Starbucks, the international coffee brand, opened its first store in Asia Pacific built from recycled shipping containers. Located in Taiwan, the 320-square-metres store was structured by 29 recycled shipping containers to complete the company’s commitment to building sustainable stores.
Starbucks became the first retailer to open a storefront in the yet-to-be opened Hualien Bay Mall, which is located in a tourist destination known for its cuisine and beautiful landscape facing the Pacific Ocean.
The firm recently announced the “Starbucks Greener Stores” initiative which will be a framework to design, build and operate sustainable stores around the world. The new store in Taiwan joins a suite of Starbucks locations built from shipping containers.
In the US, Starbucks has opened 45 of these pre-fabricated modular stores, built off-site prior to delivery and installation, creating an opportunity for the company to extend into sites not designed for traditional store locations while minimizing the environmental footprint generally associated with new buildings. Through these store formats, Starbucks is able to reuse reclaimed materials throughout the design.
The exterior design was developed by the Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, who has also built Starbucks Japan’s Fukuoka store and is the exterior architect for the upcoming Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo.
The store is designed to help bring people together over coffee. Inside, the containers feature create warm and comfortable seating areas for customers.
