Office Depot to LEED the glazed design pack

Office product, supplies and services firm Office Depot is to open a facility which makes use of cutting-edge sky lights later this year.

It will feature solar-tracking sky lights that maximise the amount of natural light able to enter the building, resulting in a reduced need to illuminate the building by artificial means.

The design for the store has received certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) programme.

"Achieving LEED pre-certification for our prototype represents a milestone moment in Office Depots environmental leadership journey," comments Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental strategy for the firm.

Other environmentally-aware features of the structures designs include solar panels and an energy-efficient lighting system.

Meanwhile, the online pages of the Times recently featured an article which noted the benefits of sky lights in reducing the amount of synthetic illumination required in a building, using the example of a coffin maker based in Tyne and Wear as an example.