Starbucks opens first sustainable container site in Taiwan
This also serves as the coffee chain’s first container store in the Asia-Pacific region after rolling it out in the United States.
Starbucks has announced that they have launched a store made up of 29 shipping containers in Hualien Bay Mall, whose location faces the Pacific Ocean.
The site covers 320 square meters and is two stories tall. The shipping containers has provided taller spaces and natural sunlight from various skylights.
Its exterior is designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma who will also be the one responsible for designing the upcoming Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo. The site is said to be inspired from the foliage of coffee trees combined with the traditional Chinese bucket arch.
From one side of the container site, customers can enjoy the view of a mountain range. The interiors also features a tribute to the cultural heritage of Hualien as there is a wall mural that represents the Taiwanese ethnic group Amis.
This is not the first time the coffee giant built a store out of shipping containers. Last December 2011, they launched their first pre-fabricated modular store in the city of Tukwila in Washington. They now have 45 of these across the US.
The stores are also built offsite prior to delivery and installation in order to minimize the environmental footprint brought by constructing new buildings.
The launching of the site is part of their recently announced Greener Stores initiative where they plan to design, build and operate 10,000 sustainable stores by 2025 globally.
“Simply put, sustainable coffee, served sustainably is our aspiration,” said Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of Starbucks. “We know that designing and building green stores is not only responsible, it is cost effective as well. The energy and passion of our green apron partners has inspired us to find ways to operate a greener store that will generate even greater cost savings while reducing impact.”
