After five years of planning and construction, Jewel-Osco unveiled Chicago's first green grocery store in Fulton River District, reports Progressive Grocer. The Supervalu-subsidiary will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the store.

Keith Nielsen, president of Jewel-Osco, said the store represents the 186-store division's "award-winning track record ... [with] energy conservation and recycling. Our work on this new store continues a commitment we have followed for many decades."

Jewel-Osco said its project design team painstakingly researched green products, obtained special permits and maintained meticulous documentation throughout the construction phase.

Among the special design elements of the multilevel, 65,000-square-foot Jewel-Osco are:
-- A highly reflective and heat-emissive LiveRoof system, incorporating vegetation, which will reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling.
-- Use of building materials with recycled content, obtained within a 500-mile radius in order to reduce transportation needs.
-- Energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, including temperature monitors that sense the need for more heating or cooling based on the number of people in the store.
-- Strict attention to the recycling of 98 percent of construction debris.
-- Water-saving fixtures, energy-efficient lighting, use of non-ozone-depleting refrigerants in cooling equipment, and refrigerant leak detection monitors.

The architecture is also unique in that the store and parking deck were built 25 feet above ground level in order to provide pedestrian and vehicle access directly from the Desplaines Street Bridge.

Further, the parking deck spans over the top of METRA commuter rail lines and is integrated with small shop retail space to the south that has been developed as part of the Trio development project.

As Chicago's market leader, Jewel-Osco operates stores in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.