A Store Concept for Whole Foods Market Stores

AUGUST 2016

Mid-atlantic region

When working with Whole Foods Market Stores, MV+A begins by integrating each store concept into the context of the surrounding area. For example, with the Whole Foods Market on P Street, managing principal Jim Voelzke considered the historic car dealerships of the P Street/14^th Street corridor for inspiration. The store’s tall vertical windows evoke an open showroom, unlike your typical grocery.

NPR Store Concept WFM | P Street, Washington, DC — WFM | P Street, Washington, DC

For the current Whole Foods Market on H Street, we researched the cultural groups that have lived in the area, from Irish immigrants to an African American neighborhood, to its current emergence as the newest enclave in DC’s downtown scene. A bright color palette pulls from murals in the area, visually representing diversity, while modern and minimal materials like wood and white subway tile balance the bold design.

Store Concept WFM | H Street, Washington, DC — View of the Whole Foods Market on H Street bakery showing a representation of a mural painted by a local artist.

The Philadelphia Center City Whole Foods Market leverages a “Philly industrial” aesthetic, taking inspiration from Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal. At 45,000 square feet and a prime location within the Rodin Square building, Philadelphia Center City represents some firsts for Whole Foods Market Stores in the mid-Atlantic region: individual food venues at the front of the store feature local vendors, and the deli area has an open kitchen to create a more transparent relationship between the customer and the “back of the house.”

Three New Stores Store Concept WFM | Philadelphia Center City, PA — Store detail from the perspective of the second-level beer garden. The beer garden's elevated seating area also gives a spectacular view to downtown Philadelphia.

Store Concept WFM | Philadelphia Center City, PA — Detail showing the open kitchen and reclaimed wood details that define the Philadelphia Center City Whole Foods Market specialty foods preparation area.

Staff Profile: Carla Amaya

Carla Amaya, Associate AIA, LEED GA, provides key interior architecture and design support for numerous projects, including the Whole Foods Market Stores at H Street and Philadelphia Center City.

What you wouldn’t know:
I love punk music, and I was on my high school wrestling team.

On travel and design:
I just got back from a trip to Colombia on a Catholic University (my alma mater) build trip. I loved how tribes worked with the earth to make what they live in, and I enjoyed getting to be a part of how much they value nature and live in harmony with their surroundings. I want to carry those concepts into my architecture and design.

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