When BMW of Ridgefield in Ridgefield, Conn., outgrew its existing 20,000-square-foot facility, Claris Construction Inc., Newtown, Conn., was brought in to build a new 50,000-square-foot dealership. Completed in May 2013, the project is the third major design-build project completed for the client, Ridgefield Waterside Properties LLC, Bridgeport, Conn.
As Philip Clark, AIA, president of Claris Construction explains, the original building was dysfunctional and sat on a site that provided poor visibility to the retail operation. While the site provided the business a prominent location in town, it was a sharply sloped site with wetlands to the north, a pond to the southeast and a common driveway to the south. Clark notes that the new building had to be sited in a manner that would accommodate the client’s large parking requirement.
The new efficient facility incorporates BMW’s restrictive brand standards, in addition to even stricter town regulations, the owners’ program and the expectations of the sophisticated customers. “A primary design goal was to present a feeling of openness and transparency to clients while furnishing the executive offices with a visual on the showroom, service drive and service department,” says Clark.
Clark notes that the new building had to be completely functional; yet have a dramatic design for the high-end customers to appreciate the experience. The final design incorporates all of the various design requirements within a tight budget of $8 million. Another challenge required the creation of a temporary access road to be built to accommodate traffic for the dealership and an indoor tennis club, which could be incorporated into the final design as the main access to the new service center.
“Auto dealerships are always a logistical challenge,” notes Joe Dowd, project manager at Claris Construction. This is especially evident when a major construction project is being completed on a tight site, with employees, service clients and the public all present at the same time.
The building’s exterior cladding features 7,000 square feet of 4-mm Alucobond composite metal wall panels in Bone White from 3A Composites USA Inc., Statesville, N.C.; 5,600 square feet of System 1600 with 7 1/2 deep mullions from Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga.; and a 20,000 square feet of Shadowall insulated metal panels from Butler Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo. Butler also supplied the pre-engineered metal building for the project. Due to the showroom requirement of large glass panels for visibility, Clark, notes that an aluminum sunshading system from Kawneer was incorporated into the south and west elevations to protect occupants from direct sunlight.
Clark notes that one of the client’s main requirements for the facility was longevity and low maintenance of the building envelope, resulting in the design team choosing metal products for their super durability and low-maintenance characteristics. The energy-efficient showroom also features stormwater recycling, industrial ceiling fans, daylighting, waterless urinals, and high-efficient HVAC units with an energy management system and occupancy light sensors.
BMW of Ridgefield, Ridgefield, Conn.
Building owner: Ridgefield Waterside Properties LLC, Bridgeport, Conn.
Design-builder: Claris Construction Inc., Newtown, Conn.
Curtainwall installer: J&G Glass Systems, Bridgeport, Conn.
Metal installer: Modern Panel Systems, Coventry, Conn.
Metal wall panels: Alucobond by 3A Composites USA Inc., Statesville, N.C., www.aluconbondusa.com
Curtainwall/sunshades: Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga., www.kawneer.com
Metal building system: Butler Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo., www.butlermfg.com
Photography: Jim Jontz, Applebox Studios
