(Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
A gridded facade dotted with trees enlivens the IKEA store in the city center of Vienna , Austria, designed by Querkraft Architekten. (Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
This IKEA store has seven floors and is only accessible by foot or public transport. According to the store, the project is a response to creating a sustainable shopping experience. (Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
"About two-thirds of the citizens of the Austrian capital live in the city centre and don't even have a car. They come by public transport, walk, cycle or scooter. So the store caters to all these changes in behaviour ," he says. IKEA. (Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
Querkraft Architekten hopes the store represents the future of retail and urban design. “This building makes an important contribution to the future of a living, green city and also to the future of retail – this is an urban IKEA, with excellent public transport connections and an inviting rooftop terrace,” the studio explained. (Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
(Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
Built in steel and concrete, with a depth of 4.5 meters, the structure wraps around the building and incorporates terraces , open spaces and rooms where the store and services are expanded. (Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
This grid structure also provides space for 160 potted trees and climbing plants, which are intended to act as a natural air conditioning system and help purify the air nearby. (Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
According to the studio, computer simulations indicated that the planting could lower the temperature around the store by approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius . Another unconventional feature of this IKEA store is the inclusion of a hostel on its upper levels. (Christina Häusler/CASACOR)
While the first four floors feature IKEA products, the top two levels comprise 345 beds . There is also a publicly accessible rooftop garden that incorporates photovoltaic systems. 
