Avion Shopping

On behalf of Ikano Retail, who later changed names to Ikea Centres, we designed the mall Avion Shopping in Umeå. The mall is built adjacent to an Ikea store, and the shopping mall in Umeå is one of Ikea Centres’ 58 shopping destinations around Europe.

Our architects in charge are Emma Nilsby and Christer Blomqvist. They have the following story to tell:

“We have been involved in the project from the beginning to the end with the exception of the detailed planning. We stayed on as design architects during the construction stage and were even responsible for the interior concepts and the interior design of the public spaces. The concept we went with for the exterior was the feeling of a brilliant and reflecting ice crystal with associations to the location up north.”

“The concept we worked on with the exterior is the feel of a shining and reflecting ice crystal.”

– Emma Nilsby and Christer Blomqvist, architects

The third living room

Avion Shopping is a 34,000 square metre large shopping centre with approximately 90 shops spread over two floors. There are six restaurants and five cafés. The orientation inside the building therefore, has been an important aspect for us, to accompany the visitor and make sure that the visit is a special experience that they would like to repeat. For that reason, we wanted to design the project as ‘the third living room’, after our homes and our workplaces. The mall should be both a meeting place and a destination, and therefore, the function is crucial. One result of this is that there are no dead ends in the mall – visitors are strolling along two oval circuits. This offers two clear lines of sight in the space and contributes to an increased ability to navigate the space.

Collage

Material and colours have been left natural, so there is for example a lot of ash on panels and floors. We tried to create a typically Scandinavian feel where the colours of the interiors reflect the seasons.

Not a box

The exterior looks like a large box, there is no denying it. But we have tried to come away from the convention of the typical box-like architecture that so often dominates commercial projects. We have therefore, in consultation with Ikea Centres, developed a facade with sandwich elements of aluminium, on which we placed an undulating decorative expanded metal. But how can we get away from the ‘box’? Well, by working with trailer lights from above and down behind the facade, we create the impression that the building glitters at night and when the undulating shape is emphasised, it gives a much more three dimensional feel.

“We are happy that we managed to create this special and characterful facade. It was a bit of a risk or maybe a wish from our side but Ikea Centres were positive to it”, says Emma Nilsby.

The final result we reached by making a 1:1-scale model in consultation with the manufacturers.

Trading places are and have historically always been important to us people

Location, location, location

A building where the logistics function as planned and the flow of people works well, the location of the shops follows in a natural way. We have been careful to make sure that every shop is visible and gets the opportunity to express its presence.

“Trading places are and have historically always been important meeting places for us people. In addition, they are often meeting places that we here at Tengbom try to make functional and useful. Moreover, malls are interesting environments for us to design, as they are spaces that everyone has access to but are still not really part of the public space. Therefore, we have started focusing on creating environments where people want to stay and mingle, that offer you excitement as well as playfulness”, says Emma Nilsby.