by Tracy Dillon
Following the 2008 debut of its redesigned Smart Store concept in Orleans, Ontario, Canadian Tire continued to change its store design and construction practices to save energy and water and improve the indoor environment for employees and customers.
“We wanted to build a store that relies on sustainable power sources; reduce greenhouse gases, the amount of water used in the store compared to the existing standard, and the carbon footprint in as many ways as possible; and establish energy-saving practices,” says David Hicks, vice president of store design for Canadian Tire.
While the new store concept, which debuted in Welland, Ontario, required a higher up-front investment than a typical Canadian Tire project, Hicks says the investment was made “knowing that the long-term benefit for the environment, the store, and the corporation would be worth it.” The sustainable measures result in an operational payback.
Sustainability initiatives
The store’s power comes from wind and solar sources, resulting in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the store by 248 metric tons. Landscaped with drought-resistant plants and featuring low-flow plumbing fixtures, the store uses 49 percent less water than a conventional store.
Locally sourced building materials make up 68 percent of the total, and the store incorporates 34 percent recycled construction material. During construction, a comprehensive waste management program was implemented.
The retailer’s in-store environment continues the green trend by using a high-efficiency heating and cooling system. Eco-sensitive interior lighting along with harvested daylight, paired with sensors and automatic lighting switches, cut the lighting power load. A ground source heat pump reduces the heating power load for the office space by up to a third.
Additional sustainable elements of the project included less exterior lighting than a typical store; demand-controlled ventilation; building performance measurement and verification program; high-efficiency boiler; heat recovery on exhaust air; and building automation system.
The store also has implemented sustainable processes such as a new green housekeeping program and special collection areas for customers to return recyclables.
Adapting fixtures
Fitting the fixture program into the sustainable objectives was largely a matter of using energy-efficient coolers and freezers and changing lighting to LEDs, says Hicks. LEDs were incorporated into a variety of fixtures and displays by Harding Display, a Canadian Tire supplier for more than a dozen years.
For the monumental merchandising walls that help customers situate themselves in the space, Harding also incorporated LEDs. Standing 14 feet high and 20 feet across in areas such as the tool department, hockey and sports area, and camping/outdoor lifestyle department, the 4-foot-deep fixtures are merchandised on both sides.
“They provide gateways into the departments,” says Harding’s Chris Thompson. “They serve as beacons to the customers.” Supports on the large walls allow merchandising racks and shelves to be added. Large-scale graphics were applied on site.
Setting a standard
“It was challenging to test a new store design concept while ensuring that we met all LEED requirements. We worked with an engineering firm as well as leveraging knowledge and learnings from our other LEED-certified stores,” he says.
The Welland Smart Store project is a LEED Silver candidate and is in the final stages of accreditation. “All of our Smart Stores are built with sustainability in mind, although not all will mirror the features of the Welland store,” Hicks says. “We are testing the effectiveness of some of the sustainable features of our Welland store to determine best practices moving forward.”
Hicks says this project set the standard for the future by pioneering sustainable programs and processes in a Canadian Tire Store. With five current Smart Stores, the retailer plans to have 35 by the end of 2009.
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