Lennart Elfgren believes that it is the developer who is responsible for getting it right when building houses and that it is the new design with flat roofs and new materials that is not suitable in Kiruna's Arctic environment.

"The law is crystal clear"

Last autumn, commercial districts 7, 8 and 9 opened in Kiruna's new district, and meltwater has already flowed into the premises in the first winter.

"The law is crystal clear in that regard. It is the developer and the client, in this case LKAB, who are responsible and must hire the necessary expertise, and if they have not done so, they have made a mistake. You should seek the skills needed to get a building that is fit for purpose, and it is not if water is flowing," says Lennart Elfgren.

"Flat roofs do not work in Kiruna"

The law and the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning provide the opportunity for the developer to use new designs and materials, such as flat roofs.

"But it is the developer who is responsible for ensuring that it works," says Lennart Elfgren.

He wants to see new legislation for water accumulations and water pressure on roofs that is similar to the legislation for how much snow a roof should withstand.

"We have known for a long time that water cannot be fooled, and if you build flat roofs where water collects after the snow melts, gaps find their way in and then it starts to leak. Flat roofs work in the southern latitudes, but in Kiruna it works poorly and we know that," says Lennart Elfgren.