L.L.Bean

Natural light and rugged materials evoke L.L. Bean’s legendary passion for nature — creating a connection between the consumer experience and the great outdoors

Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, L. L. Bean has grown from a one-man operation to a global organization with annual sales of more than $1.6 billion. Recognizing alignment between their core customers’ passion for nature and the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship, L.L. Bean challenged Bergmeyer to surpass the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED guidelines in designing a new store prototype. Bergmeyer’s thinking drew upon the legend of L.L. Bean, the values behind the brand, and an understanding of why these things mattered to L.L. Bean’s customers. Through immersion in and exploration of the brand and its traditions, Bergmeyer’s design strategy reflects the company’s deep appreciation for the natural world and stewardship of the environment. Shafts of natural light play off a palette of warm and natural materials providing a handsome frame for L.L. Bean’s signature products. Reclaimed barn wood flooring and wall finishes add warmth and texture to the space. State-of-the-art lighting controls, a building management system, and abundant natural daylighting significantly reduced energy use. Bergmeyer also avoided using materials known to have negative environmental impacts, such as PVC. The L.L. Bean prototype and its subsequent multi store implementation were the first Bergmeyer projects to benefit from the extensive use of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Its success was the result of real-time collaboration and visualization capabilities gained through a robust BIM-enabled partnership. This project was part of the LEED for Retail Pilot Program.