This summer, Google opened its first retail storefront in New York City. The landmark event is notable for a variety of reasons, perhaps the most noteworthy being that the location was planned, designed and built with sustainability in mind. In fact, its sustainability measures earned the space a LEED Platinum rating, the highest certification possible from the U.S. Green Building Council. Google has made headlines multiple times for its efforts to lean into environmentally-friendly practices. As a company, Google claims to be carbon neutral since 2007 and has set a goal to be carbon-free by 2030. That may seem like a long timeline, but achieving that goal within a decade for a company that size will require a clear vision and consistent change. In the short term, more immediate goals that will stair step to the larger achievement include earning zero waste to landfill certification in 2022, setting a 2025 deadline to be plastic-free in all packaging and incorporating recyclable or renewable materials into products. The development team built a full-scale version of the retail space inside its Mountain View hangar; this allowed developers to physically evaluate the layout’s flow, look and customer experience. Architect Reddymade helped the team […]
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