Reid gives 3D Marks & Spencer store in Glasgow a plan on how A --
When Marks and Spencer announced its plan from A to be a retailer carbon neutral by 2012, the architects 3D Reid was delighted - even if it means ripping their development project for the design 70000sq ft M & S store in Silverburn Pollok in the district of Glasgow.
3D Reid had been commissioned prior to the announcement to fit-out the shell of the new, BDP-designed store at Silverburn Mall, where the retailer was an anchor tenant. After the announcement, it was decided that the site would be one of three test sites for a new store design that would play its part in facilitating Plan A.
“We were very pleased. Until then we were working to a set of design guidelines that were pretty much based on a design collaboration between [architect] Urban Salon and M & S. This gave us an opportunity to have a full influence on the actual look of the store internally,” says 3D Reid project leader Stephen Allison.
While the store’s impact on the environment has been dramatically reduced, the new store design achieves considerable visual impact, says Allison. “It’s dramatically different. The main difference is the ceilings, which are removed and replaced with a ceiling raft. It also creates a greater open space with maximum efficiency.”
The layout of the two-level store remained the same, but all aspects of the material specification and services strategy were re-assessed in the light of Plan A. As many BREEAM A-rated materials as possible were used, but because of the scale of quantities needed, this sometimes meant 3D Reid faced a limited choice of products. “M & S had to make some sacrifices, certainly on the lighting levels,” Allison noted.
Lux levels were reduced from 1000 to 800 and all timber was Forestry Stewardship Council rated. Any MDF had to have zero formaldehyde content and all plasterboard had to be 70% recycled to meet BREEAM.
3D Reid then specified the recycled vinyl flooring by Tarkett-Marley and an A-rated ceiling tile by Armstrong. In addition, it sourced recycled plastic shelving, which had to be tested for robustness in full-size mock-ups.
Considerable effort went into the building services strategy, devised in conjunction with Faber Maunsell, through the introduction of more efficient heating and ventilation systems, refrigeration and lighting.
The completed store requires 55% less energy than similar M & S stores, and it also uses green renewable energy from a new M & S wind turbine in Aberdeenshire. Eighty per cent of construction waste and off-cuts have been recycled or re-used.
Ideas from Silverburn are already being used two other test sites - M & S’s Bournemouth high street store and its Simply Food outlet at Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.
