![]() | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 4 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 2,950 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
Submission declined on 28 October 2023 by
DreamRimmer (
talk). This submission is not suitable for Wikipedia. Please read
"What Wikipedia is not" for more information.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
This draft has been resubmitted and is currently awaiting re-review. | ![]() |
This page provides an overview of engineering in the Nordic countries, both historical and modern. The long travel distances, availability of various natural resources, varying geological conditions, the rough northern climate and the presence of the sea and rivers have incited Scandinavian engineers to develop technical solutions for several societal challenges and avail of economic opportunities.
As a rugged mountaineous country, Norway's economic development has been shaped by engineers. [1]
The extensive natural resources that Sweden and Finland avail of have spurred engineers to develop major industries for processing and manufacturing.
Norway, Danmark and Sweden have a long history of ship building. Some historical vessels have been well-preserved, like the Oseberg ship in Oslo and the Vasa ship in Stockholm. The Ulstein X-Bow is an innovation in maritime engineering, launched in 2005. [2] [3] The Swedish shipyard Hallberg-Rassy, founded in 1943, is internationally known for producing sailing yachts.
Norway and Sweden are connected to Denmark and Germany through several sea ferries that cross the Skagerrak. Hurtigruten is a major ferry route established in 1893 that leads along the Norwegian coast from north to south. In Kristiansand, Larvik, Oslo, Hirtshals, Frederikshavn, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Turku there are large ferry terminals with adjacent road infrastructure and pedestrian routes for embarking. The ferry terminals at Rødbyhavn and Puttgarden have the capacity to embark trains.
During the past decades, Norway has developed significant know-how in the offshore sector, which will now become progressively important for the development of offshore wind power (ref. §6.2).
Nordic engineers have contributed to the development of mining technology (iron ore) and of industries for the manufacturing of steel and aluminium parts. Kiruna is an important mining town in northern Sweden. The Swedish steel industry is currently innovating by switching to hydrogen as a source of clean energy for producing steel ( H2 Green Steel). Norway has a number of mines. The Norwegian company Hydro is active in bauxite mining abroad. Norwegian industry is experienced in metallurgy. [4]
Since many decades, Sweden has significant activity in the automotive industry ( Volvo, Scania), aerospace sector ( Saab, Heart Aerospace) and mechanical manufacturing, which account for a major share of Swedish export. Major Swedish corporations in the field of mechanical engineering are for example NIBE Industrier ( HVAC company formed in 1989), Systemair (HVAC company founded in 1974) and Husqvarna (tools and construction equipment) which is one of the oldest companies in the world.
There are aluminium factories at several locations in Norway, which for example manufacture construction elements.
Also in Denmark there is mechanical industry, like the international companies Grundfos (the largest pump manufacturer in the world, founded in 1945), Genvex (HVAC company created in 1978) and Exhausto (HVAC company founded in 1957).
Engineering companies like Norce, Sundt Group and Blueye develop drones and robotics.
Ancient fortifications that have been preserved are for example Christiansholm Fortress in Kristiansand, Oscarsborg Fortress in the Oslofjord, Akershus Fortress and Malmö Castle. Of the Copenhagen fortifications, only a few parts are remaining today, like the Christianshavn rampart.
The English engineer Sir Ove Nyquist Arup, of Danish-Norwegian descent and educated in Denmark, has been a major influence in the field. In 1946 he founded the UK engineering firm Arup, which has been closely involved in iconic projects such as the roofs of the Sydney Opera House, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Millennium Bridge in London. Arup has become an international group, engineering some of the largest bridges and stadiums around the world.
The Danish structural engineer Jorgen I. Breuning invented the innovative hollow-core concrete floor slab system BubbleDeck, which was patended by him in 1995. [5] This bidirectional structural flooring system enables light-weight slabs with long spans in two directions. [6] The company BubbleDeck was founded in Danmark in 1991 and has since expanded to several other countries beyond Scandinavia.
Øresund Bridge is the longest bridge in Scandinavia. Currently it is the only road & rail connection between mainland Europe and the Scandinavian peninsula. As of 2024, Höga Kusten Bridge is the longest bridge in Sweden. Hardanger Bridge is currently the longest bridge in Norway. Ref. pages List of bridges in Norway. The Atlantic Ocean Road is a well-known touristic destination at the coast of western Norway. List of bridges in Sweden. List of bridges in Denmark. Among the largest infrastructure projects in Scandinavia is the E39 coastal highway route in western Norway, a large-scale road improvement project which will lead from Stavanger to Ålesund, comprising long stretches across the Boknafjord, Bjørnafjord and Sognefjord. This will involve several bridges and tunnels, among which a planned submerged floating tunnel that will cross one of the fjords. A floating bridge across the Bjørnafjord is also being considered by Statens vegvesen.
There are many tunnels in Norway. With a length of 24.5 kilometer, Lærdal Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world. The 7.5 km long Vallavik Tunnel near Bergen includes an underground roundabout that connects to Hardanger Bridge. Norwegian tunnel building know-how is also successful abroad: recently Norwegian engineers completed the construction of subsea tunnels on the Faroe Islands. [7]
Another large-scale engineering project is the Fehmarn Belt tunnel, a submerged road & train tunnel connecting Puttgarden (on Fehmarn in northern Germany) to Rødbyhavn (on Lolland in southern Denmark), for which construction has begun.
The Ypsilon bridge in Drammen was accorded the European Steel Bridges Award in 2008 and the Norwegian Steel Construction Award in 2009. The Akrobaten bridge for pedestrian and cyclists in Bjørvika (Oslo) was accorded the European Steel Bridges Award in 2012. [8] The landmark bridge Norgesporten in Ørje marks the entry to Norway when coming from Sweden on the E18 highway. [9]
The Varvsbron Dockyard Bridge in Helsingborg received the Eugene C. Figg Jr. International Bridge Prize in 2022, [10], the European Steel Design Award in 2023 and the IStructE Structural Award in 2024. [11]
The Nordic landscapes are characterised by mountains, ice caps, gletchers, fjords, rivers, swamps and boreal tundras. Scandinavian engineers have therefore developed significant know-how in geotechnical engineering, which is intensively used in the Nordics and in other parts of the world.
For example, geotechnical engineers in Scandinavia are experienced with rockfall mitigation and slope stabilisation - using rock bolting, sprayed concrete and secured drapery systems (anchored meshes). These solutions are often used next to highways in steep mountainous terrain.
The major international airports in Scandinavia are Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Oslo Airport Gardermoen and Copenhagen Airport Kastrup. Additionally, Norway has many regional airports: List of airports in Norway.
There are major ports in for instance Hamina-Kotka, Gothenburg and Narvik, which are used for international shipping.
Nordic engineers have contributed to the development of water filtration and drinking water networks internationally, often as part of development aid in third-world countries.
The Technical University in Trondheim (NTNU) comprises a reputed department for industrial ecology.
Among the major engineering works in Scandinavia are several hydroelectric power plants that employ dams in lakes and rivers. Ref. pages List of hydroelectric power stations in Sweden and List of power stations in Norway. Nordic engineers have also contributed to the development of hydropower internationally, amongst others in development countries.
Denmark is reputed for its large-scale development of wind power, especially offshore wind parks. The city of Esbjerg is a major centre for the wind energy industry. Danish industrial companies like Ørsted and Vestas are major drivers of the green energy transition, both in Denmark and internationally. Norway is currently starting with the development of offshore wind parks and ocean energy facilities. An osmotic power plant has been tested at a river mouth near Trondheim.
Recently, research was done on bifacial solar and vertical solar in Norway. Over Easy Solar is a young start-up that focuses on vertical, bifacial solar systems.
Iceland's development has to a large extent been characterised by geothermal energy; recently the innovative Icelandic company Carbfix made progress with subterranean carbon storage.
The Swedish company Fortum has innovated in the field of waste heat and recovering heat from industrial processes.
Finnish companies have innovated in the field of biochar and energy from biomass.
Norway is currently the country with the highest share of EVs. There is a considerable build-out of public charging facilities for EVs around the country. The Think electric city car was produced in Norway from 2008 to 2012.
A number of companies in Norway are driving the transition to hydrogen as a clean energy carrier: Nel Hydrogen, Norwegian Hydrogen and Green H.
Denmark has an early adopter role in the transition to renewables & improved energy efficiency. The Danish island Samsø became carbon-negative, having switched to using 100% renewable energy. [12] The City of Copenhagen plans to become zero-carbon by 2025. [13]
Nordic engineering has contributed to a number of technical innovations worldwide, for instance in the fields of ICT and electronic control & measuring systems.
Scandinavian firms have contributed to the development of technology for telecommunication:
Computer & electronics engineering are an area of focus in Scandinavian research:
The Danish industrial company Eltronic, founded in 2000, started in automation solutions and has since expanded to other engineering fields.
The Technical University in Trondheim (NTNU) has a faculty for cybernetics. Engineers educated there were involved in developing innovations in the field, such as a steering system for stabilising the highspeed ICE trains in Germany when these trains drive through railway curves at high speed.
After having studied technical physics at NTNU, the Norwegian engineer Fred Kavli created a company in the USA that manufactured sensors. He then established the Kavli Foundation, which supports innovation & development in the natural sciences. He was awarded several recognitions in honour of his scientific work.
Companies like Bang & Olufsen in Denmark and Tandberg in Norway have contributed to innovations in sound engineering, radio and television.
The Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology ( SMN) at the University of Oslo and Lund Nano Lab focus on nanotechnology.
DTU in Copenhagen has a research group that focuses on metamaterials.
The Swedish start-up Lazerah in Gothenburg is involved in developing quantum technology.
There are some biotechnological research groups in Scandinavia (like Oslo Cancer Cluster and Incubator) that are dedicated to developing cancer diagnostics and anticancer nanomedicine.
There are a number of technical universities in the Nordic countries, amongst others:
These universities provide many study programmes for B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in engineering. A few of the M.Sc. studies in engineering are organised in collaboration with other technical universities in mainland Europe.
A number of public institutions and research centres for engineering & technology are involved in, for example, product testing and publishing technical norms / technical standards.
The major professional associations for engineering & technology in Scandinavia are:
The Millennium Technology Prize is awarded biannually by the Technology Academy Finland.
Teknisk Ukeblad is a magazine for engineers & technologists in Norway, published since 1883. Comparable magazines are Ny Teknik launched in Sweden in 1967 and Ingeniøren in Denmark, published since 1892.
There are various engineering consultancies in Scandinavia, many of which are multidisciplinary. Some of the largest Scandinavian engineering companies also operate in several other countries.
An engineering firm on the Faroe Islands:
Some engineering firms that were founded in Iceland:
Some engineering consultancies that were founded in Norway:
Some consultant engineering companies that were founded in Sweden:
Some engineering firms that were founded in Finland:
Category:Engineering Category:History of engineering Category:Engineering education Category:Nordic countries
-
in-depth (not just passing mentions about the subject)
-
reliable
-
secondary
-
independent of the subject
Make sure you add references that meet these criteria before resubmitting. Learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue. If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia.