Tankebanan. : A knowledge network for northern potential.

I have always known that I would leave my hometown. Always been told that it is too boring for a dreamer, that it is a place where all ambition wanes. None of my childhood friends stayed; we all moved towards something bigger, something better- towards opportunities. We all moved, to some degree, south. Depopulation of rural communities is not unique to Norrland but Tankebanan investigates this topic within the context of the northern inlands of Sweden, exploring its industrial history and local conditions. The project aims to create an infrastructure strengthening the social and cultural capital of the inland by generating educational, entrepreneurial and identity building activities in the region. The site of the project stretches along Malmbanan, the railway transporting iron from the industries of the inland to the ports of Narvik and Luleå. The tracks are a physical trace of the industrial history of the region and therefor a suitable location for the project that proposes three fixed nodes along the railway, each targeting one specific aspect of the knowledge network. The nodes are Creation in Abisko, Education in Kiruna and Entrepreneurship in Gällivare.Tankebanan reprograms old carbarns within the towns into hubs of activity and optimism, aiming to challenge the pessimism often connotated with the region, causing people to leave. It aims to turn struggles into challenges and encourage young people to see the potential within themselves and within Norrland. This phase of the project explores the node of Education in Kiruna, which proposes an alternative university for those who wish to obtain a degree without leaving the north. The program consists of a public library and train station, educational facilities, conference rooms and accommodation for long distance commuters. It is hosted within a modular system, relating to the module of the train car and extending the network of the rails into the building