A natural fit: Third largest Whole Foods incorporates metal into its natural, organic philosophy
by Jonathan McGaha | October 31, 2009 12:00 am
Natural, organic, green, friendly and inviting. These are all terms often associated with Whole Foods Market, one of the world’s largest and most successful food retailers dedicated to providing natural and organic-often locally-grown-foods for its customers. In addition to the green scene inside the market, one location in particular utilized metal construction as part of the exterior design of the building, creating an environmentally friendly facility that will likely achieve LEED Silver Certification.
The large, dramatic building on Kingsbury Street just south of North Avenue on Chicago’s north side is Whole Foods’ third-largest store, and provides an eye-catching retail outlet in what was previously a nondescript industrial area.
The facility, boasting 90,000 square feet (8,361 m2) of retail space, 270,000 total square feet (25,083m2) including the parking area above, is unmistakably a product of metal architectural and construction techniques, as it sports 8,500 square feet (790 m2) of straight and curved ACM panels from the Miller-Clapperton Partnership, Austell, Ga.; 8,500 square feet of strinted horizontal panels from Metl-Span LLC, Lewisville, Texas; 5,000 square feet
(465 m2) of corrugated panels and 2,000 square feet (186 m2) of perforated panels from Fabral, Lancaster, Pa.
The architect of record, Gensler, San Francisco, worked closely with both Whole Foods and Tuschall Engineering Co., Burr Ridge, Ill., to make sure that the original design concept-that featured metal products throughout-was maintained, while adjusting the details during the value-engineering phase of the project.
“We chose metal because it’s more durable [than alternative materials],” said Greg Huette, Gensler’s project manager. “With the color palette that we used it gives it more of a warm feeling. The design featured zinc originally, but by switching to ACM we got the same look and feel and the overall idea of the design with a more cost-effective material.
“I think Whole Foods wanted a lot of natural materials and that’s why they originally chose the zinc, the clay tiles and that color palette. But that’s another nice thing about the metal panel- you can pretty much choose any color you want. It has great flexibility.”
Green Philosophy, Silver Certification
A significant aspect of this project was the goal of LEED certification, according to Huette. Thanks to a number of factors including the design and liberal use of metal products, this new Whole Foods location, complete in April, is well on its way to exceeding its minimum LEED goals.
“We went through the Green Permit program in the city of Chicago and we actually only need to be LEED certified, but we think we’ll get LEED Silver certified,” Huette said. “Our main goal was just to get certified, because that’s what we had to do for the city requirement. And Whole Foods’ attitude is, ‘We kind of already do everything green.’ A lot of the stuff that they do is green, and a lot of the things they do in the inside utilize green techniques.”
One of the more green aspects of this project also may be the most unique feature of the design: screens. The south and west elevation feature extensive green screening, while the north and east sides incorporate composite wood screening-all designed to provide shade and help reduce heat gain.
“That large amount of screening is impressive- it’s a pretty large building,” said Huette.”That much screening is pretty unique, and it should probably help control the heat load.”
Despite the success of the completed facility,which by all accounts has been well-received by both the city of Chicago and the residents and shoppers in the area, the project was not without its challenges.
The location and condition of the site was an issue from the beginning, as the soil was contaminated and several feet of it had to be removed to comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Previously, the site was a parking lot filled with garbage and littered with bushes. But there were also benefits.
“Before you could build on it, the EPA required that you remove a portion of it,” Huette said. “We were developing an area that was not usable. It was a parking lot that was full of garbage and brush, etc., and you getLEED points for building on a site like that.”
To complicate the matter further, the corner lot is located along the Chicago River, and the Army Corps of Engineers were working on their own project to complete a retaining wall, making the construction phase even more nerve-racking.
“The Army Corps of Engineers were putting in a wall along the river and it had tie-backs to a dead-man’s wall, so we had to avoid all the tiebacks,etc.,” Huette added. “That was challenging. We had to coordinate all of our foundations with them on the west side.
“Many elements on the west elevation such as the elevator enclosure could not be accessed by cranes on the ground due to limited space between the west wall and the river. So the construction of the curtainwall structure had to be done from above.”
Then, after two years of planning and development, construction began in January 2009 and everyone involved had to deal with the temperament of a Chicago winter.
“We started in the winter and had a huge delay because of rain,” said Huette. “I worked on it for three years, with two years of planning, the value-engineering and the redesigning. We had to redesign a large portion of the exterior fasçade, etc.,with the new materials. But given the challenges, the construction went relatively smoothly. It went up fast because it was a precast.”
Street Presence
Now that the dust has settled, the ACM panels and green screen are in place and shoppers are crowding the aisles of the third-largest Whole Foods in the world, how does the architect of record view this project? What stands out, and what is Gensler most proud of?
“The street presence,” said Huette. “When you think about this large mass-essentially a big rectangle-the landscaping, the design and the finishes, the thing as a whole has a great street presence. It’s not menacing. It’s very welcoming and encourages a lot of pedestrian activity.”
Instead of opposing Whole Foods’ values of natural and organic foods, with its philosophy of “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet,” this behemoth of a store actually complements them.Through the effective use of metal materials and a value-engineered design, this unique building helps to communicate Whole Foods’ message, subtly enhancing a customer’s shopping experience.
Whole Foods Market Inc., Chicago
Owner: Whole Foods Market Inc., Austin, Texas
Design architect: Mark Cavagnero & Associates,
San Francisco
Architect of record: Gensler, Chicago
General contractor: Bentley Construction, Deerfield, Ill.
Installer: Tuschall Engineering Co. Inc., Burr Ridge, Ill. www.tuschalleng.com
Solid and perforated corrugated panels: Fabral, Lancaster, Pa., www.fabral.com
Strinted horizontal panels: Metl-Span, Lewisville, Tx., www.metlspan.com
ACM straight and curved panels: The Miller-Clapperton Partnership, Austell, Ga., www.millerclapperton.com
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/a-natural-fit-third-largest-whole-foods-incorporates-metal-into-its-natural-organic-philosophy/