| About IKEA Austria |
| About querkraft architects |
IKEA Austria has plans to build a new store in the heart of Vienna. With no vacancies for cars, the project addresses, in some way, emerging global issues, taking into account changes in the behavior of its clients and urban mobility.
The IKEA Westbahnhof is accessible only by public transport, bicycle or on foot. Designed by Vienna's querkraft architekten office, the store's four facades and roof will be covered with vegetation. Defining a new meeting point in the dense city center, the store is located at the end of Mariahilferstrasse, the main shopping street in the center.
Accessible on foot from all points of the two metro lines that pass under the building, IKEA Vienna Westbahnhof is meeting the mobility standards of the local population. The building will house, in addition to the IKEA store on its first four floors, small commercial establishments on the ground floor, creating an active facade, a hostel on the upper 2 floors and a roof garden.
Green, in accordance with the human scale, modular, the IKEA store seeks to become a landmark in Vienna. The transparency of the closings creates a welcoming aspect, in addition to offering unconventional showcase and showcase opportunities. The project team seeks to obtain BREEAM Excellent certification for the building, and, for that, plans to plant 160 trees that can lower the building's internal temperature by up to 2ºC.
Description by IKEA
Innovative and environmentally friendly
The concept focuses on the current megatrends and takes into account the dramatically changed shopping behavior as well as a new form of mobility without a car. Customers have little time and appreciate convenience and comfort. This is clearly noticeable in the furnishing area: More and more customers no longer even think about carrying their purchases home themselves. You can have them delivered. This is of course also being promoted by the boom in online ordering. IKEA at Westbahnhof does this: All products that are larger than “small items” are delivered to your home within a maximum of 24 hours.
The whole modular store is geared towards pedestrians, subway and tram drivers and cyclists - there is no space for cars. There is a lot of experience, gastronomy, space to stroll and look and more green than a park in this area could offer. 160 trees will ensure a more pleasant microclimate on the modular store. The modular building was designed by the Viennese architecture firm querkraft architekten in close connection with the specialists from IKEA.
What happens next?
On April 6, we were able to resume construction work with appropriate precautions - our Covid-19 measures follow the "Instructions of the social partners for dealing with construction sites due to COIVD-19" from March 26, 2020. The construction company takes care of the safety precautions for the construction workers (protective equipment, minimum distance, number of people in one place, hygiene regulations).
Next, the excavated material is lifted out of the basement areas and transported away below the concrete cover.
The construction site is well secured and surrounded by a construction fence, the tram stop remains. It only changed from a double to a single stop.
For the residents there is - as far as possible - current information and contact addresses (email and phone) for suggestions and complaints.
After completion of the work, IKEA will also finance the construction of a recreation area that is attractive to the neighbors. This is regulated in the context of an urban development contract.
What should the new house look like:
IKEA at Westbahnhof should become the meeting point for the whole district. In the furniture store itself, which extends over several floors, interior design ideas and the entire IKEA range are shown in an innovative way. There is room for inspiration and chilling. What will not exist is a traditional furniture store, because all larger items will be delivered directly to your home from the new logistics center in Strebersdorf.
More than 250 employees provide competent advice and a pleasant atmosphere. In addition, the modular house also offers areas that can be used by the public. And of course Swedish gastronomy, a direct connection to the public transport network and lots of greenery on all parts of the facade - including a cozy roof terrace that is also accessible outside of IKEA opening hours and invites you to linger, chat or have a coffee. A Accor JO & JOE brand hostel moves into the top two floors.
On Mariahilfer Straße, the façade on the ground floor area has been set back to create an arcade and, above all, a sidewalk that is twice as wide as before. This increases safety in the tram stop area and makes strolling more pleasant. The connection to ÖBB Bahnhof City should also be more open and inviting.
