Green building initiatives for the retail sector are booming.
With reasons for greening ranging from moral decisions to money-saving schemes, depending on the agenda of the person implementing the green initiative, there can be no denying that green is trending, and has in fact reached ‘uber-trend’ levels with environmentally responsible initiatives increasingly ‘the next big thing.’
It seems like a no-brainer that an industry such as retail, which relies heavily on trends and trend promotion, would be right on board with the green movement, and that can be seen through a growing number of green retailers popping up worldwide.
Brookfield Multiplex’s $215 million Stockland Shellharbour shopping centre redevelopment, in development in Australia, promises to be much more than a trendy boutique retailer.
With stage two of the development now complete, interiors of the finished sections are coming to light, boasting a number of visually and environmentally impressive aspects.
Designed by The Buchan Group, stage two showcases strong energy conservation throughout the interior design, which includes deep internal voids that aim to maximise natural light – something that is rarely in abundance in shopping complexes. While natural light is the key to reducing reliance on electrical lighting, the heat gain from natural light often increases electricity consumption, replacing a reliance on lighting with a reliance on cooling. In the Stockland Shellharbour development, high performance glass and double-glazing have been used in order to eliminate solar gain, thus minimising solar heat loads.
Renewables will play a key part in generating energy for the development, with photovoltaic cells and wind turbines catering to these energy needs. Rainwater reuse tanks for greywater will also be included as a part of key Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) features, which further include cooling towers, sustainable landscaping and cycling facilities to encourage people to access the site by means other than by car.
With all of these features delivered, the development is well on its way to reaching its targeted 4 Star Green Star Retail ratings in both Design and As-Built categories.
The massive retail project is already weeks ahead of schedule with an expected mid-2013 completion date in sight.
The defining feature of retail is its trending nature. In choosing to deliver these built environments as green buildings, retailers will stay on top of the most defining trend of this generation and earning plenty of economical and environmental rewards along the way.
