Starbucks Opens First Container Store in Taiwan

Even Starbucks has joined in on the trend.

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Hualien City, TAIWAN – Starbucks Taiwan opened its first store in Asia Pacific built from recycled shipping containers. The new Starbucks is the first retailer to open a storefront in the yet-to-be opened Hualien Bay Mall, which is located in a tourist destination known for its cuisine and beautiful landscape facing the Pacific Ocean.

This drive thru location is built to meet customer needs, both today and in the long-term. It offers the convenience of Starbucks drive thru for customers on-the-go on Nanbin Road, but also continues Starbucks 30-year history of sustainability by recycling 29 used shipping containers to form the store’s structure. It’s 320 square meters and two stories tall.

This unique exterior design was envisioned and brought to life by the famed Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, who has also built Starbucks Japan’s Fukuoka store and is the exterior architect for the upcoming Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo. This is the first time Kuma has used shipping containers for his designs and was inspired by the foliage of coffee trees combined with the traditional Chinese bucket arch. The stacking of the shipping containers created a much taller space and provides natural sunlight through the various skylights found throughout the structure.

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