Green Building

Next generation of Green Buildings

In May 2021, the first REWE pilot store with a new Green Building concept opened in Wiesbaden, Germany. The pilot store is not an ongoing development of the previous Green Buildings; rather, the decision was made to create a completely new design. At the start of 2016, the first ideas to create a new generation of REWE Green Buildings to succeed the existing concept were seeded. In summer 2016, this led to an architectural competition where REWE as the client remained anonymous to allow the architects the greatest possible freedom of thought. The result is the REWE Green Farming store in Wiesbaden: a pilot store and a prototype for the next generation of sustainable REWE supermarkets. A new, adaptable and sustainable modular store concept that can be customised to suit different locations and conditions in terms of design and construction. Although the store in Wiesbaden has a rooftop farm, the new concept does not envisage this for every new REWE Green Farming store. Rooftop farms will be included only at suitable, selected locations.

This urban farming area on the roof of the store includes a combination of basil growing and fish farming with a closed cycle. The fish dung is used to fertilise the plants, which are also supplied with rainwater. This reduces resource consumption and ensures healthy plant and fish farming. The farm supplies basil and fresh fish to a large number of stores in the region.

The stacked timber design of the roof and columns is an important building block in the use of sustainable material. The timber is completely visible and is not chemically treated. The design uses European coniferous timber from certified forestry inside and certified larch wood for the external supports that are subject to weathering. With its arch-like design, the innovative stacked timber support structure creates a very special atmosphere for shoppers. Since the individual elements are modular, future stores can be built much faster and easier than with conventional designs. The timber elements are also connected with bolts. At the end of the store’s life cycle, this will allow it to be demolished in such a way that the material can be reused – an important step towards a circular economy in the construction industry. In addition, with this concept, more timber is used in the building, which means that more CO₂ is stored permanently.

The glass front and back facades of the store allow customers to see inside the store and employees to look out at their surroundings. Daylight is used optimally and is also introduced via a large atrium in the store. Large roof overhangs offer good protection against the sun. Outside the store, an innovative parking area layout minimises the paved area with no adverse effects on the parking spaces. The result is more than 1,000 square metres of permeable greenery that is planted with insect-friendly grass, bushes and numerous trees. For a holistic concept, the store focuses on regional and fresh produce.

For its pilot store in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim, the REWE Group is hoping to be awarded the platinum certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) (see also Certification by the German Sustainable Building Council).

The pilot store is currently being analysed with regard to potential improvements. The findings will be used in a standard concept so that sample construction specifications will be available for a future roll-out throughout Germany at many different locations. Parallel to this, DGNB is developing a multiple certificate for the latest generation of green REWE stores so that they can be built efficiently and sustainably and also be certified. The REWE Green Farming store in Wiesbaden already achieves the economic targets that were set, which is why deriving an optimised “blueprint” will also be practically feasible from a financial aspect. In new buildings, the new concept will replace the previous Green Building concept.

In May 2022, at the German Retail Real Estate Congress, the store was named “Store of the Year 2022“ by the German Retail Federation (HDE).

Certification by the German Sustainable Building Council

In 2013, the REWE Group decided to apply the Green Building concept to all new construction projects and all new leases in Germany as long as fundamental conditions permit its use. The REWE, PENNY and toom Baumarkt DIY stores sales lines have received multiple certifications at the “Gold”* level by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). New buildings are designed in accordance with the Green Building concept or the council’s criteria for sustainable construction practices. By including the criteria in the construction specifications of the sales lines, these requirements also apply explicitly to the leased properties of the REWE Group. At the end of 2021, 315 buildings had been constructed according to the Green Building criteria and another 159 Green Buildings are currently in the building or planning phase.

The DGNB’s seal of quality evaluates a wide range of building features. These include environmental aspects, the stages of the construction process and sociocultural factors regarding well-being, including visual comfort, ambient air, bicycle parking places and customer restrooms. The multiple certification of the building specifications significantly simplifies the certification process because the entire concept has already been subjected to a thorough review. This is a key pre-condition for the fast, cost-efficient development of Green Building stores.

* Corresponds to the current classification following a change in the criteria by the building council in 2015.