. This means thousands of elements and work well into the future.

Due to the relocation of the city, nearly a third of Kiruna’s 19,000 residents will have to move to make way for the mine. By around 2035, the new city center will be fully operational, and the old center will live on in memories and a few relocated cultural-historical buildings. For example, Kiruna Church, voted Sweden’s most beautiful building, is awaiting its relocation.