Reimagining Retail: EV charging stations

CAPTIVATING CONSUMERS

Image courtesy of Mason Studio

Retail Operators Focus on Experience, Convenience and Community

By Rebecca Melnyk

SHOPPING has conventionally been tied to consumer need or desire for material goods, but retailers are now considering how people spend their time, not just the money in their pockets. New theories centre on how experiences, convenience and a sense of community can draw people to a physical site.

A seminar earlier this year at the Toronto Interior Design Show tackled some of those issues. Electric vehicle charging stations, omnichannel shopping and better use of outdoor spaces were all flagged as potential influences. ROADSIDE REIMAGINING Ilana Weitzman, Vice President of Strategic Development at Electric Autonomy Canada, identified the transition to electric vehicles and associated evolving travel patterns as a prompt for new designs. Gas stations along the highway have mostly been stop-and-go spots where people fuel up within five minutes, whereas charging can take 20 to 40 minutes.

“These vehicles now have a range of 480 kilometres, but you do need to rest and stop, and where do you do that? This is an incredible opportunity to completely reimagine what that could look like,” she observed.

With this in mind, Electric Autonomy co-sponsored a global architecture competition for a purpose-built roadside oasis for EVs. Scottish architect James Silvester submitted the winning design concept, “More With Less,” featuring inner courtyards for relaxation and a timber-framed canopy that hangs over charging zones to shelter cars and people from harsh elements.

“You can imagine, if you’re getting out of one of these vehicles with a dog or toddler,

how much more comfortable it is to not have to cross a vast parking lot along your way,” Weitzman suggested.

Silvester’s design will be built in the next two years by the Canadian convenience store operator and independent fuel retailing company, Parkland Corporation, the competition’s other co-sponsor. The design is modular so it can be scaled to other types and sizes of retail venues.

Other concepts submitted to the competition integrate outdoor public spaces, incorporate rooftop solar to augment power supply, or include leisure space with shopping pavilions, stations to view internet streaming and more upscale restaurants than a gas station’s typical fast-food fare. Meanwhile, the transition to EVs is expected to broaden the base of fuel retailers since it will no longer be tied to the storage and dispersal of flammable substances containing hydrocarbon contaminants.

“We’re not just talking about the vehicles themselves. We’re talking about the built environment and how that built environment is going to change, adapt and pivot for this new technology,” Weitzman asserted. “Now, smart retailers can get into this space.”

OMNICHANNEL COLLISION Stanley Sun, design principal and co-founder of Mason Studio, sketched out the potential for mobile retail and how it might bridge bricks-and-mortar with online purchasing, while filling a community support function. It’s part of an ongoing effort, undertaken with his studio partner, Ashley Rumsey, to explore how physical spaces can create enhanced experiences for omnichannel shopping.

For example, the Calgary retailer, Fresh Fruits, has re-purposed retired city buses to take purchasing opportunities to areas of the city that lack physical food retailers or segments of the population that don’t have access to online shopping. As well, Sun proposes underused parking lots as venues for pop-up retail and “curated windows” from which passersby could choose and order products.

“When you’re scrolling your phones, as you’re lying in bed shopping, what is that physical experience around you to actually facilitate that?” Sun mused. “Right now, we are talking about digital environments, but you’re also in a space, so how do we create spaces that actually facilitate digital interactions?”

The design partners envision what they term the “omnichannel collision” through spaces that offer connections to retail, but not necessarily in an explicit way. That space could also help create social and community connections — drawing people into situations where they can talk about their needs and preferences, and discover common objectives.

“Retail has so much more value than we are giving it,” Sun maintained. “It's an opportunity to bind people. It becomes the social glue and an opportunity for collision.”

SHOPPING CENTRE SHIFT Demalling is the buzzword for transforming and reanimating shopping centres. Supreet Barhay, principal at WZMH Architects, shared some examples from her firm’s work.

That includes Promenade Shopping Centre, located in the Thornhill suburb of Toronto’s neighbouring city, Vaughan, where a phased intensification project is slated to add 18 infill mixed-use towers over the next 20 years. Within Toronto city boundaries, Shops at Don Mills — the now teenaged redevelopment of a former enclosed mall into an open-air centre — represents another future-proofing option.

“Shopping centres are becoming new community hubs,” Barhay remarked.

At Shops at Don Mills that’s seen in summer concerts, winter skating and the many restaurants that pull in local patrons. Yet, where demalling is not necessary or feasible, shopping centres are still evolving with changing times and consumer demands.

Barhay suggests food and experiential retail have become even more of an attraction as society eases out of the COVID-19 pandemic and many mall operators are expanding what was conventionally about 15 to 18% of the retail offerings. They are also harnessing digital technologies to gather more insight into shoppers’ routines and preferences, and to offer a new range of services.

For example, WZMH Architects recently partnered with Microsoft Research’s Urban Futures Workshop through its Sparkbird innovation lab to retrofit a portable trailer where neighbourhood residents can directly learn about their local air quality. Wayfinding apps also help shoppers effectively use their time, providing route guidance and real-time information about store occupancy levels.

Other trends are carryovers from the pandemic when empty parking lots became catalysts for outdoor commerce and engagement such as drive-through entertainment, food trucks with temporary seating or hubs for pick-up and return of products. Parking lots might also contribute to the mall’s energy supply, such is now being tested in a demonstration project where solar canopies integrated with battery storage have been installed.

Barhay cited a Deloitte survey on postCOVID attitudes that found customers are increasingly looking for green features. They want biophilic designs, good air quality and natural light.

They also want to see more local Canadian products and parking options for bikes and EV chargers. She suggests there could be positive results from welcoming bike paths to traverse the site and positioning the mall as a destination on those routes.

“Creating variation will attract customers back into the shopping centres,” Barhay submits. “We need to take it to a completely different level.” zz

James Silverster's competition-winning design concept: Less is More.

Rebecca Melnyk is Editor of Canadian Facility Management and Design.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

High performing hospitals raise the standard for patient care

As Canada’s healthcare sector evolves thanks to technology and an increased focus on health and wellness, improved patient care is the desired outcome. Hospitals deemed “high performing” are leading this allimportant charge, driven by the philosophy that consistent, ongoing effort is needed to ensure the highest level of care.

“High performing hospitals have a proven track record for delivering the best patient outcomes,” says Erica Brabon, Director, Energy and Sustainability at Black & McDonald. “This is achieved in a number of ways— through public-private partnerships, excellent communication, state-of-the-art building technology, leading-edge programs and services, and above all, a facilities teams that ensures operations never disrupt the core mission of the hospital.”

Of course, maintaining such a facility is a complicated process that demands additional best practices. Systems are constantly tracked in real time for energy and carbon impacts, while regular reporting on energy consumption persquare-foot ensures the equipment is running at its most efficient. When operational changes are required, no decision is made without the

support of all hospital stakeholders, putting occupant comfort and wellbeing consistently at the forefront.

ENERGY-SAVING UPGRADES As an example of a recent operational change, Brabon refers to the variable air volume (VAV) system work her team completed at Women’s College Hospital. After assessing the need to optimize the system to improve performance and achieve higher efficiency, the resulting reconfiguration has led to significant savings.

“Everyone in the partnership contributed to the success of the initiative,” she says. “And as per our overriding goal, the money saved from these improvements can go back into patient care.”

Women’s College Hospital is no stranger to undergoing energy efficiency upgrades. A decade ago, the award-winning facility underwent and extensive redevelopment that transformed it into the state-of-the-art building we know today, dedicated to ambulatory care and ground-breaking advances in women’s research, health, and education.

Brabon adds that it’s thanks to partnerships like these, and through working with a number of stakeholders that are equally invested in the success of a building, that amazing outcomes are achieved. Additionally, she says listening to the operations teams, and when possible, developing their ideas into a business case and implementation plan to increase a facility’s performance, can lead to great results.

“We do this through our ‘Good Catch’ program where operators can share their ideas on energy efficiency,” she says. “Exploring the market for innovation, looking outwards and reflecting inwards, is known to lead to invaluable results.”

BLACK & MCDONALD’S KEY SERVICES From the conceptual stage of a high performing hospital project, Black & McDonald works closely with designers and builders in selecting equipment and in lifecycle planning to ensure constructability and sustainability throughout construction, commissioning, and on into operations and maintenance.

In the role of a Facilities Management (FM) services provider, Black & McDonald’s scope covers the provision of all-inclusive mechanical equipment maintenance and plant services, including preventive maintenance, lifecycle management, tenant requests, tenant improvements and project management. FM services include a full complement of personnel— plant managers, chief engineers, building operations, and administrative and technical staff. Soft services include the provision of security services and systems, landscaping, pest control and snow removal.

Black & McDonald is also responsible for the specialized hospital systems, which include lab exhaust systems, medical gases, lab vacuum system, clean steam production, water purification systems, central dispatch systems, parking, fire and contingency planning, and the maintenance of hospital rolling stock. Over the long term, the team continues to play an integral role in maintenance, sustainability, and lifecycle considerations for all its high-performing hospitals.

Meanwhile, a dedicated 24/7 bi-lingual Central Contact Centre offers comprehensive coverage, ensuring a speedy response thanks to on-site and truck-based licensed trades.

To find out more about Black & McDonald’s services, please visit: www.blackandmcdonald.com