LEED Certification

Downtown Minneapolis Ave.

To reduce our environmental impact, we chose to design, build and operate in a way that has allowed this location to apply for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification. To meet the requirements set by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for silver certification, this location has to meet tight performance guidelines for things such as site design, water and energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality.

The site this store is located on was contaminated and smaller in size than the typical site a grocery store is built on. Despite those challenges, we saw a vision to create an urban store that would further revitalize the area, remediate the contamination and be designed in a manner that fit into the historic fabric of the neighborhood.

In order to achieve our goal to reduce our environmental impact, we used the USGBC’s LEED program as a guideline for design and construction. This program helped us set our objectives and goals to direct the design process. The result is amazing! Here are some of the highlights:

Lighting

The LED lighting in this store draws as little power as possible while still providing a great quality light.

Refrigeration

Our refrigeration system uses 50 percent less refrigerant and less energy than typical grocery store systems.

Beams

Much of the wood used in our grocery store was salvaged from our renovation of the neighboring Lunds Wines & Spirits building. The Douglas Fir beams, first used in 1916, have been repurposed here.

Tile

The unique tile used throughout the store are hand made by Mercury Mosaics located in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.

Charging Stations

To help our guests meet their personal energy use goals, we offer charging stations in our parking lot for electric and plug-in-hybrid vehicles.

Rain Garden

The rain garden between the grocery store and wines and spirits shop is designed to hold and filter rainwater from the property before it enters the public drainage system. This helps keep our lakes and rivers clean and clear.

Chairs

Each of our chairs in the grocery store are made from 111 recycled plastic bottles.

Plus:

  • Water use reduction: 34%
  • Energy use reduction: 21%
  • Refrigerant reduction: 50%
  • Reused 95% of the existing building envelope and structure
  • Diverted 93% of construction waste from landfill
  • Provided cleaner indoor air quality by installing CO2 monitors, design controls on pollutant sources, and specifying low-emitting materials