'Out of the realm of novelty': Green Circle Shopping Center

When Matt O’Reilly decided to look for a new location to expand his Dynamic Earth outdoor outfitting store, he needed a combination of the right location and the right features.

He couldn’t find what he was looking for in an existing facility, so he decided to build his own.

But the idea of making that facility environmentally friendly came from a different source – his home.

“I was living in a house that was the most inefficient home I’d ever seen,” he said. “Working with the outdoors, I had been paying attention to environmentalism and minimal impact. So we thought, ‘Who better to do a green building than an outdoor store?’”

The result is Green Circle Shopping Center, the Ozarks’ first retail center to be constructed with green building techniques.

O’Reilly purchased 1.7 acres at Republic Road and National Avenue, between Seminole Baptist Church and Twin Oaks Country Club.

Green Circle is a $3 million, 18,000-square-foot center designed by HufftProjects LLC of Prairie Village, Kan. Missouri Supermarket Builders will begin building the center in February.

Green certification

The goal for the project is LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, platinum certification, the highest level.

U.S. Green Building Council officials say there are currently no completed projects with the platinum label.

The platinum rating is not just about prestige, O’Reilly said, pointing to a $196,000 grant from the James River Basin Partnership to enlarge the green roof space.

“When we got that grant, we said there was no way we could settle for anything less than platinum on this project, because now the community is behind us. We have to do the best we can possibly do,” O’Reilly said.

Partnership Executive Director Holly Neill said the grant, funded by the federal Water Quality Improvement Plan, will pay for four aspects of the building: the rooftop gardens, the water collection system, pervious concrete parking lots and bioswails – grassy trenches that serve as natural water detention and purification systems.

“It’s very rare to find something like what Matt is doing,” Neill said. “This is a unique and innovative way to show the business world that, ‘Hey, you can build something that’s not only environmentally friendly but also good for your business.’”

O’Reilly, too, hopes his facility can serve as an example to other commercial developers.

“Our mission for this is to take LEED building out of the realm of novelty and into the realm of necessity, where it actually makes sense for business,” he said. “We’re not a bunch of righteous crusaders saving the environment – we are trying to be profitable.”

Breaking new ground

The planned February groundbreaking comes after months of finalizing designs – and figuring out how to meet city codes.

One example: the bioswails as water detention.

City code required that before O’Reilly could purchase the land from Twin Oaks, a detention basin had to be added.

“We went to the city and said, ‘Hold on. In our design, we don’t need water detention – why would we build a pond, fill it back in and then build on it?’” O’Reilly said. “They said we were right, so we were able to amend our planned development.”

Despite the code hurdles, O’Reilly said that when he announced that his new building would be LEED certified, potential tenants lined up to nab a spot.

“The tenants jumped out of the woodwork and said they wanted to be a part of it,” he said.

Mama Jean’s Natural Foods Market and San Francisco Oven are looking to occupy the center when it is complete at the end of August, O’Reilly said.

Brian Kubik of Oven Spaces LLC, the franchisee for San Francisco Oven, said he is in negotiations with O’Reilly to put a second location in the center, though an agreement hasn’t yet been signed. Kubik said it was O’Reilly’s dedication that drew him to the new center.

“We think it’s the right response in architecture,” said Kubik, who is also an architect with Buxton-Kubik-Dodd Inc. Architecture and Interior Design. “It’s not cheaper (to build green), and that’s what we like about it. When you lease a space from someone like that, they’re not just doing it for cash flow. They have pride in the building, and they’ll take care of it.”

Money spent, money saved

The center will be expensive to build – O’Reilly estimated that the $3 million price tag, which doesn’t include land costs, was about 20 percent higher than a traditionally designed building of the same size and location. He’s not worried, however, about the extra cost.

“We can recoup that extra cost for the building through increased rent, but the tenants’ operating costs are still lower because of their savings in utilities,” O’Reilly said, adding that the lease rate of $19.50 per square foot, triple net, is comparable to rates at the new Gallery Eleven space across the street; it leases for $17 to $20 per square foot.

He noted design features that can save tenants money: The building’s geothermal heat is 56 percent more efficient per square foot than traditional heating systems, and the water reclamation system saves about 70 percent of the building’s water and sewer costs.

Those features are in line with the LEED certifications O’Reilly is after. There are actually two certifications – one for the shell of the center and one for his own Dynamic Earth space.

“If I want to open another Dynamic Earth somewhere else, we can take that model and transplant it,” O’Reilly said. “It’s completely exclusive of the building.”

LEED Certifications

The U.S. Green Building Council recognizes eight types of LEED certification:

• New Commercial Construction and Major Renovation – focuses on office buildings.

• Existing Building Operations and Maintenance – addresses energy efficiency, air quality and recycling.

• Commercial Interiors – for commercial infill projects.

• Core and Shell Development – for base building elements, such as structure and electrical and plumbing systems.

• Homes – voluntary system for new homes.

• Neighborhood Development – emphasizes smart growth, including proximity to transit and pedestrian-friendly design.

• Guidelines for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building – for projects with multiple buildings or construction in phases.

• LEED for Schools – addresses issues including classroom acoustics and master planning.

Source: U.S. Green Building Council[[In-content Ad]]