Starbucks Canada is opening a new store this month in British Columbia outside Vancouver that was assembled in just six days using sustainable materials and near-zero construction waste.
"This is the new wave of construction technology," Gregor Robertson, former mayor of Vancouver and executive vice president of strategy at Nexii Building Solutions, told Cheddar. "Nexii manufactures our buildings off-site and then flat-packs them and ships them to the site and assembles them very rapidly."
On the surface at least, it looks like any old Starbucks drive-thru store, but beneath the familiar outer-shell is a new approach to commercial retail construction.
The building is LEED-certified — the international standard for green design — and built to reduce heating and cooling needs. According to Robertson, the Vancouver building represents a 20 percent reduction in "embodied carbon," which is the carbon embedded in the materials, and a 43 percent reduction in the "operating energy," which is the regular carbon footprint once it's up and running.
Robertson stressed that the stakes are high for coming up with new sustainable construction methods, given that buildings are responsible for just under 40 percent of global carbon emissions, according to the Canada Green Building Council.
"Buildings and construction are the number-one cause of the climate crisis," he said. "Our cities desperately need market solutions. That's why I got involved with Nexii when I finished my time as mayor."
Robertson said Nexii plans to extend this design approach to other types of buildings, including energy-intensive industrial facilities that use large amounts of steel and concrete.
He pushed back against the idea that green buildings are more expensive, and that quicker building-times and energy savings can make up the costs.
"Ultimately, we think we can produce more affordable buildings," he said.
The former mayor didn't shy away from calling for increased regulation in the space as well, including new rules for limiting embodied carbon in buildings.
"It's really about raising the standards in cities around the world," he said.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
Hear from Gabino & Stephen Roche on Saphyre’s institutional AI platform that centralizes pre‑ and post‑trade data, redefining settlement speed and accuracy.
