PUMA Destiny USA Receives LEED Platinum Certification
Colkitt&Co carried out the brand’s vision for a sustainable retail store design
The newest PUMA outlet location, at Destiny USA mall in Syracuse,New York, was formally recognized with LEED© Platinum certification by the USGBC, a third partycouncil who verifies the sustainability of buildings. Architectural design firm Colkitt&Co, renowned for theiraward-winning work in retail design, was tapped by PUMA to carry out the brand’s global, sustainableoutlet model. In February 2012, the mall’s 1.3 million-square-foot expansion received LEED Goldcertification, making it the largest LEED Gold certified commercial building in the world. This is PUMA’sfirst LEED Platinum store, and is one of only 17 retail spaces under the interior design and constructionretail category across the United States to hold the same certification.
PUMA North America’s internal design leadership assembled a team consisting of Colkitt&Co, KLHEngineers, Complete Construction Company, Executive Retail Interiors LLC, National Energy & Light Inc.,and Bergmann Associates to ensure that sustainability efforts were made towards energy usagereduction, recyclability, fixture reuse and quality environmental improvement. In order to earn the highestlevel of LEED certification, the team refined numerous retail and green principles culminating in aPlatinum certification.
Energy and atmosphere optimization were essential factors to sustainability, so the team employed alighting application that alternates the fixtures at a forty five-degree angle to maximize the amount oflighting per square footage, yet decrease energy usage by 40 percent in comparison to standard retailenvironments. In combination with Destiny USA’s own method of harvesting water from the roof’sdrainage system, Colkitt&Co and KLH Engineers incorporated low-flow plumbing fixtures, reducing waterusage by 30 percent, contributing to an overall 70 percent reduction.
The interactive retail stores are based on a modular fixture concept that encourages flexibility, reuse, andsmart mass-production. All fixtures are mobile, including the fitting rooms, lending themselves tointeraction and change as needed. The team selected GreenGuard certified furniture and EnergyStarrated equipment, as well as fixtures sealed with low VOC paint to improve the air quality and promotefuture recyclability. From the rapidly renewable bamboo, recycled metals, modular furniture, locallysourced products, FSC certified wood, LED lighting, and the simple methods of construction with just asocket set, the space is brimming with thoughtful choices relative to the future. “The entire remodel iscommitted to sustainability and this location is a refined culmination of the team’s design work for PUMAoutlets over the last three years,” explained Nathan Colkitt, founder of Colkitt&Co.
