Askews - A Truly Sustainable Grocery Store

Askew’s Uptown: Sustainability in a Beautiful Package

By Don Sawyer

What saves money and has a great view? No, it’s not a frugal giraffe. It’s the new Salmon Arm Askew’s Uptown grocery store, most likely open for business by the time you read this. In keeping with this issue’s theme, if we want an example of sustainable architecture and green building principles, we need look no further than the Shuswap, where General Manager David Askew’s vision of a truly sustainable grocery store that is also beautiful to look at -- and look out from -- is nearing completion.

Though a visit to the store with its spectacular views through soaring windows on all sides and a sweeping ceiling constructed entirely of locally-accessed fir is truly stunning (my comment when I first entered: “Wow! Look at this! Holy Smokes!”), Askew is more than a dreamer. He is also a savvy businessman. He points out one energy-saving device after another: the hot water for the in-floor heating comes entirely from the heat produced by their refrigeration and freezer units; the abundance of natural light is backed up by full-spectrum lighting automatically regulated by an energy-saving rheostat. While the initial cost per square foot of Askew’s innovative design is somewhat greater than most groceries, based on BC Hydro assessment, he says they can expect to save 400,000 kilowatts per year, enough to power 36 homes for the same time period.

“That’s the point of sustainability,” David tells me. “It’s about looking into the future and acting responsibly and seeing that an investment today can pay off in many ways down the road. We seem to always be looking only at the immediate cost, not the long-term environmental or even business costs.” As an example, he points to research that shows sustainable commercial buildings have lower vacancy rates, higher rents, increased property values and happier, more productive employees.

There isn’t a whole lot that is conventional about the Askew’s Uptown store. Unlike most supermarket buildings, which are simply designs taken off the shelf and plopped down on a lot, the Askew’s structure is “site specific.” That means it was purposely designed for the 6.7-acre parcel where it sits. As a result, the building, a giant crescent, is set into the bank below the TCH, which provides natural insulation for the refrigeration units. To further help reduce refrigeration needs, the section built into the ground is covered with a “living roof” that will be planted in shrubs and ground cover. The north-facing floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the store provide a gorgeous view of Shuswap Lake and the mountains beyond.

What about rainwater? Just send it down the drain? No way. All water is collected on the roof, routed through a watercourse that runs over the main entrance, tumbles in a cascade into a feature pool in the parking area, and is then directed into an underground reservoir. From here the water is used for irrigating the landscaped gardens and the living roof. Virtually all rainwater that falls on the site will be used on the site.

The Uptown store is already having a positive impact on the area’s economy. Except for the architectural firm, Allen and Mauer, which is based in Penticton, and some specialized engineering services, virtually all tradespeople, suppliers, contractors, technical services and construction workers are local. One local contractor, who was applying a final seal-coat to the unique cement floors (designed to retain the heat from the hot water circulating in imbedded pipes) told me proudly that the floor would last 100 years. “You can drive a front-end loader on it and never scratch it. We usually do garage floors, so it was a real pleasure to get this job. Thanks to David for giving us the chance.”

After getting over my initial amazement, I asked Askew if there was any other supermarket like it in BC. He shook his head.

“So does that scare you? To be, well, so far out there?”

Askew gave a hearty laugh. “No!” he answered emphatically. “My ideas derive from research and from our more than 80 years of experience in the grocery business. For example, I discovered that health care facilities built with lots of natural light enjoy better therapeutic outcomes than those that use artificial light. There are also studies indicating that products in store areas that have natural light sell better. I think our existing Downtown store has a great feel to it, partially as a result of the abundance of natural light. It is a good place to work and has been a great success. In planning and designing our new store, I wanted to create the same ambiance that exists downtown. We consulted with our employees about what they and customers most valued about the Downtown store and incorporated their ideas into the Uptown store.

“We also hired Fast and Epp, one of the outstanding structural engineering firms in the country.” Askew went on. “They’ve built award-winning sustainable buildings all over the world as well as in BC, including the 2010 Olympic Speed Skating Oval and the Armstrong Arena. And Perkins and Will, who were architects for Vancouver’s new VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre, which is getting all kinds of attention as a model of sustainability, designed our living roof.” Askew laughed again. “So we know what we’re doing.”

Located near Salmon Arm’s growing residential area of east of the city and adjacent to the arena and recreation centre, the store is located where people live. When finished, it will become a neighbourhood centre with a deli, coffee bar and seating inside and out.

And it might just be the most beautiful and energy efficient supermarket in Canada.