Kiruna City Hall | henning larsen

Due to extensive mining, the Swedish city of Kiruna has been faced with the challenge of moving its entire city center three kilometers east. The new city hall and community center, “The Crystal” is the first building in the new Kiruna. It is a strong communal space and a symbol of a new beginning. The city hall consists of two building volumes. The inner building is a golden crystalline heart, inspired by the area’s important deposits of iron ore. The outer building floats spherelike surrounding the crystal while optimizing the intake of daylight by 17 % compared to a square building volume. Public functions, as well as exhibition facilities for local Sami art, meeting rooms, workshops, the municipal council chamber and administrative offices are all part of the new community center. The design takes inspiration from the city's culture and history through the crystalline roof structure as well as from Kiruna's former city hall ─ a unique piece of architecture from 1958 designed by Artur von Schmalensee. The new city hall references the historical hall by incorporating its bell tower, and by reusing materials and building parts.

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