IKEA Austria is establishing a car-free city center store, in the heart of Vienna. Addressing global issues, IKEA’s newest building will cater to the changes in customer and mobility behaviors.
With an innovative concept and design, the IKEA Westbahnhof is only reachable by public transport. Designed by querkraft architekten, a Vienna based architectural company, the 4 facades and the roof terrace of the shopping center will be green. Fresh ideas are also introduced in the interior display and presentation as well as in the exterior visibility. Creating a meeting place in the dense city center, the store is located at the end of Mariahilferstrasse, the main shopping street. With consumer behaviors focusing more on e-commerce, IKEA is also promoting online ordering possibilities.
Reachable by a 20 minutes’ walk from every end of the 2 metro lines underneath the building, IKEA Vienna Westbahnhof is serving the mobility patterns of the people living in the area. The building will be hosting an IKEA store on the first 4 levels, 4 shops along Mariahilferstraße to create an active shopping street, a hostel on the upper 2 floors and a publicly accessible roof garden.
Green, human scale, with a concept based on a grid, the IKEA store will become a landmark. The transparency in the architecture generates a welcoming aspect, as well as offering display opportunities. Aiming to get a BREEAM Excellent certification for the building, 160 trees on the building will lower temperatures by at least 2 degrees, making the surroundings significantly greener and more enjoyable. In fact, IKEA is known for creating a more sustainable way of living and doing business.
