2 minute read
The inner-city IKEA store that rethinks just about everything
Potsdamer Platz, ECE and Brookfield
Earlier this year Potsdamer Platz announced that Mission: Play, Mattel’s first European entertainment experience, will open in Spring 2022, as part of ECE and Brookfield Properties’ relaunch of the estate. The 4,000 sq m centre will include themed zones for Barbie, Hot Wheels and Mega Bloks. The site will be developed by iP2Development and operated by Planet Leisure Germany. The Mattel-branded family entertainment centre reflects Brookfield’s vision in re-launching Potsdamer Platz as Berlin’s premier lifestyle, food and entertainment destination.
Developed by Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), Diriyah Square will be the commercial heart of its major 5 sq km $50bn Diriyah project on the edge of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, scheduled to open by 2024. Diriyah Square is at the heart of the Diriyah masterplan, bringing together over 400 global retail brands, complemented by an additional 100 local Saudi artisan souks. The district will deliver a lifestyle o ering; from leisure and entertainment, ultra-luxurious hotels, and places to work and live. It has been conceived as a predominantly open-air streetscape of inviting laneways, open-air courtyards, and souks.
WITH car-free shopping and a tree-covered modular design, the IKEA Westbahnhof store in central Vienna is not what you might expect from a re-imagined IKEA store. It opened on August 26, as the first inner-city store to o er a full range of IKEA products and provide same-day delivery so customers can leave the car at home. Situated in the middle of Vienna, the seven-storey, 18,000 sq m grid-like design by Austrian architect Querkraft, developed by Ingka Centres, showcases innovative sustainable practice, with 160 trees, solar panels and hyper-efficient heating and cooling. Focused on omni-channel, visitors only require the IKEA App and a credit card, with same-day delivery by electric trucks for products that are too big to carry. Occupying the top two floors is a hostel called Jo&Joe, run by Accor, and above this a rooftop terrace, open to the public and shielded by solar panels. “We used the challenges of the pandemic to accelerate technologies such as contactless and to base ourselves on people power and being data driven to guarantee a personal relationship and create trust.,” deputy global CEO, IKEA, Belen Frau says. “We are remapping the future and definitely see this as an opportunity around fulfilment. Where once we saw our locations as outside the cities where people live, now we see them as very well-placed delivery locations. We are experimenting with smaller formats and specialist shops, including planning studios.”
