Littleton Food Co-op

Cooperatively Owned Community Food Market

The co-op and its membership were key to the process of developing a vision for this new expansion project.  The co-op wanted to better reflect their values in the new space as well as create more services for the membership.  We worked with the co-op to design a building solution that included a welcoming café and community center, a teaching kitchen, administrative offices, an outdoor pavilion and marketplace, an expansion of the existing receiving and retail spaces, as well as outdoor landscaping and a new plaza.

One of the initial challenges was that the existing building was situated in a suburban area within a large section of parking which did not have a visual or physical connection with the street.  The existing site had little dedicated green space and lacked a connection to the outdoors.  One of the main goals was to give the new co-op an outdoor connection, since healthy living is an essential part of the co-op’s mission.  In addition, the new design needed to be unique so that visitors would know that the building is a local co-op that provides great regional food and products.  

The site design solution created a marketplace with a pavilion and green space, porches with ample display area, a plaza for gathering, an extended outdoor living space embellished with permanent plantings, and outdoor benches for sitting.  A pavilion was added across from the entrance to hold seasonal plants and landscaping items, as well as provide space for a farmer’s market. 

The energy efficiency solutions are numerous throughout the new addition and pavilion.  The building has an excellent thermal envelope with a roof constructed from structural insulated panels that are R60, while the walls and floors are R40 and R20, respectively.  Windows are triple glazed fiberglass to get an optimal R value.  Air sealing was of great importance to maintain a tight thermal envelope and to reduce loads for mechanical systems.  The co-op solved the high energy usage issue of freezer and cooler cases by providing highly efficient fixtures inside.  The store also has a FreeAire refrigeration system for mechanical needs, and the design includes multiple electric vehicle charging stations.