Architecture students design an observation tower for Wasteland

In the run-up to Society Expo 2026, architecture students from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) are participating in the development of Wasteland by creating designs and concepts for an observation tower. The tower will be part of the signature project Wasteland, Skellefteå Climate Action Park, where art, climate technology, and urban planning converge. The collaboration gives students the opportunity to work on a real-world project that connects education, place-making, and sustainable transition.

AHO is a university offering programs in architecture, design, landscape architecture, and urban planning. Sustainability issues are central to both teaching and research, with a particular focus on climate and the environment, reuse, transformation, and diversity and inclusion. For students, the project offers an opportunity to put their knowledge into practice – in dialogue with real-world needs, the site’s history, and future users.

The students’ assignment is to develop a concept and design for an observation tower that will become part of Wasteland, located in the former industrial area of Scharinsområdet in Ursviken. The tower is intended to serve as a landmark and a place for learning for at least ten years, where visitors can pause, take in the landscape, and reflect on the area’s industrial heritage and ongoing transformation. The tower will not only serve as a viewing point but also reinforce the site’s narrative and become one of the park’s interactive features.

Skellefteå Climate Action Park is a central part of Society Expo 2026 and demonstrates how previously contaminated industrial land can be transformed into an inclusive and forward-looking meeting place. The project addresses societal challenges such as soil remediation, mobility, sustainable urban development, and social inclusion, combining artistic design with climate innovations and educational elements.

The collaboration with AHO is an example of how academia, local government, and the business community can come together in joint projects that contribute to both learning and societal benefit. By giving students an active role in the development of Society Expo and Wasteland, new perspectives are created on how the sustainable spaces of the future can be designed – together, with a long-term vision, and with people at the center.