The Emerging Advantages of Green Retail Design

by Grayson Hart, P.E., Electrical Engineer

For many years, green retail design has sounded like an oxymoron. In an industry where the economic bottom line rules supreme, the idea of going green has long been considered a distant pipe dream that was seen as prohibitively expensive for the profit margins in which the retail world operates.

In the past couple of years, this paradigm has begun to shift. Retailers have started to acknowledge that sustainable design can be more than just a public relations opportunity for every compact fluorescent bulb installed. They have started to see green retail as it is viewed by the rest of the built environment world; it is the way of the future and a necessary part of a sustainable business model.

HANNspree, San Francisco, California

The best indication that the green shift is real and not just a blogger’s dream is the USGBC^®’s recent announcement that “LEED^® for Retail” has passed the member ballot vote, and is now cleared for official release in late 2010 or early 2011.

Like all LEED programs, “LEED for Retail” is a point-based rating system that considers location, water and energy use, building materials, resource consumption and indoor environmental quality to determine the building’s overall energy rating. “LEED for Retail” is customized to meet the specific needs of retail design and construction. The program provides tailored language and additional options to earn points, making it easier for retailers to achieve LEED certification.

Sustainable Design is Innovative

Glumac provided the MEP engineering consulting services for the REI flagship store in Boulder, Colorado, alongside architect Gensler. The project achieved a LEED Platinum certification under the LEED NC category (prior to the creation of “LEED for Retail”). The REI building boasts every sustainable design feature imaginable; a daylight harvesting system works in unison with the building’s 190 Solatube skylights, and the photovoltaic panels on the roof help the building achieve the onsite renewable energy credit. The flagship store is the epitome of maximum sustainability in the retail environment. This level of energy efficiency is important to REI, not only as a means to save money on their monthly utility bills, but to appeal to their client base - which consists of people who want to do business with retailers whose green values match their own.

Sustainable Design Saves Money

Retailers are beginning to see the significant cost-savings potential in operating sustainable buildings, while realizing that energy efficient design and construction is no longer prohibitively expensive. As a result, many prominent retailers such as Target, Whole Foods and Fred Meyer, all of which Glumac has provided design services for, are finding that monthly cost-savings provided by sustainable design can make a big difference to their economic bottom line for the duration of their building lease or the building’s operable lifespan. 

Sustainable Design Attracts Customers

The Heschong Mahone Group, Inc., contracted by the California Energy Commission, performed a study in 2003 in which an anonymous global big-box retail chain was studied to determine the impact of installing methods of daylighting (such as skylights) in its stores. The study concluded that there was a noticeable positive impact on sales in the stores with the new skylights, as well as a significant increase in employee satisfaction with the store’s additional lighting. As a result, the big-box retailer insisted on installing skylights in all of their stores. Similar companies have since followed their example, and now the use of skylights is prevalent in green retail.

There are many explanations for the shift in public opinion from green retail design as an unnecessary expense to a valuable asset. Regardless of the reasons, it is important to remember that commercial sustainability is readily available to any retailer who wants to take advantage of environmentally friendly and energy-efficient design.