All Things Urban

The IE School of Architecture and Design has partnered with Ingka Centres for an exciting new challenge about the world of retail and how it is expanding into city making—and we want to hear from you. Submit your answers to our questionnaire regarding Ingka Centre´s new development project for the chance to win one of four scholarships to the IE Master in Real Estate of your choice, part-time or full-time. So what are you waiting for? Think creatively about the future of the city and your future. We hope it will be at IE! CHALLENGE BRIEF The pandemic has altered the way we use public spaces. And companies like Ingka Centres are taking note. They are re-thinking their physical spaces and the relationships with their context. The iconic retailer is set to open its first inner-city London store in 2022. The urban store—located in the heart of the Hammersmith and Fulham borough—marks a shift in the brand’s strategy to go beyond simply retail and to meet consumers’ evolving needs. This development will have huge real estate and architectural implications on the surrounding area. IKEA’s parent company Ingka Centres acquired the space, Kings Mall Shopping Centre, from Schroders for £170 million (€200 million) in 2020. The vision is to create an Ingka Centre to be a “meeting place.” After being completely redeveloped, Kings Mall will become Ingka Centres’ first mixed-use project in a downtown location, easily accessible by both private and public transport. With 27,133 square meters of functional facilities, including the shopping center and car park, the space will be anchored by an IKEA city store. Although Kings Mall will remain a retail-led destination with stores like H&M, Primark, Lidl and Sainsbury’s, this new meeting place will go far beyond shopping. It will be heavily driven by the needs of the local community and “co-created” with local authorities to become a go-to destination for people to shop, socialize and relax. According to Ingka Centres, IKEA’s People & Planet Positive strategy—the company´s sustainability agenda—will be at the forefront of the redevelopment. PRIZES The IE Real Estate Competition will award the following prizes to the winners: - FIRST PLACE (ONE WINNER) Will be awarded consisting of: Pending admission to the IE Master in Real Estate of your choice (part-time or full-time), an €11,000 scholarship towards tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year. - SECOND PLACE (THREE WINNERS) Will be awarded consisting of: Pending admission to the IE Master in Real Estate of your choice (part-time or full-time), a €9,000 scholarship towards tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year.

KEY DATES - JULY 21ST, 2021- Challenge kicks off - SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2021 - Last day for submissions - SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2021- Finalists announced - SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2021- Announcement of winners REGISTRATION - There are no registration fees for the IE Real Estate Competition. - Submissions must be sent directly to Victor Aleñar, Senior Manager - Global Recruitment Team at IE University - Email: [email protected] - Please book a call with Victor if you have any doubt. DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED - Each candidate must send their answers to the questionnaire in a vertical .pdf format that is a maximum of five pages. The questionnaire can be downloaded here: https://docs.ie.edu/school-architecture-design/questionnaire-real-estate.docx - Candidates must also submit their CV. - Optional: If you would like to submit additional material, you can send one horizontal slide—16:9 or 4:3—in .jpg or .png format. Please note that all text must be in English. Font, sizing and layout must be consistent with the given template. _ Files must be named as follows: surname_name_ courseletter.pdf Example: John Smith, candidate for “MRED”: Smith_John_MRED.pdf _ **IMPORTANT INFORMATION** Documents must be submitted to Victor Aleñar, Senior Manager at Global Recruitment: [email protected]

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