Choosing local architects in Nedre Gruvedalen

LPO won the competition among six bidders. The competition was announced in August this year, and three of the bidders were invited to clarification meetings.

- LPO knows Longyearbyen and the conditions here. They presented a clear plan for how they will work together with us and test several alternatives early. They also showed how good visualisations can give better communication and greater predictability during the planning process. That was important to us, because this is when the big choices in the project are made (translated), says Henning Stalsberg, property manager at Store Norske.

Testing solutions before the plan is locked

The design team will first prepare a sketch project and an illustration basis that will provide premises and a professional foundation for the further sub-plan work. The contract also includes an option for a preliminary project and for preparing the tender documents for a design-and-build contract, which will build on the solutions and frameworks that result from the sub-plan process.

The work starts with an intensive development phase in which the design team, together with Store Norske and Statsbygg (the Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property), tests alternative approaches to building layout, housing typologies and solutions for terrain, parking and outdoor areas.

- This is one of the most exciting and significant projects in Longyearbyen right now, and we are very proud to have been chosen for the assignment. It is a site with great qualities that we really look forward to developing together with Store Norske, Statsbygg and Longyearbyen lokalstyre (the local council). We live here ourselves and know how much good residential areas mean to the town, says Ingvild Sæbu Vatn, head of LPO's office in Longyearbyen and design manager.

LPO has had an office in Longyearbyen since 2011. The company has around 140 employees and also has offices in Oslo, Bergen and Lillehammer.

Replaces old housing exposed to avalanches

Nedre Gruvedalen lies on the shoulder of Sukkertoppen, with views of both Longyeardalen and Adventdalen. The area has good qualities, while the terrain and existing conditions pose challenges that must be handled in the further development. Today there are five residential blocks from the late 1970s with around 95 small apartments. Four of the blocks are owned by Store Norske and one by Statsbygg. There are no family apartments in the five buildings, and the building stock is technically obsolete. The plan is to demolish the buildings and build more densely, with more family apartments. The new homes are also to replace, among others, 31 avalanche-exposed homes in Lia that Store Norske is to demolish.

The project was put on hold in spring 2026 because it was unclear how the housing cap in the Svalbard White Paper was to be followed up. After Sysselmesteren (the Governor of Svalbard) pointed out in September that the housing accounts can be secured through provisions in the sub-plans, Store Norske resumed the work.

- Now we are entering an important phase in which the solutions for the area are to be developed and tested further. We are doing this together with Statsbygg and in good dialogue with Longyearbyen local council. The input from the youth council about playgrounds and meeting places will also be carried forward in the work on the outdoor areas, says Emil Lindberg, head of planning and projects at Store Norske

For more information:

Henning Stalsberg, property manager, Store Norske, mobile 91 54 09 74, e-mail henning.stalsberg@snsk.no

Emil Lindberg, head of planning and projects at Store Norske, mobile 95 00 98 80, e-mail: Emil.lindberg@snsk.no

Ingvild Sæbu Vatn, partner and office manager, LPO arkitekter Longyearbyen, mobile 995 00 024, e-mail isv@lpo.no