Retail giant REWE Group has opened a new store which it describes as the 'supermarket of the future' in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim, Germany.
The new supermarket features a farm on the roof and utilises a large amount of wood as the main building material.
REWE Green Building
The new store is a pilot project for the new generation of sustainable REWE 'Green Building' stores.
The store, which opened this week, is the first supermarket in Europe with a resource-saving food production facility on the roof, the company noted.
The store is approximately 1,500 square meters and stands out for its unusual architectural concept, with pillars made of stacked wood forming the supporting structure for the glass roof farm, and a unique vaulted structure that extends into the market.
The retailer worked with, acme, an architecture firm in London, to design the store, which features a natural marketplace ambience and plenty of daylight.
'New Generation Of Green Markets'
Peter Maly, vice president, REWE Group, said, "With Green Farming in Erbenheim, we are introducing a new generation of green markets at REWE, because for us a holistic approach to sustainability includes not only product ranges, but also construction and operation.
"A new building that is unique in Germany and Europe has been created here, combining a supermarket, basil farm and fish farm under its glass roof - a state-of-the-art green building. We have built over 200 green buildings in Germany since 2009. The new store with an integrated roof farm is the logical next step for us."
Sustainable Features
Using wood in the design is a core element of REWE's supermarket of the future concept, with around 1,100 cubic metres of the renewable raw material used in the store.
The local softwood stores over 700 tonnes of CO2, and in 30 years, the wood will grow back and the CO2 will be balanced.
Intelligent cooling and heating technology, 100% green electricity, and the use of rainwater for the roof farm, sanitary facilities, and cleaning purposes are some of the measures to ensure that resources are conserved.
The outdoor areas are designed to be sustainable and additional green areas and a flowering meadow create a natural habitat for insects.
The farm on the roof is used for growing basil, which will be supplied to around 480 REWE stores across Germany. Around 20,000 cichlids are being bred in pools and will be available to purchase later this year, the retailer said.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
