Since 1957 the Royal Academy of Sciences has been running a space research center just outside of Kiruna, in northern Sweden.

The IRF (Institutet för Rymdfysik) runs courses in engineering for space technology together with the University of Technology in Luleå and Umeå University. Owing to the expansion of the institution, new research and educational premises, new common and social areas and new and improved communications between the different sections of the institution were required and this also resulted in new glass facades.