Innovative and unique – this is how the new concept for the future IKEA store at Vienna’s Westbahnhof station presents itself. Legal counsel for the project is provided by fwp.

While many are still busy sorting out their mails after the holidays, fwp enters the New Year energetically. Swedish furniture giant IKEA is building a branch featuring a concept unique in the world at Vienna’s Westbahnhof station.

Stretching over several storeys including the basement, each having a surface of approximately 3,000 square metres, the store is going to display IKEA’s entire product line. At the same time, neither a self-service hall nor car parking spaces have been provided for – something IKEA has never done before. Customers will be able to have heavy items delivered and take easily transportable products with them immediately. One of the numerous highlights of the pilot project will be the publicly accessible roof with planting.

Legal challenges

Projects of this size involve a wide range of aspects related to construction and regional planning law. With this in mind, IKEA has secured the expertise of the Austrian top law firm Fellner Wratzfeld und Partner. In addition to taking care of the legal framework related to regional planning law, the team around fwp partner Markus Kajaba is also tasked with ensuring that any other relevant preconditions for the new construction are met. Following the envisaged amendment of the zoning plan, which has been available for inspection by the public since 3 January 2019, the new construction of the IKEA branch at Vienna’s Westbahnhof station will, among other things, require a building permit and an operating license for the opening to take place in 2021 as planned.