A unique IKEA museum experience has been created in the restored first IKEA store, known as the ‘Old Star’, in the heart of Älmhult, Sweden. The multi practice team was led by the creative team for the IKEA Museum project at IKEA with Wilkinson Eyre Architects. We undertook a masterplan overview of the connections to the new Museum through the town, with a view to wayfinding ; the sequence of spaces around the Museum and how they could be used as flexible space for events, fairs, outside exhibition and meeting. The space in front of the building was re-thought as a new ‘public square’ with a lightweight canopy providing shelter and interesting shadow patterns. Connectivity with the local landscaperock, stone, water, forest inspired the setting of the Museum and water features that changed with the seasons.

Client: IKEA

Architect: Wilkinson Eyre

'Due to the limitations of the footprint of the 1958 building, a 500m² museum café is housed in an adjacent 1990’s structure. By introducing a canopy to link the two buildings WilkinsonEyre created a ‘public’ square providing both shelter for al fresco dining during warmer months an exciting visual link between the ‘Old Star’ and the café. The canopy was envisaged to be a lightweight structure allowing for maximum light penetration whilst providing protection from the extremes of both sun and rain. The public square beneath was designed by Coe Landscape to be hard landscaped with water features that provide a changing environment in connection with the seasons.' - Wilkinson Eyre