Tokyo – In a bid to create a holistically sustainable retail experience, architectural firm Foster + Partners is planning a Tokyo-based retail development made entirely from timber. The nine-storey department store, located on the famous Shibuya Crossing, will be designed using materials and building techniques that reduce its carbon output.
As well as being an environmentally conscious structure, Shibuya Marui Department Store also aims to create a community of lifestyle brands which share the same sustainable values. The store's roof garden includes a café and restaurant, with room for an urban food farm in the future. By establishing such sustainable and ethical metrics in its choice of brands, the store tunes in to the ideas we explore in Criteria Retail, with retailers setting strict eco- or social criteria for the products they sell.
Elsewhere, we've been tracking the rise of greener retail developments, and the ways that such structures can benefit shoppers, workers and the environment on a wide scale. For more, discover Rewilding Retail.
Strategic opportunity
Leisure and hospitality venues should take note of this innovation when planning their eco-conscious futures. Beyond building sustainable structures, also reflect on the criteria you can create when working with suppliers