Scottish retail outlet uses 55% less power and is powered by turbine

These are the first pictures of Marks & Spencer's first eco-store, opened late last year. The Silverburn, Glasgow premises is powered with renewable energy from a wind turbine located in Aberdeenshire and uses around 55% less energy than similar sized M&S stores though the installation of more efficient lighting, refrigeration, heating and ventilation systems.



The store has been built as part of the retailer’s £200m, five-year Plan A initiative. Shell architect was BDP, interior architect was 3dReid.

Among other features, the store:

  • Includes a number of water-saving initiatives, including rainwater collection and refrigeration condensation for use in the dual flush toilets, and use of self-closing taps resulting in savings of up to 40% of a comparable store's consumption.
  • Is the first M&S to eliminate potential leakage of harmful HFCs by using fridges that operate on hydrocarbon and CO2 refrigerants
  • Uses fridges that are fitted with special guards saving 4% of the energy needed to operate each unit.
  • Refrigeration units account for 40-50% of a supermarket's energy demand, according to the UKGBC.
  • M&S and suppliers have recycled or re-used up to 80% of waste and key construction off cuts.

Stephen Allison, project leader at 3DReid said: "Being one of the first Plan A fit-outs, the project has given us the opportunity to have a defining input into the concept design and delivery. The shell was already 75% complete at the time of the Plan A announcement and so we had to very quickly redesign our ideas, which proved a very exciting and rewarding challenge."

Niall Trafford, executive of store design and specification at M&S, said: "Silverburn has allowed us a great opportunity to develop and trial new technologies that we hope to be able to roll out across future store openings."

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