The architectural trend of covering buildings with greenery is visible in more and more places. Soon, Ikea in Austria will open a new shop fully in line with this trend. No blue block box as we know it from Ikea, but a building covered with some 160 trees.
IKEA ‘Vienna Westbahnhof’ has been designed by the local architectural firm ‘Querkraft Architekten’ and will be located in the centre of Vienna. The building covers 21,600 square metres and features an architectural design inspired by a bookshelf system, complemented by greenery. The whole exudes flexibility, light and simplicity. This makes the building transparent and gives it a welcoming character that embraces natural light. The sense of being both indoors and outdoors creates the necessary harmony whilst shopping.
The façade consists of open and closed façade elements, allowing trees to grow on each level. Each façade level has vertical walls, open and light window areas and light-covered parts. The lower floors are used by Ikea; the top two floors are reserved for a hostel . In addition, the building includes a publicly accessible roof garden.
The shop has a central location and offers no public parking spaces. However, customers are not obliged to lug their new furniture into the metro: a new logistics centre is being developed elsewhere in Vienna from where same-day delivery will take place.
IKEA ‘Vienna Westbahnhof’ has been developed with BREEAM Excellent (a green building standard) in mind and therefore features a sustainable design. The building will have a highly efficient ventilation system and is due to be completed in 2021.
