Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Photo: Joe Heath, Real Estate Web Creation, LLC
Green building and construction from recycled materials isn’t just a trend that adds style and pizzazz to a property but rather something that is a necessity in today’s real estate world. Finding ways to save on operating expenses while also implementing environmentally sound practices into the building process is a responsibility ever home builder or land developer needs to consider when designing a new project.
While thousands of eco-friendly properties have been developed all over the country in recent years, there may not be a more proper example of combining creativity with recycled construction materials than what’s seen over at the newest Starbucks location in Chicago.
Officially opening just last week and situated at the corner of Broadway and Devon Avenue in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, this isn’t your typical plug-in your MacBook and sip lattes all day kind of Starbucks. Instead, this location is designed to cater to on-the-go college students attending nearby Loyola University-Chicago, which is essentially located right across the street, or the early morning traffic driving by looking to catch Lake Shore Drive during their daily commute to downtown.
There is no inside seating area, the restroom facilities are accessible only from the outside, and ordering is done exclusively through a drive-up or walk-up window. And while that alone might raise some eyebrows, the real surprising and unique aspect about the new Edgewater Starbucks in Chicago is the appearance and design of its structure. Constructed from recycled shipping containers that were prefabricated in California, this resourceful exterior is actually one of only a few that exist, with the others being located in Denver, Seattle, and Portland.
Whether or not Starbucks will continue this new and exciting development trend is anybody’s guess, but given its one-of-a-kind façade that truly is imaginative and artistic in every sense, we certainly hope so.
