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• Sustainability Awards
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2010 Design Award Winners

Sustainability Awards

Project of the Year

Whole Foods Market Lincoln Park, Chicago

The culmination of three years of eco-charrettes and special contractor training, this store integrates comprehensive sustainable strategies into great design. Built to LEED Gold standards, it incorporates extensive green building practices and epitomizes the retailer’s environmental awareness core value.Designed to Energy Star standards for buildings, the store features efficiencies such as an ozone-friendly water-cooled refrigeration system, destratification fans, night curtains on refrigerated cases, LED lighting in exterior signage and freezer cases, motion-activated lighting controls in frozen food cases, and an HVAC system that reduces air flow when the space is unoccupied. At least 90 percent of all appliances are Energy Star rated, and half of the store’s energy consumption was offset through wind power purchases.From incorporating fly ash in the concrete to minimizing finishes, material decisions support environmental and health objectives. Low-VOC paints and plywood with no added urea formaldehyde improve air quality. Recycled-content materials include resins, cork and tire flooring, countertops, ceiling tiles and wall tiles, while salvaged seating augments reclaimed barnwood and reclaimed local brick, leather panels, and apple crates for reuse. Other sustainable materials are bio-based composites and rapidly renewable bamboo and cork. Certified materials include FSC-certified veneer for 70 percent of millwork, Green Seal for 100 percent of laminates, and SMART and Asthma & Allergy Friendly for VCT flooring.Signage throughout the store communicates the retailer’s emphasis on local and organic foods. A Green Mission Board in the cafe provides details on store materials, equipment, finishes, and other green building efforts. The project also features recycling stations, construction waste diversion, daylighting, a green roof, a green screen, water-efficient plumbing, and semi-permeable outdoor pavers.

Grand Prize - Tenant Improvement

Starbucks Coffee Disney Village, Chessy, France

The first international Starbucks store to apply for LEED certification, this project registered for Platinum in the pilot LEED for Retail-CI program. Mixed-mode ventilation equipment in the 3,068-square-foot space signals trained store personnel when and how far to open windows. National convection exhausts heat through an existing tower. Dual-language wayfinding educates customers, with trained personnel ready to share more. Among regional materials are renewable poplar farmed and manufactured in France and salvaged wine barrels and champagne racks.

Outstanding Merit - Standalone

Star Market at Chestnut Hill Newton, Mass.

With input from design, engineering, and project management in the pre-design phase, this 53,514-square-foot store raises the green bar for supermarkets with 100 percent LED lighting, 90 percent off-grid energy consumption, and GreenChill Platinum-Level certification. The secondary glycol refrigeration for medium-temperature cases and secondary CO2 refrigeration for low-temperature cases use 90 percent less refrigerant than a comparable market. Technological achievements were shared with 200 government and A/E representatives, contractors, students, and retailers in a special tour.

Outstanding Merit - Tenant Improvement

Eco Shoppe Great Hills Station, Austin, Texas

For this LEED Silver store, 87.5 percent of construction waste was diverted from a landfill. Fixtures of 32 percent recycled content contribute to a 40.2 percent level for store materials overall. Remilled FSC-certified wood from barns and demolished buildings adds rustic charm as flooring and cashwrap surfaces. Low-VOC adhesives and finishes, as well as wood products with no added urea formaldehyde, boost indoor air quality, complementing healthy lifestyle messages printed on recycled paper peppered with wildflower seeds, which can be planted by customers when signs are changed.

Consumer Education & Outreach

For Future Generations: Yellowstone Gifts Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.

This educationally focused remodel appeals to Yellowstone’s more than 3 million visitors annually to understand environmental threats to national parks. Graphics and displays highlight ecological issues, and a Take Action display urges shoppers to get involved. Scorecards developed for the project transparently rate the sustainability of products clearly and simply with icons, encouraging sustainable purchasing decisions based on personal values. A series of displays communicate the green building elements of the 1,200-square-foot space.

Creative Use of Reused Materials

Starbucks Coffee: Roy Street Coffee & Tea Seattle

More than half the furnishings in this store are reused. Salvaged doors refinished by local artists welcome customers. Residential moulding and a wooden crate used to ship components add visual interest as a wall treatment. Hardwood flooring from a Starbucks headquarters clads a bar topped with reclaimed stone. A sliding door made from a warehouse window partitions space for a private room. Salvaged barn wood warms up walls, while antique furniture is inviting around community tables incorporating found items.

Innovation in Energy

Star Market at Chestnut Hill Newton, Mass.

Energy-efficient design and on-site cogeneration take this space nearly off-grid. Producing 90 percent of the store’s energy, a 400-kilowatt fuel cell produces heat for hot water and space heating and cooling. LED lighting for all interior, exterior, cases, and equipment includes technology developed to meet project goals, such as spotlights illuminating produce from 14 feet above. Extensive daylighting, motion-activated light sensors, and motorized night curtains also cut energy use. Several entities will monitor the store’s ongoing energy consumption.