Sustainable mixed-use centre Green Pea
New venture Green Pea, opened in late 2020 in Turin (Italy) is a mixed-use centre gathering under one roof fashion, food, culture and leisure with one common motive: sustainability.
The project is carried out by Oscar Farinetti, the business man who created famous food chain Eataly. It is actually located next to Eataly Turin, the very first outpost of the brand that opened in 2007.
The idea behind the project is to encourage people to stop overconsuming and to start consuming more respectfully and with less environmental impact, based on the notion of respect.
The services
The five-storey, 15000 sqm space only features eco-friendly products related to energy, movement, interior decor, clothing and leisure created in harmony with nature:
- The ground floor dubbed "Life" hosts partners such as car, energy and communication companies
- The first floor, "Home", features home décor and domestic appliances
- The second floor named "Fashion" hosts sustainable fashion brands including big name such as Timberland, Patagonia, and K-Way.
- The third floor hosts "Beauty" and is also home to food and restaurant concepts, and to a selling space for books, culture and food products.
- The rooftop floor is called "Ozio" (laziness) and features "creative idleness" activities such as a wellness centre (including a spa and a swimming-pool), a cocktail bar and a roof garden that reduces the building's environmental impact.
Sustainability
The building itself is an example of sustainability. Located inside a former Fiat factory, it has been remodelled using only recyclable materials such as steel, iron and glass and it can be completely dismantled. Part of the wood use for the floors comes from Val Di Fiemme and Belluno areas' forests that were destroyed during a storm in 2018, and part is recycled wood from the Cuneo valleys. The building is painted with a special paint (Airlite) that reduces air pollution by 88% and kills bacteria by 99.9%. More than 80% of its energy comes from renewable energy (including hot water generated by a geothermal plant, the thermic energy and the electric energy come from photovoltaic and solar panels).
The brands were asked to furbish their shops respecting the same criteria of sustainability used for building Green Pea, which has given life to numerous synergies among partners: the Fashion and Beauty floors decorated their shops-in-shop using the decor pieces sold on the Home floor.
Inside Green Pea find also the GP Discovery Museum that reviews and explains how all the energy solutions and technologies used in the building work. The museum is suitable for all ages.
Digital
The Green Pea App helps users improve their sustainable behaviour day-by-day through challenges, quizzes and gamification mechanisms. The Green Pea Members are part of a community, and can access to exclusive advantage such as discounts, dedicated prices and promotions. Options such as smart payment are available through the app.
A Short Édition project also features on the app: it acts as "mini story vending machines", available in Italian and English. Users can discover narratives from great Greek philosophers, or original texts on the Green theme. Through the Green Pea App, all GP Members can submit their writings, which eventually become part of this shared storytelling project. It is another way to feel part of the Green Pea community.
Even the website is sustainable: when opened on your computer, if you don't interact with a page for a minute, the website will automatically switch to an energy-saving mode until you come back on the page.
Conclusion
The idea of an eco-friendly mall is not new: ReTuna Återbruksgalleria, located in Swedish town Eskilstuna, is a shopping mall filled with recycled, upcycled, and sustainable products. That's where Ikea opened its first second-hand store. We can also mention Burwood Brickworks shopping center in Melbourne, Australia, which opened at the end of 2019 and uses renewable energy inside and on the rooftop farm.
Yet the covid-19 crisis are reinforced even more people's will to consume more responsibly and to turn to more eco-friendly way of living and Green Pea is the latest big green project that might pave the way to more.
Sustainable mixed-use centre Green Pea