The "Design Accessible for All" logo will become a literal slogan for IKEA and London-ites. Now not only will we be able to stock our interiors with IKEA furniture (and our bellies with their inexpensive food!), but we can also embrace IKEA's modern, simple, affordable designs everywhere we do-- at least in a small city in London. Located near Olympic Park in Stratford (East London), IKEA made a proposition for a new city design based on a Scandinavian city precedent.
The final design concept is water-based: city harbors and waterways accessible and usable by the locals. It has been called a "mini-Venice"; the city will have two waterways using mooring, water taxi service, and even contain a floating cocktail bar. It consists of 1,200 houses, shops cafe's and a 350-room hotel.
“The aim is to create a friendly neighbourhood idyll, with courtyards and a public square to encourage interaction, and the unsightly aspects of life will be kept to a minimum. Cars will be parked underground and rubbish will be discreetly disposed of through underground tunnels. A school, health surgery and nursery will be built to minimise inconvenient travel.”
Will this perfect town come automatically furnished with IKEA furniture?-- I wonder. ;)
I find this project to be a great experience. However, I cannot but recall a Sullivan (Kindergarten Chats) critique of the common mistake of architects and designers applying theories that sound good on paper into large scale designs. Will these liberal ideas work? Are they too ideal? I guess we'll have to wait and see when these circumstances are actually "lived in". Personally, I have always put a lot of faith into Scandinavian designs--- as far as them being practical, functional, and beautiful. However, I cannot seem to get past the fact that my IKEA furniture never seems to last too long.... hmmm
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via Architecture Lab
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