Nordic construction company Peab has secured a contract to build a new school and health centre in Karasjok, Norway, for Karasjok Municipality.

This contract is valued at Nkr543m ($48.9m).

The project involves the development of a 12,630m² facility, which will include a 'modern' school capable of housing 240 pupils from grades one to ten, along with a health centre offering a wide range of services.

Mayor of Karasjok Municipality Svein Somby said: "The new school and health centre will be directly linked to the change and transition project 'Karasjok of the Future'. This project will not only improve what we can offer in the way of culture, education and health range but also strengthen our Sami identity.

"We’re confident that Peab will deliver a functional and beautiful building that will meet the needs of residents for many years to come."

The school will feature a special education section, a teaching kitchen, a duodji workshop, a volleyball hall, a library, and a language centre.

The new health centre will include an emergency room, clinic, short-term and long-term wards, home-care services, nursing home apartments, and a commercial kitchen.

This project’s design will incorporate elements of Sami culture and tradition, using traditional patterns and colours in its architecture and material choices.

It also emphasises sustainability, with buildings designed to meet passive house standards for insulation and energy efficiency.

Environmentally friendly building materials will be used, and the project will include systems for waste reduction and recycling.

Furthermore, green spaces will be established around the buildings to enhance biodiversity.

Construction on the project is set to commence in May 2025 and be completed in late 2027.

Peab Norway head of construction operations Arild Østgård said: "We’re very pleased to have been awarded this exciting and complex project and look forward to working closely with Karasjok Municipality. This project aligns with our values of contributing to the development of modern facilities for health and education, thereby creating lasting value for the local community.

"It's also important to us that the Sami culture becomes an integral part of the construction process."

Earlier this month, Peab was also commissioned to renovate Lunden School in Gothenburg, Sweden, by the Gothenburg City Property Administration.