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Feature - This Grocery Store Does More than Whet the Appetite
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The smells are enticing — the aroma of ripe tomatoes and shiny apples mingling with freshly baked breads and cakes... Even though you just ate, your stomach is already growling....
“This is not a departure from what we’ve been doing,” says Jim Lampl, director of conservation at Giant Eagle. “Some of the elements at this store are simply more visible. Overall, we hope it culminates in a wonderful shopping experience for our customers.” By using green standards for its design, this store hopes to be the second Giant Eagle to become LEED-certified. (The first supermarket in the nation to receive that designation was the Brunswick Giant Eagle near A large part of this plan was the implementation of an energy modeling process that allowed Giant Eagle to simulate how various design strategies would affect energy efficiency. According to a study by Gregory H. Katz (“Green Building Costs and Financial Benefits,” 2003), total financial benefits of green buildings surpass their average initial investment for design and construction ten times over. The study also states that energy savings alone exceed the average increased cost associated with building green. “Most everything we promote and work to incorporate has a payback of some sort,” said Marc Mondor, principal of evolveEA, the architectural firm engaged to green this Giant Eagle, “but the returns on investment vary in how long they might take.” This store is packed with strategies aimed at saving energy, including a lighting system linked to skylights that dim fluorescent bulbs in relation to natural lighting. Overall, it boasts about 20 percent greater energy efficiency than the ASHRAE (American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers) 90.1-1999 energy standard. Structurally, the building contains sustainably-harvested FSC wood and a significant amount of recycled content, such as fly-ash in the concrete and drywall made from coal plant waste. Low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) finishes have been applied throughout and the concrete slab floors have been machine-finished, rather than tiled over. Also, visible only to neighbors above, is a planted green roof, the largest in Pittsburgh. An emerging component of green construction in The study, led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering and funded by the 3 Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program and the Environmental Protection Agency, will determine the benefits of this roof specific to the More information on this research, as well as real-time data, can be found at this webpage. Creating an enjoyable shopping experience for customers is Giant Eagle’s mission and by promoting daylit, chemical-free, healthier buildings, the company is taking that promise further than other retailers. Their environmental commitment is reflected through their leadership and continued adoption of green building principles. As you leave the Shadyside Giant Eagle, you will surely agree that the store and its Green Highlights-- Sustainable Site: urban location, adjacent residential property, proximity to local public transit, native landscaping, green roof, Water Efficiency: efficient fixtures, native landscaping, stormwater management; Energy and Atmosphere: immable lighting linked to skylights, green power, active measurement and verification; Indoor Environmental Quality: low-VOC paints and finishes, CO2 sensors, IAQ tests, daylight modeling, clerestory glazing, skylights; Green Housekeeping Materials and Resources: FSC-certified wood, high recycled materials content, emphasis on local materials. (Originally Published in Fall 2006 Cornerstone, Links: Giant Eagle Hopes to Become the New Green Giant |
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10/27/2006 |
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