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century-old church travels in one piece to escape expanding iron mine in kiruna, sweden

church in Sweden is Relocated in One Piece

 

The Kiruna church, one of Sweden’s largest wooden buildings and once voted the nation’s most beautiful, is relocated in its entirety to a new home five kilometers away. The move, carried out over two days in August 2025 by heavy-lift specialist Mammoet, marks a pivotal moment in the town’s long-term urban transformation (find designboom’s previous coverage here), which has been underway since 2013 due to the expansion of the world’s largest iron ore mine. 

 

The 713-tonne church, built in the early 20th century, was transported in one piece as part of Kiruna’s relocation project. The town, situated above vast mineral reserves, has faced subsidence caused by continuous extraction, an operation estimated to yield the equivalent of six Eiffel Towers’ worth of ore every day. As the mine gradually consumes the western edge of Kiruna, several civic and residential buildings are being relocated to a newly planned city center in phases. The relocation of the church, dubbed ‘the great church walk,’ is among the most symbolically significant acts of this urban migration.

images courtesy of Mammoet, unless stated otherwise

 

 

Kiruna’s Wooden Landmark on the Move

 

The relocation of Kiruna Church crystallizes a wider story of adaptation, a community making space for the forces that sustain it. To make sure the fragile wooden structure is moved safely, Dutch company Mammoet worked with Norwegian construction and civil engineering company Veidekke and Swedish timber specialists on extensive modeling and testing. In preparation, the building was jacked up 1.3 meters and set onto steel beams, resting on two trains of 28 axle lines of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs). A custom monitoring system kept the tilt within 7.5 cm between sides, while the route was carefully reinforced with widened and compacted roads, and trial runs with counterweights replicated the stresses of the church’s load.

 

The operation was scheduled for August 19th and 20th, 2025, to minimize risks from Arctic weather and unfolded across daylight hours, drawing thousands of spectators, including His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, to witness the slow procession. Once in place, the structure was gently lowered onto its new concrete foundations, completing a journey of precision and care. In the coming days, its detached 90-tonne belfry will also be transported.

 

‘This project exemplifies the importance of detailed engineering and planning in executing unique and meaningful moves,’ notes William Soeters, project manager at Mammoet. ‘We’re proud to have played a key role in safeguarding this historic building for future generations.’

 

The Kiruna church is relocated in its entirety to a new home five kilometers away

one of Sweden’s largest wooden buildings and once voted the nation’s most beautiful | image via @veidekke

the move was carried out over two days by heavy-lift specialist Mammoet | image via @veidekke

the building was jacked up 1.3 meters and set onto steel beams | image via @veidekke

the route was carefully reinforced with widened and compacted roads | image via @veidekke

the operation was scheduled for August to minimize risks from Arctic weather

 

project info:

 

name: Relocation of Kiruna Church

location: Kiruna, Sweden

engineering and transport: Mammoet | @mammoetglobal

collaborator: Veidekke | @veidekke

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designboom shop’s jewelry treasures from monolith rings to 3D-printed necklaces

hidden gems of the designboom shop

 

The designboom shop keeps growing, fostering more and more connections between designers and our global audience. Lighting design, furniture, room décor and 3D-printed jewelry are just a few of the categories that this online shop curates, offering items for any occasion or style. 

 

Are you a designer or studio with work to share? Submit your products today and join a curated platform seen by millions across the global design community!

 

discover jewelry Highlights below

Fondo marino ring by Maddalena Bearzi

 

Name: Fondo marino ring

Studio: Maddalena Bearzi

Price: $320

 

Inspired by the still unknown world of the abyss, this unique, unisex, and one-of-a-kind handcrafted ring makes a statement on anyone’s hand. Fondo Marino is hammered and forged silver finished with 14k solid gold and a handmade patina. The ring/band comes in size 7 which fits most fingers, and it’s approximately 1″ (2.4 cm) tall in the front and 0.2″ (3.5mm) in the back.

3D printed architects’ Height Model by RADIAN

 

Name: Height Model

Studio: RADIAN

Price: $139

 

The Height Model inspired Pit collection is all about the pieces’ own history. It all starts with extracting metal ores out of the Earth’s crust. This subtractive process forms the strong contrast to further processing of the material. The use of 3D printed stainless steel creates the final shape layer by layer without losing the memory of the collection’s origin. 

Milk Box Ring by Anthony Isaac

 

Name: Milk Box Ring

Design: Anthony Isaac

Price: $145

 

Designed by Anthony Isaac, the Milk Box Ring is cast in solid silver, and pays mirror-polished tribute to a humble classic. Down to the finest detail, this chunky statement ring is an industrial icon at your fingertips.

Gemring by Gesine Doelle

 

Name: Gemring 

Studio: Gesine Doelle

Price: $145

 

Flip lenticular square earrings reacts according to wearer’s movements by A.Pair

 

Name: Flip lenticular square earrings reacts according to wearer’s movements

Studio: A.Pair

Price: $38

 

The earrings based on a lenticular multi-view display system where lens are utilized. When it is viewed with the lens from various angles, the viewer can see the reflection of the simple structure and image graphic characteristics. The divided graphic images instantly change with the wearer’s movements.

Knit Necklace by Monocircus

 

Name: Knit necklace

Studio: Monocircus

Price: $167

 

Knit Necklace is an extension to the studio’s signature Knit Series of earrings and bangles which have since been very well-received locally and internationally. The design accentuates the unique ‘knitted’ structure resulting in a fascinating one-of-a-kind necklace. The impression of softness in knitted fabrics, coupled with the strength and unique flexibility of the nylon plastic material, Knit Necklace presents a unique texture and impression. The structure is designed as a hollow tube-like form, making effective use of the tensile strength of the material. It is 3D printed as a whole structure without any joints.

Maze Earrings by Angular Moment

 

Name: Maze Earrings

Studio: Angular Moment

Price: $167

 

Drawing inspiration from the repetition of forms and stepped geometry of the Art Deco era, the Maze earrings and their matching pendant are simple and sleek, and just plain pretty. Maze earrings are available in two sizes, 1.5″ h and 1.25″ h, and two metals, stainless steel and 14K gold plated stainless steel. Model is wearing the 1.5″ size.

VAIN-DICE by Whenwatch

 

Name: VAIN-DICE

Studio: Whenwatch

Price: $20

 

Another designboom shop gem is the VAIN-DICE – a unique hollow frame dice, whose points are cleverly distributed on the cubic frame, presenting a unique visual effect. It adopts an extremely complex mold structure, and is carefully designed and produced. Each dice has to go through more than a dozen fine craftsmanship to ensure that every detail is almost perfect, showing an unparalleled sense of quality.

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kong xiangwei studio’s flying bird art gallery frames the rolling tea gardens of china

Dali Wuliangshan Flying Bird Art Gallery

 

The Dali Wuliangshan Flying Bird Art Gallery, designed by Kong Xiangwei Studio, is located on Phoenix Mountain in Yunnan, China. Set within the northern foothills of the Wuliang Mountain National Nature Reserve, the gallery and observatory emerges at an elevation of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet) in a landscape known for its canyon terrain, warm air currents, and role as a vital migratory corridor for birds across East Asia.

 

The mountain has long hosted one of China’s most significant bird banding research sites. Over twenty-five years, more than 67,000 birds from 304 species have been tagged, building a detailed ecological archive of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. This deep history of observation forms the cultural and ecological foundation for the new gallery.

 

Phoenix Mountain is also blanketed by an 87-hectare organic tea plantation, where terraces of greenery stretch across rolling slopes. Within this cultivated landscape, smart feeding stations and bird-watching hides already create a careful dialogue between humans and migratory life.

images © Kong Xiangwei Studio, Archi-Translator Photography

 

 

a light-touch intervention by Kong Xiangwei Studio

 

The project by Kong Xiangwei Studio arises within a courtyard complex that includes guesthouses and a single-story café. To establish a cultural center for the complex, the existing café was chosen as the base for the gallery. Its foundations allowed Kong Xiangwei Studio to insert a new architectural element while maintaining minimal impact on the existing structures.

 

The design adopts a principle of ‘light-touch intervention.’ A lightweight steel structure was placed above the original café, creating a new second floor. Its form, resembling outstretched wings, is immediately legible in the landscape. The sharply pointed apex and open span convey a sense of suspension, as though the building itself were caught mid-flight within the valley. This approach transforms the gallery into both a functional cultural space and a sculptural landmark. 

Kong Xiangwei Studio built the gallery above an existing café within a courtyard complex

 

 

inviting the tea gardens in

 

The ground floor of Kong Xiangwei Studio’s art gallery retains the café, while the upper level functions as the exhibition space. Here, transparency defines the architecture: expansive glazing dissolves boundaries, allowing the tea gardens, forests, and distant valleys to flow into the room. Photographs of migratory birds are displayed on freestanding walls, positioned so that visitors glimpse living birds in flight beyond the glass as they view the still images inside.

 

The central spatial feature is the pointed apex, supported by the steel frame and recessed to dramatic depth. It frames the valley in a single sweeping view, immersing visitors in the landscape. In sunlight, the white structure channels light into the gallery, while in fog, it softens into a diffused vessel of mist.

the lightweight steel structure resembles wings suspended over the valley

transparent glazing draws views of tea gardens and distant mountains into the interior

photographs of migratory birds are displayed on freestanding walls inside the gallery

the soaring pointed apex frames the valley and channels shifting light conditions

 

project info:

 

name: Dali Wuliangshan Flying Bird Art Gallery

architect: Kong Xiangwei Studio

location: Fenghuangshan Tea Village, Bixi Township, Nanjian County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan, China

designers: Kong Xiangwei, Cui Jun, Gao Zhuojian
photography: © Kong Xiangwei Studio, © Archi-Translator Photography | @archi_translator

The post kong xiangwei studio’s flying bird art gallery frames the rolling tea gardens of china appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

vytrum casts acoustic experience in artisanal hand-blown glass speaker virtuoso

vytrum casts sound, form, and ritual together in glass

 

Swiss company Vytrum stands as a fusion of heritage and innovation, where hand-blown glass shaped by local artisans, with centuries of craftsmanship, is distilled into objects that also serve as precision audio instruments. These sculptural companions carry the legacy of tradition while embracing the future of sound, masking behind their minimalist silhouettes cutting-edge engineering that delivers immersive clarity, while their transparent surfaces reflect light, space, and atmosphere. With sustainability and ethics guiding production, Vytrum positions itself as a shaper of a new aesthetic where music, design, and responsibility meet in harmony.

with Virtuoso, Vytrum positions itself as a shaper of a new aesthetic where music, design, and responsibility meet in harmony | all images courtesy of Vytrum

 

 

vytrum’s virtuoso reflects changing light and time

 

Vytrum is a young Swiss house founded by Matthias Frei and Marco Duff, is reshaping the way high-end sound is experienced and displayed. Based between lab and studio, the brand puts together engineering precision with the sensibility of glassmaking. Their debut creation, the Virtuoso, launched in 2024, is a hand-blown glass object designed to merge acoustics with architecture, staging music as presence, rather than solely as a background.

 

The Virtuoso begins in fire, molten quartz spun and cooled by artisans into a seamless surface. Unlike conventional speakers, there are no visible drivers or decorative elements, but only a continuous form of transparent or tinted glass, chosen for harmony with architectural space rather than trends. Each piece recalls the patience of glassblowers and the clarity of Swiss technical craft, embedding heritage into contemporary design.

launched in 2024, Virtuoso is a hand-blown glass object designed to merge acoustics with architecture

 

 

the complex engineering behind the glass

 

Duff often draws parallels to icons of craft: Stradivari violins, Steinway pianos, or early brass-and-walnut phonographs. These were objects made to be seen, kept, and celebrated before mass production reduced audio equipment to anonymous appliances. The Virtuoso reinstates that ritual, treating sound as a cultural and material companion.

 

Inside its sculptural body lies an uncompromising acoustic system: dual coaxial drivers, a refined amplifier, and digital inputs hidden from view with the emphasis put on pure tone, making it weighty, airy, and intimate. The design philosophy eliminates excess, turning sound reproduction into something that feels less like switching on a device and more like letting an instrument begin to play.

Virtuoso begins in fire, molten quartz spun and cooled by artisans into a seamless surface

the shape grows, expands, cools not as a product in assembly, but as a piece of work

inside its sculptural body lies an uncompromising acoustic system

Virtuoso embeds heritage into contemporary design

 

 

project info:

 

name: Virtuoso

company: Vytrum

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