AUSTIN: REI to test environmentally friendly store

[ATXboom]

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 3:16 PM CST
REI to test environmentally friendly store in Round Rock
Austin Business Journal



National outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. plans to open a new 32,700-square-foot store in Round Rock this fall.

The store will be the second location of the company's new retail prototype design, which incorporates green building concepts. The two-story REI will be in the new University Oaks Shopping Center at I-35 and University Boulevard.

REI is a retail cooperative that sells outdoor gear and clothing with two locations already in Austin. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification system for retail is currently in its pilot stage. REI's Boulder, Colo. store is expected to be the company's first to be certified under the new program.

"Our increased focus on green buildings and the community began with our Seattle flagship store in 1996," says Brian Unmacht, REI's senior vice president of sales, store development and logistics. "Since then, we've continued to develop stores that represent our dedication to the outdoors by reducing the environmental impacts of such buildings and helping to inspire outdoor recreation."

To lessen the building's carbon footprint, several of the planned green building features include the use of natural lighting and energy efficient systems, solar hot water, sustainable materials and water reduction measures.

REI says it will use the LEED point system to measure the success of all of its new buildings going forward. The company will analyze the Boulder and Round Rock locations extensively prior to opening a third prototype store currently targeted for 2010. Findings from these stores will help REI make decisions on how it approaches store design and construction in the future.

[Evergrey]

the REI store in Portland acheived LEED Gold certification in 2004 and the REI in Pittsburgh acheived LEED Silver in 2006. I assume they're referring to the Round Rock and Boulder locations as "tests" due to a new "retail" classification created by LEED. The previous stores must've been certified using a more generic set of standards.