Foster + Partners design ‘sustainable’ department store

Foster + Partners have designed the Shibuya Marui Department Store, a nine-storey retail development in Tokyo, Japan. The building has been built using natural materials and is said to ‘embody the core principles of environmental responsibility and wellbeing’.

(Photo: Foster + Partners)

David Summerfield, senior executive partner at Foster + Partners, said, “We are delighted to be working on such a ground-breaking and sustainable project, which is a stone’s throw away from the world-famous Shibuya Crossing. A timber structure will significantly reduce the embodied carbon of the building, while simultaneously creating a warm and open experience for visitors.’’

The design of the new store is said to align with this vision by maximising daylight and passive thermal comfort.

The project was inspired by traditional Japanese building techniques and the new department store will feature a timber structure that lowers the building’s embodied carbon.

Inside, the building features open plan retail units with timber floors and exposed timber ceilings throughout. 

The building will be powered by renewable energy says Foster + Partners, with part of it being generated from on-site photovoltaic panels, which will contribute to reducing operational and embodied carbon.