Starbucks has opened a new drive-through store in Tukwila, Washingtonconstructed out of four shipping containers that used to deliver the brand's tea and coffeeround the world.

The store was designed by in-house architects and at 448square feet is similar in size to standard stores with room for three baristas towork. The new store is part of a company initiative to increase sustainabilityin retail design and reduce energy use and operational costs. Although it’s aone-off for now it’s something that could be rolled out across more locations inthe future.

The terms ‘drive-through’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ don’t necessarily gohand in hand but it’s still good to see large corporations actively making aneffort to up their green credentials. The reclaimed shipping container as retailspace is proving to be a popular way to do this – making good use out ofredundant resources as well as creating unique store environments.