Sandboxes and Nests Lure Customers, and IEQ Keeps Them Happy

Project: Google Store–Chelsea tenant fit-out

Size: 8,900 ft²

Owner: Google

Architect: REDDYMADE Architecture + Design

MEP Engineer: Rosini Engineering

Contractor: Michilli Construction + Consulting

Sustainability Consultant, Energy Modeler, and CxA: Steven Winter Associates

Daylight, views, proven IAQ, and low-emitting materials: the new Google brick-and-mortar store in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City checks all the indoor environmental quality boxes. It’s also designed to be fun as heck. “Sandbox” areas offer play spaces for customers to explore the possibilities available to them when using Google’s growing portfolio of products for homes (beyond the original Nest thermostat).

Materials were carefully vetted not just for VOC emissions but also for other toxics; in a rare win, the project earned the “optimization” portion of the Building Product Disclosure & Optimization–Material Ingredients credit.

The project also has impressive water-efficiency credentials, with a 50% reduction in indoor water use against baseline, and takes advantage of monitoring-based commissioning, advanced energy metering, and renewable-energy production.

In addition to its futuristic product offerings, the store looks to the future in another way. It’s designed for optimal flexibility, which means the space is meant to be easily adapted for new uses. For this feature, it scored one of its two points from the Interiors Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit.