Everything
Shipping containers have become the new bricks-and-mortar in an attempt for a more sustainable future, and after creating more than 45 US based shipping container stores, Starbucks have taken to Taiwan to up its own game. Supporting its ongoing initiative to build and operate eco-friendly stores by 2025, the franchise has partnered with architects Kengo Kuma and Associates, for an impressive new design.
Situated at Taiwan’s Hualien Bay Mall overlooking a nearby mountain range, the Japanese architecture firm have created a new modern store from 29 shipping containers. Spanning across 320 square meters (3,444 square feet), the new two-storey Starbucks store offers a drive-thru area, as well as a cultural interior aesthetic. The stacking of the containers not only represents the uneven foliage of a coffee bean tree, but also provides functional properties.
“The stacking of the shipping containers created a much taller space and provides natural sunlight throughout the various skylights found throughout the structure,” a press release notes.
On the exterior, the structure remains white, with an abstract mural sitting behind it paying tribute to the aboriginal Amis people.
“The store is designed to help bring people together over coffee,” the company said in an announcement this week. “Inside, the containers feature create [sic] warm and comfortable seating areas for customers. From one end of the container, customers can enjoy views of the beautiful mountain range. The other end is decorated with graphics that tell coffee stories.”
