Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/74664
Cutting-edge developers are voluntarily building centers with composting and recycling programs, high-efficiency heating and cooling, and water- reclamation efforts. CITY CREEK CENTER down the street could pass from one location to another more easily," Loch said. "We want to encour- age walking." Transit stations are nearby, and the design includes areas for parking bicycles. "Those kinds of moves right at the beginning really make the development better as a whole for the entire downtown." The idea for the retractable roof came through an evolution of its own. "We looked at every option," Loch said. "We looked at creating an all- open-air center, but the weather in Salt Lake City is diverse. It can be very cold and very hot." Thus the final decision for the roof. With the roof retracted, Loch said, "you feel like you're on a downtown street. That was the ulti- mate goal." But there are other ben- efits. When the weather is sunny and above 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the cen- ter is comfortable with the roof open. The roof is closed if the air hits 85 de- grees. "We're not heating or cooling the common area over 50 percent of the time," he said. Such successes have prompted more developers to adopt green prac- tices, as evidenced by the increasing number of LEED-certified shopping centers. Five Regency Centers proper- ties, for instance, have received final certification, and three more are be- ing built with LEED rating in mind. 40 SCT / AUGUST 2012 Nine additional centers are in prede- velopment. Adding to the movement is a growing acceptance of the International Green Construction Code, proposed by the International Code Council in March. The code provides model language on such matters as energy conservation, site choice, water use, building materi- als and waste. Parts of the code have already been ad- opted by the states of Maryland and Florida, and the Ari- zona cities of Phoe- nix and Scottsdale, among other juris- dictions — though none have man- dated it for commer- cial buildings yet. That day is com- ing, says Leonard. Meanwhile, cutting- edge developers are voluntarily build- ing centers with composting and recycling programs, high-efficiency heat- ing and cooling, and water-reclama- tion efforts, he says. "This was completely voluntary," said Loch of City Creek Center's green approach. The shopping centers of the future will probably be expected to do the same, he says. "I think the move- ment is slow, but it is coming," Loch said. "There will be higher expecta- tions as the years pass." SCT For the latest breaking news about shopping center development and the retail industry from Shopping Centers Today, follow @sctnews on Twitter and "like" us on Facebook.