In August 2019, we opened our new office for Sustainability & Hospitality. The office’s primary task is to ensure that sustainability continues to be a natural part of AKKC’s everyday activities, as well as contributing to making Aalborg Denmark’s sustainable destination. The focus on sustainability must of course also be visible in terms of interior design.
We therefore reached out to IKEA Aalborg and Aalborg University in order to launch a collaboration aimed at giving the office for Sustainability & Hospitality a shot in the arm in terms of sustainable interior design.
At IKEA, sustainability has long been an area of focus. In 2015, the major international group won The Guardian Sustainable Business Award for its collaboration with organisations such as the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), where it helped cotton-growers all over the world to develop sustainable methods. In connection with the above, IKEA also won a prize for its ambitious energy and climate initiatives.
Young minds onboard
In order to realise the goal of sustainable interior design, AKKC and IKEA Aalborg invited students and graduates from Aalborg University to a brainstorming session at the beginning of November at AKKC in order to get as much sustainable input as possible. The students had free reign and repaid the confidence shown in them with lots of creative proposals for the interior design.
- It was really interesting to hear what these young minds came up with when faced with the question of sustainable interior design. Some of the ideas that we’d come up with ourselves were thus confirmed through the workshop, whilst there were other things that we hadn’t thought of at all, explains a delighted Jan Kvistborg, who is Head of Sustainability & Hospitality.
IKEA Aalborg was also positive with regard to the brainstorming session, which was designed to bring them closer to a design for the office.
- There was great energy during the workshop, and we left with lots of inspiration and ideas which we took back to IKEA and worked on some more, says Stine Sofussen, Commercial Activity Leader at IKEA Aalborg.
Open for visits
The office has just been finished and consists primarily of IKEA’s products, which each tells a brief story of sustainability through the choice of materials. Furthermore, upcycled elements are used in the interior design from suppliers such as Råt&Godt – Urban City, which is a joint business partner.
- We have many guests at AKKC for whom it’s relevant to look at how others go about implementing sustainability. And here our collaboration with IKEA Aalborg can show the way with the sustainable materials that have been chosen in the interior design. The new surroundings shall create the settings for partnerships between local players. And the new office is open for visits, adds Jan Kvistborg.