Here’s a Look at Strand East, Ikea’s 27-Acre London Suburb

Rendering via Architizer

In October Ikea announced its plans to build a 27-acre suburb near Olympic Park in London, and recently renderings of Strand East, as it’s called, have been released. The community, which is designed to hold 6,000 people, will open post-Olympics—2013 is the projected date—and contain stores, a variety of housing options (including freestanding houses and apartments), and office space. According to Architizer,Strand East will be both car- and Ikea-free: the Swedish furnishings chain will not, in fact, build a mothership here. Which implies a mission that’s more thoughtful than just plain brand expansion: “the village will test the repeatability of the company’s urban schemes in countries suffering from housing shortages.” Find another rendering below, as well as a diagram depicting the various components of the community.