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2022 UDAD 🏆 Awards

Gold Winner | IKEA the Good Neighbour | querkraft architekten

The good neighbour Urban, car-free IKEA furniture store and hostel with public roof terrace
Car-free + urban
This building makes an important contribution to the future of a living and ecological city and also to the future of retailing – this is an urban IKEA with excellent connections to the public transport system and an inviting roof terrace – a good neighbour.
IKEA invited nine architecture practices to help with the search for an idea for the inner-city location. At the briefing stage already, the client formulated the aim: “We want to be a good neighbour”. The architects approach to achieving this goal is reflected by a building that represents an added value, also for its surroundings. The roof terrace accessible to the public that offers somewhere to drink coffee, to relax and to enjoy the view of the city, and the large amount of greenery on all the facades – these are all aspects that contribute to being “a good neighbour”.

Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards 2023: Discounted Entries Open Now! Save $50
Super Early Discount – 1st May 2022 to 30th June 2022 – $199 = $149

Gold 🏆 Winner
Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards 2022

IKEA the Good Neighbour
Commercial Architecture Built

Firm
querkraft architekten

Architect/Designer
querkraft architekten

Design Team
Jakob Dunkl, Carmen Hottinger, Veronika Felber, Sonja Mitsch, Ursula Konzett, Max Quick, Johanna Sieberer, Michael Voit, Stefanie Klocke, Fabian Partoll, Margarita Shileva

Location
Vienna

Country
Austria

Photographer/Copyright
©Hertha Hurnaus, Christina Haeusler

External shelving
The building’s external shell recalls a set of shelves. This 4.3-metre-deep, shelf-like zone runs around the building and provides shade. It allows spaces to expand, provides room for terraces and greenery, as well as for servant elements like lifts, escape stairs, toilets and building services.

Openness allows interaction
The entrance level will be a lively place – a generous void links it to the retail areas that stretch in front of it along the street. A void extending right through the interior of the building allows visual contacts between the different storeys.

160 trees on and around the building
Trees on the facade and on the roof have a perceptible impact on the microclimate. As the trees could be placed at different heights and depths in the building there is more planting than would be possible on the building’s ground area. The climbing plants and trees of the IKEA furniture store have a cooling and humidifying effect – like a kind of natural air conditioning system. The air temperature improves at the pedestrian level, too. Computer simulations indicate a relevant temperature decrease of 1.5°C.

Centralised + efficient building services
To ensure efficient conditioning of the building the services are based on a simple principle: short distances and direct access. In the building the infrastructure is left visible, which increases the perceived height of the space.

Mix of functions through open floor plans
The prefabricated reinforced concrete columns stand on a c. 10 x 10-metre grid that allows flexibility in the use and design of the spaces. Adaptations to meet changing demands can be made easily, as is already becoming apparent. IKEA retail occupies the lower floors, the Jo&Joe Hostel with 345 beds is located on the top two floors. This mix creates a building that is alive 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.