Building Design

As a growing company opening stores and other facilities annually, Kohl's makes constructing efficient buildings a top priority. Kohl's is an active member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and uses their principles when designing, constructing and operating new stores. In 2008, two major milestones were met by the Kohl's Store Planning team. First, as a participant in the USGBC's LEED for Retail and Volume Certification pilot programs, Kohl's has achieved LEED "pre-certification" of its various store prototypes and achieved a recognized third-party verification that Kohl's builds environmentally friendly buildings. The other milestone was the completion of the Kohl's Photo Studio which utilized LEED criteria for its design, construction and operation.

Learn more about Kohl's "L.E.E.D.ING" the way with store construction.

Learn more about Kohl's Photo Studio.

Kohl's New Store Prototype

Long-term sustainability is a key decision driver in all construction at Kohl's. Kohl's is making a difference in store construction through sustainable design, construction, energy efficiency and operating practices. The following highlights show how Kohl's has implemented this process from the ground up.

Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

Construction activities can be very disruptive to the surrounding environment. To minimize impacts and reduce pollution from construction activities, Kohl's has a nationwide Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) that is implemented at every new store location. Kohl's works with a national SWPPP consultant to prepare a site-specific erosion and sedimentation control plan for every Kohl's site to ensure the control of soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation.

Alternative Transportation

Reduction in private vehicle use reduces fuel consumption as well as air and water pollutants in vehicle exhaust. In some new store locations, bike racks and changing facilities are provided for employees and customers. Starting in 2009, all new Kohl’s stores will have bike racks on site.

Heat Island Effect

Heat islands are created as cities replace natural land cover with buildings, asphalt, and other dark-colored hard-surface infrastructure. This causes both the air and surface temperatures to be higher than in nearby rural areas resulting in increased energy demands. Kohl's stores utilize a roofing material that is a "Cool White" ENERGY STAR-rated TPO roof. This material reduces the building's energy demand and mitigates its heat island impacts.

Water-Efficient Landscaping

Landscaping plant materials utilized nationwide are native or adaptive to their specific climate. The plant materials utilized will result in a major reduction in the amount of irrigation water needed to support the plants. The Kohl's irrigation system will be primarily drip emitters which prevent the loss of water through evapotranspiration which typically occurs as water flies through the air in traditional spray irrigation. The systems are controlled by a "smart" irrigation controller that monitors weather and climate conditions prior to activating the irrigation system. The innovations in landscape and irrigation will reduce the potable water used by Kohl's for irrigation by 50%. At some new store sites no permanent irrigation will be installed or an alternative water source will be utilized. As a result no potable drinking water will be used to irrigate plant material in those locations.

Water Efficient Building

Two out of three people in the world will face water shortages by 2025. Water is a valuable resource that is taken seriously by Kohl's. Water-conserving plumbing fixtures were selected to reduce the new Kohl's stores' water consumption by 20% and in some locations a water savings of over 30% will be achieved.

Construction Waste Management

Clean construction waste currently contributes approximately 30% of all materials in U.S. landfills. All of the waste generated by the construction of new Kohl's stores will be carefully managed to ensure that the least possible amount of debris is sent to landfills and incinerators. Non-hazardous construction waste materials will be separated by the contractor. These include: concrete, cardboard, carpet, metals, drywall and wood. The result of this effort will divert an estimated 50-75% of construction waste materials form local landfills!

Recycled Content in Building Materials

To reduce the demand on virgin materials and reduce the environmental impacts of material extraction and the manufacturing process, numerous items utilized in the construction of new Kohl's stores have recycled material content. Building materials like concrete, steel, carpeting, ceiling tiles, drywall and insulation all have been selected with the maximum amounts of post- and pre-consumer recycled content in mind. An estimated 20%+ of the total building materials (by cost) utilized in new Kohl's stores is recycled!

Regionally Sourced Building Materials

Regionally manufactured and harvested building materials have been selected in the construction of new Kohl's stores to reduce the environmental impacts of transporting heavy building materials. Key building materials like concrete, concrete masonry units, pre-cast/tilt-up panels and steel all have been sourced within 500 miles of each new store site. An estimated 20%+ of the total building materials (by cost) utilized in new Kohl's stores will be sourced within 500 miles of the sites!

Green Power

Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) have been purchased to "green" 35% of this building's power. RECs in the form of mixed renewable energy sources from landfill gases are supplied to Kohl's from Waste Management Renewable Energy. Waste Management generates energy at landfills across the country and is a major trash hauler for the store.

Building Efficiency/ Thermal Comfort/ Commissioning

Building efficiency helps the environment and saves money. Kohl's installs mechanical controlling systems in this building to effectively monitor both the heating and cooling of all new stores. Six to ten months after the new stores are occupied a commissioning agent will reevaluate and adjust the building's HVAC heating, ventilating and air conditioning to optimize efficiency and enhance the thermal comfort of the employees and customers. These systems will also be balanced and reviewed two times per year by experts in the field to assure a continual optimization of building energy use and continued thermal comfort.

Air Quality

Improved indoor air quality enhances the work environment for Kohl's employees and customers. Chemically polluted indoor air can lead to illness, respiratory problems, nausea, fatigue and increased absenteeism. New Kohl's stores are constructed with low VOC materials. The low VOC materials used in Kohl's stores reduce the fumes associated with paints, sealants, carpets, adhesives, insulation and wall systems. In addition, there is a NO SMOKING policy for the interior of new Kohl's stores and within twenty-five feet of any entrance.

Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring & Increased Ventilation

Kohl's stores feature a great amount of fresh air ventilation and carbon monoxide monitoring. A centralized energy management system controls the HVAC within each store. The units are programmed to provide an adequate supply of outside air at times when cooling is not needed in the buildings. Fresh air will constantly be circulated throughout the new stores. The increased amount of ventilation in Kohl's stores adds to the overall air quality of the buildings during seasons when buildings often become stagnant and closed up.

Green Housekeeping

The use of "Green" cleaning supplies reduces the exposure of new store occupants and maintenance staff to potentially harmful chemicals which can adversely impact the air quality of the building. New Kohl's stores will be cleaned using green housekeeping methods and green chemicals approved by Kohl's and supplied by our contract cleaning vendors. In addition, all restroom paper products are made from 100% recycled materials.

On-Site Recycling

Did you know that by recycling one aluminum can enough energy is saved to run a TV for 3 hours? Or that every ton of office paper recycled saves 380 gallons of oil? Recycling is the right thing to do! New Kohl's stores recycle office paper, cans, glass, cardboard, hangers and plastic. Receptacles throughout the facility are designated for the sorting and collection of refuse materials that can be recycled. There is even an area for our employees and customers to bring in plastic bags from home to further support recycling!

Store Education Brochure

Photo Studio

Rapidly Renewable Materials

Rapidly renewable building materials regenerate more quickly than the demand for the products, unlike nonrenewable conventional building products which are mined or harvested like granite, marble and hardwood trees. The Photo Studio uses cork and bamboo flooring. These choices help reduce the environmental impact of this building.

Certified Wood

Much of the lumber and permanent wood features like cabinets and doors utilized in the construction of the Photo Studio were constructed out of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood. Using certified wood products assures that U.S. forests will be managed with sustainable criteria and will be available for generations to come.

Construction Waste Management

All of the waste generated by the construction of the Photo Studio was carefully managed to ensure that the least possible amount of debris was sent to landfills and incinerators. Nonhazardous construction waste materials were separated by the contractor. These include: concrete, cardboard, carpet, metals, drywall and wood. The result of this effort diverted 206 tons of waste materials form local landfills! That is approximately 64% of the waste generated by weight.

Stormwater Design

The Photo Studio site utilizes an existing regional detention basin located east of the property. In addition, this site has a pretreatment pond located on the east side of the property. The water quality pond will remove 80% of total suspended solids (pollutants) from the storm water flowing from the parking lot and landscape areas. Besides improving water quality, the pond is pumped to provide all the irrigation water for the landscaping present on site.

Water-Efficient Landscaping

All landscaping plants at the Photo Studio are native adaptive trees, shrubs and ground cover (no turf grass) requiring 50% less water. The irrigation system for the Photo Studio is a drip system using the on-site pond water. This system is controlled by the Weather TRAK controller that monitors weather and climate conditions prior to activating the irrigation system. The Weather TRAK system will reduce irrigation at this system by 50% and no potable drinking water will be used to irrigate any plant material on site.

Heat Island Effect

Heat islands are created as cities replace natural land cover with buildings, asphalt and other dark-color hard-surface infrastructure. This causes both the air and surface temperatures to be higher than in nearby rural areas resulting in increased energy demands. This building has several features to mitigate its heat island impacts. The roof is a "Cool White" ENERGY STAR-rated roof that helps reduce the building's energy demand. The roof also contains an area of green roof-vegetated trays which also absorb the sunlight without contributing to the site's heat island effect. The amount of asphalt used in the parking lot was reduced and areas of "high-albedo" concrete pavements were added. The "high-albedo" materials reduce reflection and outside temperature. The majority of the remaining parking lot asphalt will be shaded by trees and other landscape elements on site.

Light Pollution Reduction

About 2,500 individual stars should be visible to the human eye in an unpolluted night sky; but in a typical suburb only 200 to 300 stars are visible and in a city (like Milwaukee) fewer than a dozen stars may shine through the artificially lit sky. Several design choices were made to minimize our light pollution. The Photo Studio has no exterior up lights. The sign on the outside of the building is illuminated using LED technology. Full cutoff light fixtures utilized in the parking areas reduce light trespass off site and up into the night sky. Light Pollution wastes energy and can be a detriment to the quality of the environment. At Kohl's we hope to transform the future of our night sky.

On-Site Renewable Energy

Currently, renewable energy accounts for only 2.3% of the United States energy supply. Kohl's has partnered with We Energies and SunEdison to install a photovoltaic array on the roof of the Photo Studio. The system was installed in April 2008 and became operational in July 2008. It will supply 20% of the building's power needs directly to the building. This system has over 800 solar panels generating clean, silent renewable power in Milwaukee.

Green Power

Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) have been purchased to "green" 70% of this building's power in the form of mixed renewable energy sources including biomass and wind generation. These RECs are supplied to Kohl's from Sterling Planet.

Enhanced Commissioning

Energy efficiency helps the environment and saves money. Kohl's has installed mechanical controlling systems in this building to effectively supply both heating and cooling to the facility. These systems are balanced and reviewed two times per year by experts in the field to assure optimal use of energy at this location.

Air Quality

Improved indoor air quality enhances the work environment for the associates using the Kohl's Photo Studio. Poor indoor air can lead to illness, respiratory problems, nausea and fatigue and increased absenteeism. This building was constructed with all low VOC materials. The low VOC materials used in the Photo Studio reduce the fumes associated with paints, carpets and adhesives. In addition, there is a NO SMOKING policy for the interior of the building and only a small designated area outside to accommodate smokers. The building also features an increased amount of fresh air ventilation and carbon monoxide monitoring.

Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring & Increased Ventilation

A centralized energy management system controls the HVAC units on this building. This assures the supply of outside air at times when cooling is not needed in the building. Fresh air will constantly be circulated to throughout the building. The increased amount of ventilation adds to the overall air quality of the building during seasons when buildings often become stagnant and closed up.

Daylight & Views

Numerous windows have been added to the façade of the Photo Studio, and the southern orientation of the building brings in sunlight throughout the day. Windows provide "borrowed" light in the central stockroom area. The use of glass doors in some conference rooms allows even greater penetration of sunlight into the building interior. There will be a roof-deck/outdoor photo studio to shoot with access to direct sunlight and provide more light exposure for our models.

Green Housekeeping

The use of "Green" cleaning supplies reduces the exposure of building occupants and maintenance staff to potentially harmful chemicals which can adversely impact the air quality of the building. This building is cleaned using green housekeeping methods and green chemicals approved by Kohl's and supplied by our contract cleaning vendors. In addition, all restroom paper products are made from 100% recycled materials.

On-Site Recycling

This building recycles all office paper, cans, glass, cardboard and plastic. Areas throughout the facility are designated for the sorting and collection of refuse materials that can be recycled. There is even an area for our associates to bring in plastic bags from home to further support recycling!

Photo Studio Education Brochure