Rooted in our Arctic identity, our mission is to bring about positive change in communities, cities and regions.

To achieve change, we combine our skills in design, local economic development and architecture — and always seek collaboration.

Image:
Strategic Framework Andøy,
Innovasjon Norge

Latest Updates

  • What does it actually mean for a route to be age-friendly?

    October 24, 2024

    Fabric+ met with older adults from Postens pensjonistforbund to gain their insights on what solutions are needed for an age-friendly route. We gathered valuable input on measures to improve pedestrian accessibility in an Arctic city center. Read more.

  • Manuela on the importance of systemic design in crossing generational and municipal boundaries

    October 23, 2024

    As part of Change by Design 2024: Systemic design for a better tomorrow, Manuela shared the work of Fabric+ on collaborating with Tromsø municipality in exploring new care models. Read more.

  • Fabric+ secures funding to prevent worksite falls

    October 23, 2024

    With support from the Design-Driven Innovation Program (DIP) by Design og arkitektur Norge, we are using design-driven innovation to explore ways to reduce the costs associated with falls on construction sites, especially during winter. In this project, Fabric+ will be collaborating with Gjensidige, Samarbeid for Sikkerhet i bygg og anlegg (SfS BA), industry actors such as Consto AS, Peab, and others. Photo from Unsplash. Read more.

  • Ingunn facilitated Tromsø kommune's "Rom for kultur" (Space for Culture) workshop

    October 22, 2024

    Fabric+ led an inspiring workshop that laid the groundwork for Tromsø kommune’s new Kulturkvartalet (Cultural Quarter). Bringing together the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Art Museum, and a diverse range of cultural stakeholders, the session sparked engaging discussions on the future of culture in the municipality. Read more.

  • Shared insights on creating age-friendly winter routes

    October 17, 2024

    Fabric+ presented "Ageing in the Arctic" to an international audience at the annual conference hosted by the Walk21 Foundation. This year's event, themed “Everybody Walks,” brought together mobility experts from around the world to discuss mobility justice, road safety, and more, while celebrating walking as a vital mode of transport. Read more.

  • Mapping experiences and solutions for active ageing in the North Atlantic

    September 25, 2024

    In collaboration with the Center for Public Health in Greenland, we led a workshop to explore experiences and innovative solutions that promote active ageing across the North Atlantic region. The event brought together dedicated experts and stakeholders from Norway, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, as well as Sweden and Finland. It was part of the "Ageing in an Accessible Arctic" initiative, supported by Nordic Atlantic Cooperation. Read more.

  • Collaborating with Barents Youth on envisioning their ideal future housing

    September 20, 2024

    Fabric+ hosted an inspiring workshop with youth from the Barents Region exploring the question: "What does your ideal living and housing situation look like in 2040?"

    The workshop is part of Generation Barents, an initative by Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA) and Nordland fylkeskommune. Read more.

  • Our Design Director Manuela Aguirre becomes part of the WHO Age-friendly Environments Knowledge and Action Hub

    June 26, 2024

    Manuela is one of the two representatives from Norway in the Age-friendly Environments Knowledge and Action Hub of the World Health Organization. She will be speaking, alongside other brilliant experts, regarding fall prevention on June 27 (Thursday) at 9:00 and 17:00 CEST. Photo by World Health Organization. Read more. Sign up to the dialog session.

  • Taking age-friendly initiatives on a Nordic Atlantic scale — Ageing in an Accessible Arctic with Center for Public Health in Greenland

    June 19, 2024

    We kicked off Ageing in an Accessible Arctic, a project funded by NORA (Nordic Atlantic Cooperation), together with our collaborator Center for Public Health in Greenland. In this initiative, we aim to map how ageing is experienced across the Coastal Norway, Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. We are honored to work alongside Kamilla Nørtoft and looking forward to learning more about the experiences in the NORA region! Photo by Ernst Sumberg Olsen, from NORA website. Read more. Learn more about the project here.

  • Universal design on winter environments with KS

    June 6, 2024

    Fabric+ was invited by Kommunesektorens interesseorganisasjon (KS, Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities) as part of this year's regional gathering on universal design. Held in Tromsø, Fabric+ director Siri gave a presentation on Ageing in the Arctic, emphasizing the importance of climate considerations in forming universal design.

  • Fabric+ presented at the Arctic Congress 2024

    June 1, 2024

    As part of the Arctic Congress 2024, Fabric+ had the opportunity to present "Ageing in the Arctic" alongside other community well-being experts from across the region. With much positive feedback, we look forward to further collaborations! Read more.

  • Design for systems improvement: BarePrat in Tromsø

    May 23, 2024

    Manuela, our Design Director, led discussions on the importance of design in reimagining and co-designing health and care systems, drawing from her experiences in both the United States and Norway. Thank you Nordnorsk design- og arkitektursenter for the opportunity (NODA)! Photo by NODA. Read more.

  • Kvaløya bo- og velferdssenter: Project kick-off!

    May 22, 2024

    This week, Tromsø kommune kicked-off the Kvaløya bo- og velferdssenter, with Fabric+ leading the service design for WSP. Fabric+ will engage stakeholders in diagnostic activities and solution development to ensure efficient integration of public services, the voluntary sector, and the local community. Read more. Learn more about the project.

  • We will be presenting winter accessibility in Lisbon!

    May 21, 2024

    "Ageing in the Arctic" has been selected as one of the presentations for Walk21’s annual international conference in October. We are thrilled to present our initiatives on accessibility in Northern Norway to a wider international audience. Read more.

  • Talk on winter accessibility and methods of participation with the Fylkeskommunale Eldreråd

    May 16, 2024

    Our director, Siri, was invited by Nordland fylkeskommune to speak at the Fylkeskommunale Eldreråd about accessibility in the Arctic. The discussion particularly focused on transect walking as a method to gather input and gain perspective on how the city is experienced by the elderly during winter. Read more.

  • Artificial Intelligence in Urban Design and Planning

    April 17, 2024

    Margie, our urban designer, had the opportunity to present at the Tromsø kommune with insights into AI's transformative role in urban planning processes. She also presented a brief version of the presentation to Nordnorsk design- og arkitektursenter's annual meeting, providing inspiration in a large audience of architects, designers, and planners. Read more.

  • Accessible Arctic is supported by Bufdir!

    April 12, 2024

    Fabric+ has received support from Bufdir (The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs) under the grant for universal design! Read more. Learn more about the project.

  • Ageing in the Arctic Report in the Stormen Library!

    April 11, 2024

    Our report “Ageing in the Arctic – Age-Friendly Cities in Winter” is now available for borrowing at Bodø’s public library, Stormen Bibliotek. Read more.

  • Knowledge-sharing on testbeds and innovation districts with Oslo kommune

    April 7, 2024

    Siri, the director of Fabric+, led an engaging session with Oslo Kommune and its collaborators on how we can utilize test arenas to address complex societal issues. Read more.

  • Discussing accessibility in Arctic cities through INNSIKT Bodø

    March 22, 2024

    Fabric+, who shared stage with various field leaders, presented its findings on winter accessibility, particularly concerning the aging population.

  • Co-designing inclusive Arctic urban spaces in Bodø

    March 13, 2024

    Fabric+ served as a collaborator with Nordnorsk design- og arkitektursenter in the week-long participatory process involving Molobyen and NTNU design students to gather input on creating more accessible Arctic urban spaces.
    Read more.

Discover more at LinkedIn

Our Values and
Services

We believe in:

  • Local knowledge for better results: We value strong local ownership diagnosis, understanding local conditions, and working for local ownership.

  • Empowerment and capacity building, from the bottom up: Change and development needs to be locally rooted. We believe in supporting change through broad stakeholder involvement, and capacity-building.

  • Sustainability and inclusivity in spaces, services and systems: We put user needs at the centre of our service, space and systems design.

  • Integrated approach: We bring a diverse set of expertise, including design, architecture, health and geography.

  • Based on the latest research, local context, and global best practices, we co-design projects, strategies and policies aimed at long-term prosperity and well-being, grounded in local strengths, voices and needs.

    We specialise in:

    • Economic transition and diversification

    • Promoting and facilitating innovation

    • Integrated planning including a variety of skills and perspectives

    Contact: Siri Arntzen-Ratnarajan, MSc Local Economic Development
    Email: sa@atarkitktur.no

  • We are part of AT Arkitektur, comprising 35 planners, architects, and advisors working in property development, planning, and architecture.

    We collaborate closely and coordinate across internal and external disciplines, challenging each other's assumptions and fields to push for better quality, innovation, and functionality for future users.

    Contact: Ingunn Lindbach
    Email:il@atarkitektur.no

  • With senior citizens at the center, we identify how a community, service, or policy can become more age-friendly. This is essential to ensure our aging population can thrive independently for as long as possible.

    We bring the age-friendly perspective to all our projects dealing with housing, outdoor spaces, employment, transportation, digital services, social connectedness, and health care, following the WHO’s Age-Friendly Cities and Communities framework.

    Our projects include Ageing in the Arctic, Arctic Accessibility, and Kvaløya Bo- og Velferdsenter.

    Contact: Ingunn Lindbach
    Email: il@atarkitetur.no

  • We specialise in designing and developing services that can serve a variety of functions while working together seamlessly within a single environment.

    Our approach ensures that different services not only meet diverse needs but also communicate and collaborate effectively, creating a cohesive system. By integrating these services, we enhance efficiency, reduce complexity, and deliver solutions that are flexible and adaptable to changing requirements.

    Contact: Manuela Aguirre, Ph.D, Systemic Design
    Email: manuela.aguirre@atarkitektur.no

Projects

Vil hindre knall og fall

How can design-driven innovation enhance worker safety on construction sites during winter?

In collaboration with Gjensidige Insurance and leading industry partners like Peab Norway, Consto, and the Safety Partnership in Construction, Fabric+ will lead a design process focused on enhancing safety standards to reduce fall-related accidents on construction sites.

Oslo Science City

How can Oslo Science City - Norway’s largest innovation district - become a testbed where cutting-edge research is applied and tested in the physical space?

We developed a Norwegian definition of testbeds, and a roadmap for how to develop Oslo Science City into a world-class testbed. Having a unified concept across actors is a prerequisite to facilitate an innovation district.

Kvaløya bo- og velferdssenter

How can design thinking be utilised in building urban and community developments centered on well-being?

Under WSP, Fabric+ leads the service design process, forming a critical part of programming the built environment and services for this mixed-use development called BOV.

Our team is truly multidisciplinary.

We combine tools and methods from economic development, design, health, planning and architecture to achieve better projects, places and services.

Siri Arntzen, MSc

#LocalEconomicDevelopment #Testbeds #Innovation

Specialising in economic development strategy, innovation districts, testbeds and living labs.

Manuela Aguirre, PhD

#SystemsOrientedDesign #CreativeFacilitation #HealthcareInnovation #Ecosystem Visualization

Specialising in systems-oriented design and service innovation — ensuring smooth collaboration, inclusive and sustainable systems and services.

Ingunn Lindbach, MNAL

#Architecture #Placemaking #ProcessFacilitation

Specialising in architecture, placemaking and process facilitation.

Joyce Aguirre, MPM

#UrbanPlanning #Mobility #PublicManagement #ProjectDevelopment

Aids in place-based project implementation through expertise in planning, management, project development, and how people move.

Jan Ratnarajan, MBBS

#SocialDeterminantsOfHealth #AgeFriendlySolutions

Jan is a medical doctor specialising in designing services and preventative solutions that promote well-being and healthy ageing.