SoHo Starbucks Seeks LEED for Retail (CI) Certification on Spring Street
LEED for Retail is a newcomer to USGBC’s suite of LEED rating systems; it was approved on March 11 and will launch formally later this year under two separate tracks for commercial interior buildouts and new construction projects. Given that it’s almost impossible not to spy one of its outlets on any given block of Manhattan, the fact that Starbucks is pursuing LEED for Retail (CI) certification for its store at 72 Spring Street (corner of Crosby) bodes well for LEED’s foray into this major slice of the Manhattan commercial real estate market, particularly given the considerable success which LEED for Commercial Interiors has enjoyed here in New York City.
The SoHo Starbucks is actually 15 years old and is one of the largest and most heavily-trafficked in all of Manhattan. Green design features that were implemented during the recent renovation project for which the outlet is seeking LEED for Retail include dual-flush toilets, low-flow faucets, and LED lighting fixtures. In addition, its espresso bar countertops, community table, and bar and column cladding were manufactured from repurposed Pennsyvlania white oak. Other fixtures were manufactured locally in Long Island, while the magnetic community board was crafted with metal panels from retired coffee machines.
Manhattan isn’t the only place where Starbucks will integrate green building practices into its renovation projects; it intends to seek LEED certification for all of its stores moving forward.
Category: Commercial, Green Leases, Green Retail, Historic Preservation, LEED-CI, Manhattan, New York City, SoHo
How can Starbucks be considered green when it produces ENORMOUS quantities of garbage in the form of disposable cup and supplies that fill New York’s public trash cans to over flowing!!! What’s green about that?!? They don’t even provide a reusable cup option (as in real cups) when sipping on the premises, as all New York coffee shops do!!
These are good points which we consistently raise here at gbNYC; third-party ratings don’t necessarily tell the full story about a project’s environmental impact.
The LEED rating is of course, only for the building, and possibly the building cleaning and operations. Otherwise, there are a lot of businesses (LEED rated gas station, anyone?) that would make no sense at all.