IE Real Estate Competition: The New Oxford Circus, London is a design challenge organized by the IE School of Architecture and Design, Madrid. This, the second competition that IE University has dedicated to the real estate sector, is for the new IKEA store in Oxford Circus, London, an initiative of the Ingka Group, which manages 374 IKEA stores in 30 countries.
Architects who wish to participate need to register by August 5, with the winning submissions announced on August 15. The successful architects will win one of three scholarships to attend the university’s Master in Real Estate Development program, part-time or full-time, during the 2022–23 academic year.
To register, you must send the required documents – answers to the competition questionnaire, your CV, and, if needed, a slide with additional material – by e-mail to Victor Aleñar, senior manager, Global Recruitment Team, IE University, [email protected]
>>> Click here for all the details for registering for the competition
The pandemic has transformed city life and the way we use public spaces. Our habits have changed, many of us often work remotely and might only go to the office a couple of times a week, and we’re now regularly – and happily – doing our shopping online. Aware of this, Ingka Group is rethinking its spaces and its relationship with cities, aiming to become part of the day-to-day ecosystem of urban centers. In late February, the group – which comprises the operational areas of IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments, and Ingka Centres – opened the first inner-city IKEA store in London. The space, which changed its name from Kings Mall to LIVAT, is in the Hammersmith shopping district, and was conceived as a place where you can shop, socialize, and relax.
Ingka Group has also acquired from Arcadia the seven-story building at 241 Oxford Street, previously home to the iconic Topshop flagship store, to transform it into London’s next IKEA. Standing on the corner of Regent Street, the store is part of Oxford Circus, a busy junction in London’s West End with easy access by both public and private transport. The pandemic dealt a hefty blow to this area, one of the most famous shopping precincts in the world. The opening of the second IKEA mini-store is scheduled for fall 2023: “It’s an opportunity to create a more accessible, affordable, and sustainable IKEA,” said Krister Mattsson, managing director of Ingka Investments.
Please refer to the individual images in the gallery to look through the photo credits