Coffee giant Starbucks is rolling out mini-stores with maximum local flavor, as part of an international pilot program. Each location will be ~500 sf, created from modular units but clad in materials that reflect the local environment. Façades may incorporate reclaimed lumber, corrugated materials, parts of shipping containers, or other "craftsmanlike" approaches, including illuminated exterior "art panels." The push for smaller and more sustainable stores is part of the company's overall Shared Planet Initiative.
Starbucks' President of Global Development, architect Arthur Rubenfeld, is supervising the roll-out, which reflects the evolution of Starbucks as a destination. The model differs from the "neighborhood coffeehouse" vibe, and is targeted at drive-through and walk-up customers. If successful, the initiative will allow Starbucks to expand into sites that are too small to sustain one of its traditional stores. The company's 14 architectural offices will design the LEED certified units, each of which will be staffed by three to five employees.
The prototype for the effort opened last year in Tukwila, a Seattle suburb, and was created from repurposed shipping containers. Containers were also used for a new store in Northglenn, Colo., clad in reclaimed Wyoming snow fencing.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670889/an-experimental-new-starbucks-store-tiny-portable-and-hyper-local#1goo
Related Stories
| Mar 19, 2012
Smith Carter joins forces with Genivar
Smith Carter has a workforce of some 190 employees and designs complex buildings in challenging environments.
| Mar 19, 2012
HKS Selected for Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie
Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachiewill incorporate advanced technology including telemedicine, digital imaging, remote patient monitoring, electronic medical records and computer patient records.
| Mar 19, 2012
Mixed-use project redefines Midtown District in Plantation, Fla.
Stiles Construction is building the residential complex, which is one of Broward County’s first multifamily rental communities designed to achieve LEED certification from the USGBC.
| Mar 16, 2012
Temporary fix to CityCenter's Harmon would cost $2 million, contractor says
By contrast, CityCenter half-owner and developer MGM Resorts International determined last year that the Harmon would collapse in a strong quake and can't be fixed in an economical way. It favors implosion at a cost of $30 million.
| Mar 16, 2012
Work on Oxnard, Calif. shopping center resumes after a three-year hiatus
Stalled since 2009, developers of the Collection at RiverPark decided to restart construction on the outdoor mall.
| Mar 16, 2012
Stego embarks on HPD Pilot Program
Vapor barrier manufacturer strives to provide better green choices to designers and builders.
| Mar 16, 2012
Marvin Windows and Doors accepting entries for fourth-annual myMarvin Architect’s Challenge
Architects in U.S. and abroad offered the chance to showcase their very best work.
| Mar 14, 2012
Hearing to decide fate of unfinished Harmon in Las Vegas under way
The testimony began with CityCenter consulting engineer Chukwuma Ekwueme methodically showing photo after photo of parts of the Harmon, where he and his team had chipped away the concrete pillars and beams to examine the steel reinforcing bars inside.
| Mar 14, 2012
Firestone names 2012 Master Contractor Award Winners
Annual award acknowledges industry’s top roofing professionals.
