Whole Foods Market is known for its passion for natural and organic food, and its first store in Oklahoma City is emblematic of the company’s values and commitment to sustainability. Situated along a creek, the 47,000-square-foot upscale market anchors The Triangle at Classen Curve, an urban, mixed-use development and continuation of the popular Classen Curve development in northwest Oklahoma City.
Completed in September 2011, the building was designed by San Francisco-based Mark Cavagnero Associates, along with associate architect, Elliott
+ Associates Architects, Oklahoma City. Chosen for its durability, low maintenance and light weight, metal accents highlight the sustainable project.
Location and Sun Control
Building siting and sun control were two of the project’s biggest challenges, says Felicia Dunham, associate at Mark Cavagnero Associates. Within the development, Whole Foods Market is located on a site with a park and creek to the north, Chesapeake Energy campus to the east, its front elevation facing south, and other retail businesses to the west. “The building had to be designed to be appealing from all sides,” says Dunham. “The choice of zinc and bluestone for the cladding was integral to this effort.”
With more than 300 sunny days a year, allowing natural light into the store, while keeping out the direct sun was a challenge, says Dunham. Since the store’s front elevation faces south, keeping the sun at bay, while providing an inviting entry into the store, was key. And, it was important to protect the produce from direct sunlight, which is displayed in an outdoor market setting at the store’s entry.
Operable and fixed aluminum louvers from Nysan Solar Control, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, were placed across the upper level windows, while Corona, Calif.-based Ciralight Global Inc.‘s SunTracker skylights help protect the store from the intense Oklahoma sun. Nysan Solar Control supplied approximately 3,500 square feet of its vertical aerofoil 10-inch fixed and sun-tracking louvers. Made of extruded aluminum, the louvers have a Woodgrain powdercoat finish by Mayne Coatings, Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
Zinc Accents
A zinc-clad canopy shades the store’s entrance, while a steel trellis made with stainless steel cable mesh panels creates a pedestrian arcade on the south façade that further shades the store’s interior. Shawnee Fabricators Inc., Shawnee, Okla., fabricated the architecturally exposed structural steel trellis
(AESS) with approximately 3,500 square feet of structural steel shapes in a custom Tneme-Zinc paint finish. The trellis also includes approximately 3,500 square feet of FaçadeScape Stainless Steel Mesh Plant Support System with a #4 Satin finish from Chicago-based Carl Stahl DecorCable Inc.
At the building’s southwest corner, a covered entry and a flexible seating pavilion sits with an adjacent outdoor terrace. For natural ventilation, the seated pavilion features operable windows and fans. The fans, which are manufactured by Big Ass Fans Co., Lexington, Ky., are also used at the Market Hall main entrance. To provide an indoor-outdoor dining experience, the pavilion can be opened to the outdoor terrace by means of a large horizontal bi-fold door from Fairfax, Minn.-based Schweiss Doors. Designed to accommodate live music performance, the terrace features low stone walls, bluestone paving and Oklahoma redbud trees.
Schweiss Doors also supplied the single-panel hydraulic doors that conceal the loading docks and enclose the truck bays. All of the doors are clad with standing seam zinc siding to match the adjacent walls and allow the doors to effectively disappear in the closed position, explains Dunham.
For the project, RHEINZINK America Inc., Woburn, Mass., supplied approximately 10,000 square feet of its RHEINZINK pre-weathered Graphite Gray 1-inch angled standing seam metal wall panels. The 22-gauge solid panels clad the seating pavilion, loading dock doors, entrance canopy and mechanical screen, while the 18-gauge perforated panels are used at the entrance canopy. Metal Tech-USA, Peachtree City, Ga., fabricated the panels, which were installed by NOW Specialties Inc., Carrollton, Texas. Additionally, Overly Manufacturing Co., Greensburg, Pa., fabricated approximately 2,000 square feet of 16-gauge aluminum Precision Profile metal roofing panels.
Due to the store’s location in the high-end retail district, screening the large amount of rooftop equipment and blending in architecturally with the district were major considerations, explains Dunham. “To unify the development, the remaining buildings and signage are clad with the same zinc material as the Whole Foods Market,” she says. Additionally, the dark-painted AESS steel trellis on the south façade references the dark-steel signage and trellis features, which are strong design elements in the Classen Curve development across the street.
Sustainable Design
Whole Foods Market prides itself on its core value of “caring for our communities and our environment,” and its Oklahoma City store is no exception. The company’s environmental consciousness is highlighted by the sustainable building materials used in their stores, along with their support of organic farming and the Green Mission Task Force, which promotes environmentally sound practices for every aspect of store operations, such as diverting as many items as possible to recycling or composting projects, rather than to landfills.
Oklahoma City store highlights include the vestibule ceilings that are made up of 100 percent reclaimed wood, along with Forest Stewardship Council-certified cherry wood utilized in the ceiling over the store’s Specialty Island. Additionally, the store features high-efficiency refrigerators, as well as cases and coolers that use LED lighting to reduce energy usage.
The seafood department features products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, a third-party organization that has developed standards for seafood sustainability. All MSC-certified seafood can be traced back to sustainable wild capture fisheries. The store also features a cool roof and a green roof over the seating pavilion. The aluminum and glass curtainwall from Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, Santa Monica, Calif., is thermally broken with insulated low-E glazing. Additionally, it is the first location in the state to provide electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot.
Photos courtesy of Scott McDonald ©Hedrich Blessing.