Starbucks has opened its first store in Taiwan built from 29 recycled shipping containers.

Designed and brought to life by Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, the impressive structure is 320 square metres and offers warm and comfortable seating over two floors giving spectacular views of the mountain range.

Starbucks is committed to building sustainable stores and recently announced the “Starbucks Greener Stores” initiative which will be a framework to design, build and operate sustainable stores around the world. Today, this store joins a suite of Starbucks locations built from shipping containers.

In the US, Starbucks has opened 45 of these pre-fabricated modular stores, built off-site prior to delivery and installation, creating an opportunity for the company to extend into sites not designed for traditional store locations while minimising the environmental footprint generally associated with new buildings. Through these store formats, Starbucks is able to reuse reclaimed materials throughout the design.

The store is located in the Hualien Bay Mall, Taiwan which looks out onto the pacific ocean and comes complete with a drive-thru for on-the-go customers.