Dutch retail chain Spar has partnered with the Salzburg Technical College in Austria to develop a self-sufficient supermarket, as part of the college’s Smart Building study programme.

Spar Austria has provided energy data and retail planning knowledge from its existing Eurospar store in Straßwalchen.

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Students visited the store to learn about the building’s existing technologies and energy systems, which were then incorporated into project plans for the new supermarket.

The chosen project proposed that the self-sufficient supermarket be made from re-usable parts.

It featured the use of solar energy-based Rawlemon solar crystal balls, which would be integrated into the building's façade to produce energy for the store's lighting, heating, ovens and refrigeration systems.

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“We are always looking for fresh ideas to improve our stores and thanks to our cooperation with the Salzburg Technical College, we are achieving this goal."

Spar Austria energy and technology construction head Gerald Geiger said: “For many years now, we have used a comprehensive sustainability concept for the construction and conversion of our stores.

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“We are always looking for fresh ideas to improve our stores and thanks to our cooperation with the Salzburg Technical College, we are achieving this goal. We have seen many interesting and exciting projects that are sustainable and feasible in practice.”

Spar stores in the country have been built to meet the Spar Austria Construction Manual Guidelines certified by the Austrian Association for Sustainable Real Estate Industry (ÖGNI).

The new stores are reported to reduce energy use by around 50%. 

Image: A concept showing Rawlemon solar crystal balls integrated into a supermarket's facade. Photo: courtesy of Spar International.