| Shopping Goes Green |
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Shopping Goes Green
The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program has a category for retail projects, but right now it’s a small percentage of total LEED-certified buildings. However, in April, the USGBC launched pilots for both new construction and new commercial interiors for LEED-Retail. After gathering feedback on the applicability for retail, the rating systems will be open for public comment and balloted according to USGBC procedures. Sustainability, in fact, was not a big factor in choosing building materials among retail developers, according to a March survey conducted by Kent Jeffreys and Herston Elton Powers of the International Council of Shopping Centers. The most important factors in selecting building materials were performance (55.7 percent) and cost (33.2 percent), the survey found. Only 3.4 percent cited sustainability as a major factor. However, of the 211 study respondents, 53 percent already were utilizing energy-efficient technology in their buildings, including lighting and roofing materials. But only 38 percent had sought state and federal incentives for energy efficiency, and only 40 percent had conducted energy audits at their properties. To heighten awareness of green initiatives within the industry, ICSC launched the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Design program. The global project is “something of an umbrella under which we can put all of our different green or sustainable initiatives,” says Jeffreys, ICSC’s legislative counsel for government relations. The focus is a somewhat different tack for the organization, he adds. “We haven’t really been that involved in operations, but we realized that sustainability issues are something that now has to be taken into consideration when doing a deal.” The group’s green pavilion at its Las Vegas trade show this year featured almost 300 posters showing examples of green practices in shopping centers. That’s not to say that there haven’t been innovations. Savannah, Ga.-based Melaver owns Abercorn Common in Savannah, which it calls the first U.S. all-retail LEED shopping center, containing such features as a rainwater collection cistern, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and a reflective white roof. Black Oak Associates, in Owings Mills, Md., recently unveiled plans for Main Street Eldersburg, a 90,000-sf lifestyle center in Carroll County, Md. The project has received Core and Shell LEED-Silver certification. Retailer outfitter REI has a 37,500-sf store in Portland, Ore., rated LEED-Gold for commercial interiors. Minnesota-based Best Buy announced in June that it will build only LEED-certified stores beginning early next year. And even retail giant Wal-Mart has opened two experimental stores in Texas and Colorado using a variety of sustainable materials and practices. For leasing information: www.melavermouchet.com
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