Interior Design Blog

The 23,000 sq ft shopping centre was designed to be one of the most environmentally sustainable retail spaces in the United States. Hufft Projects used recycled materials and renewable energy (photovoltaics and mechanical systems that use the Earth's natural heat).

Instead of developing the site to its most profitable potential (which would have seen the need for 40 trees to be uprooted or destroyed) Hufft designed the building in a way that meant most of the existing trees would be saved. They also provide a green backdrop for tenants and customers.

Strategic window placement means that the centre has an abundance of natural light. There are also photovoltaic panels which will produce several KW of electrical energy for the building to use.

Inside, the centre relies on a geothermal heating and cooling system. It relies upon 40 wells below the parking lot. When teamed with ERV (energry and heat recovery ventilator) and heavily insulated walls and floors, the system provides a 50% improvement in efficiency and utlity demands (compared to a typical shopping centre VAV system).

There is also an intensive green roof with indigenous vegetation and an iconic tree, the flowering dogwood. The green roof helps slow down water run off and collected rainwater is used for irrigation and toilet flushing, meaning the centre saves 70% of its water annually, or 3.5m.