Amazon Fresh

Amazon Fresh brings omnichannel design together in-store and online to provide a seamless experience for shoppers.

In collaboration with Amazon Fresh, NORR is an Architect of Record (AOR) and Engineer of Record (EOR) providing architecture, and structural, mechanical and electrical engineering for stores across the US. Most stores are second generation structures that have been, or are being, repurposed to meet the requirements of a full-service grocery store. With the use of technologies such as 3D scanning, we are able to collect the data points in the existing structure and convert the data into a BIM model that is used for design and construction drawings. It is efficient, precise, supports speed-to-market and is critical to design for the complexity of the multiple Building Information Systems that must be coordinated and integrated to provide multiple high-tech services including:

• Just Walk Out technology: Amazon’s checkout-free tech that allows shoppers to grab and go without visiting a register
• Amazon Dash Cart: Amazon’s shopping carts equipped with built-in checkout functionality
• Alexa: Alexa features to help customers manage their shopping lists, find easy recipes, and better navigate aisles

The large and medium format design strategy is to let the products be the star. The prototype accommodates a bakery, fresh produce, freshly prepared foods, refrigerated and freezer items, in combination with an interior staging area where shoppers can pick up Amazon grocery orders. Virtual meets physical in the omnichannel design.

From a sustainability perspective, select stores will transition to a CO2-based refrigeration system, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 38 metric tons per year compared to a conventional system. Additionally, some stores will use alternate aggregates and cement in the concrete floor to reduce the embodied carbon — the carbon associated with the manufacturing and installation of the flooring — by nearly 40% compared to a standard concrete floor. Select stores will also be electrified using 100% renewable electricity sourced from Amazon’s renewable energy projects.