International Architecture & Design Awards 2026Preem – The Social Mobility Hub
Workshop International Sweden AB
Commercial & Retail Interior Design
Preem – The Social Mobility Hub — IADA 2026 award
Preem – The Social Mobility Hub received Bronze Winner recognition at the International Architecture & Design Awards 2026 in Commercial & Retail Interior Design. Project status, design team and credits are listed alongside the presentation.
About the project
Your friend on the road
The roadside category is being fundamentally rewritten. Electrification, longer dwell times, and evolving travel behaviors demand more than fuel and convenience — they demand destinations. Preem together with Workshop seized this moment to make a bold leap forward, transforming its service stations into a new kind of roadside experience.
We led a complete end-to-end concept transformation, redefining everything from graphic expression and spatial identity to interior architecture, service elements, and food offering. Built on Preem’s brand promise “A Better Journey”, the station was reimagined as “your friend on the road” — a place designed not only for stopping, but for staying.
Elevating the Preem Personality
The new concept delivers a confident and unmistakable Preem presence, combining strong brand recognition with human warmth and clarity. A bold exterior language creates high visibility from a distance while intuitively guiding travelers to EV charging, food, services, and amenities. Inside, the station evolves from a single-purpose stop into a layered destination, structured around clear customer journeys and multiple tempos. The heart of this experience is the bespoke service counter. This multi-zonal counter is strategically divided into dedicated points for the Bistro, Kiosk, and Coffee services, ensuring a clear and intuitive flow. Despite its distinct functional zones, the counter is allowing a seamless single-operator management to optimize operational efficiency.
From Restless Play to Professional Rest
The offer expands far beyond the traditional fuel stop. A new bistro introduces fresh food and craftsmanship-inspired meals, while flexible seating, lounges, and meeting pods support eating, resting, working, and social interaction.
The spatial layout is intentionally designed to manage varying customer velocities. It provides an explorative environment for energetic young travelers to rediscover play, while simultaneously offering a secluded, ergonomic sanctuary for long-haul professional drivers in need of deep restoration. Every zone, material, and touchpoint is designed to reinforce both function and brand.
Responsible choices all the way
Sustainability is not treated as an add-on, but as a core design driver. EV infrastructure, recycling stations, and responsible material choices are fully integrated into the experience, ensuring the concept is adaptable, durable, and ready to evolve alongside changing technologies and behaviors.
The result is a category-defining roadside destination that blends hospitality, convenience, and innovation. Preem’s new station concept transforms necessary stops into valuable moments — future-ready, experience-led, and unmistakably Preem.
Workshop International Sweden AB
Workshop is a global retail agency building brands for the here and now. From screens to stores to the people behind your brand, every impression counts.
