-By Danine Alati, Photography by David Wakely

When was the last time a trip to the drug store was a holistic, mind-body experience? Stuffy and crowded with harsh fluorescent lights and tight, difficult to navigate aisles, the average pharmacy might be as unpleasant as a trip to the doctor. But Elephant Pharm is turning the concept of a drug store on its ear. Founded in Berkeley, Calif., in 2002 by a group of people dedicated to health, wellness, and education, Elephant Pharm offers more than just over-the-counter drug store remedies. Named such because elephants are considered to be large, intelligent, and caring, Elephant Pharm is committed to delivering a host of health-minded customer services that range from vitamins, herbal remedies, and cosmetics, to expert health advice and wellness classes. One of three new Elephant Pharm retail locations opened in 2007, the Walnut Creek, Calif., store, designed by McCall Design Group, has been selected for inclusion in the LEED for Retail Pilot Program. As a part of the program, this project will serve as a model to help the USGBC develop guidelines for all future LEED-certified retail projects—certainly a nod to McCall Design Group's crafty eco-friendly designs.

"We had a vision," explains Lauren Schiller, Elephant Pharm vice president of marketing. "We wanted customers to feel welcome and for the space to have a natural feel. We wanted a good flow and to encourage a sense of discovery." With company CEO, president, and director Kathi Lentzsch extremely committed to environmental sustainability and wellness, the client team presented its vision to McCall Design Group, which translated the wish list into the stunning yet calming Walnut Creek store. "The aesthetic we tried to achieve was one of a relaxed, inviting, casual environment that speaks to whole health and wellness. We wanted to make it a space that encourages exploration," explains Homer Perez, LEED, McCall associate in charge of the project's LEED certification.

The layout is conducive to this sense of wander and discovery. With a library set at the center, circulation flows around this centrifuge, according to Perez, and the whole store is extremely easy to navigate. "It's set up in such a way that you can scan the place, easily see what you want, and have an extremely efficient experience. Or you can take your time and twist and turn throughout the space for 40 minutes," Schiller says. A classroom toward the back of the store is designed for free lectures (life coaching, stress management, etc.) and "movement classes" (yoga, pilates, acupuncture) to further engage the community. And private consultation rooms afford customers time with practitioners and the opportunity to sample certain homeopathic remedies before purchasing them. The store is an exercise in combining Eastern and Western health practices under one room, Schiller notes.

"It's viscerally different than the typical experience at the average pharmacy," she stresses. "You can see it on people's faces when they walk in." The sense of calm is perpetuated in the soothing color palette, warm, natural materials, and curving forms that guide shoppers through the space. Clear signage—made of eco-friendly Plyboo—facilitates wayfinding. And the circular face and body care area offers a respite with warm bamboo flooring, a cosmetic counter, and a spa chair where customers can relax for a moment and receive an in-store makeover.

Environmental sustainability is so aligned with Elephant Pharm's core philosophies of health and wellness that creating a LEED-certified space just made sense. Designers employed low-emitting, durable interior finishes that minimize maintenance and rapidly renewable flooring and casework. And when selecting materials, they considered actual composition, recyclability, and where they were manufactured. They also employed wind power—making Elephant Pharm the first retail venue to be run on green power—repaired and reused the original slab floor, reused the existing rooftop units, eliminated harmful refrigerants in HVAC equipment, achieved 30 percent water savings, and recycled 50 percent of construction waste.

But perhaps the greatest green achievement was in energy conservation. EnergyStar-rated skylights allow for abundant daylighting—90 percent of the store's occupied space receives natural light—which lessens the need for additional artificial light sources. A photocell mounted in one of the skylight wells detects when there is sufficient ambient light and sends a signal to shut off light fixtures, and all light sources are energy-efficient bulbs.

While Perez acknowledges the challenge of striving for LEED certification after the design phase was underway (as was the case with this project), having a client who was so committed to environmental stewardship facilitated the process, making it possible for this benchmark project in the LEED for Retail Pilot Program to be the success that it is.