Completed in July 2008, this car dealer has raised the bar for environmental consciousness by building the first LEED Gold certified auto dealership in the country. The 63,000-square foot(5,853-m2) car dealership received 45 out of 46 possible points to meet and exceed the requirements for Gold certification.
Studio Design-ST was commissioned to design a new energy-efficient building. Planning for the new facility began in 2000, but it wasn’t until 2005 that the dealership was fully committed to going green. A $600,000 geothermal heating and cooling system from Hardin Geotechnologies Inc. was specified, along with 85 skylights from Wasco Skylight Products Inc. that bathe the sales floor in natural light enhanced by ambient lighting when needed. The car wash recycles 85 percent of the water it uses. The building features a white roof with a rainwater collection system and an interior steel structure built with 70 percent recycled metal.
Working closely with Highland County’s planning commission and the BPG Identity Program design staff, the architect developed a concept that embraced both GMC’s dealer guidelines and county codes. Although the dealership sits on 24 acres (10 hectares), the building’s footprint was confined by regulations to 10 acres (4 hectares). With the width and depth of the structure defined by planning commission restrictions, the showroom appears to be three distinctly different buildings, each defined by brand standards. The focal point of the building—the entrance portal to the Buick Pontiac sales floor—is clad in Reynobond ACM and Reynobond Brushed Aluminum Composite Material from Alcoa Architectural Products.
This dealership is also one of the first G dealers in the country to follow BPG’s new facility image program. The designers used scale, with a combination of panels set on the horizontal and vertical, and color to define a bold new look for the automaker. Tapered panels of Reynobond Brushed ACM edged in contrasting panels of Reynobond ACM in BPG High Gloss Black flank the entrance portal; a curved “eyebrow” softens the look, inviting customers inside.
The steel-framed entry portal was fabricated from 90 percent recycled steel at John W. McDougall Inc.’s Nashville, Tenn. plant. “The completed portal was shipped to Highland, Mich., in three pieces, ready to be installed on-site,” said George Holland, project manager for McDougall.
McDougall fabricated and installed 15,025square feet (1,396 m2) of 0.16-inch (4-mm Reynobond Brushed Aluminum Composite Material, PE core with a clear-coat finish for the entry portal; and 27,000 square feet (2,508 m2) of 0.12-inch (3-mm) ReynobondACM in High Gloss Black, PE core with a fourpolymer high gloss finish for the interior and exterior façades and soffits.
Holland worked with the contractor to revise plans for the design of a second floor balcony wall overlooking the showroom floor to create a radius wall faced with 11,000 square feet (1,022 m2) of 0.16-inch Reynobond ACM, PE core in Pewter with a Kynar finish. McDougall installed the exterior Reynobond ACM panels in their caulked-joint (200) system and used a rainscreen system to install the interior accent wall.
“I’ve been applying sustainable principles to my designs for years,” said Stanley Tkacz, ALA, IIDA, principal of Studio Design-ST, “particularly the ASHRAE 90 codes defining proper insulation standards. The dealership’ commitment to pursuing LEED certification is what makes this project so unique. Going green added about $2 million to the final cost of the project. It’s estimated that the new system will provide an energy savings of up to 54 percent a year, recouping their initial investment in the geothermal system within about five years.”
Other sustainable features include low- VOC finishes, highly energy-efficient systems, hydraulic vehicle lifts powered by vegetable oil, a rainwater collection system that includes a windmill-powered water pump to irrigate the landscaping.
The state-of-the-art dealership is ecofriendly down to the last detail: the café serves coffee in cups made from corn products; the logo shirts sold in their boutique are made from organic cotton; and prime parking spots are reserved for employees who carpool to work. Amenities in the customer lounge include a hair and nail salon for customers and employees, and a children’s recreation area complete with an Xbox 360 video game system.
Owner: LaFontaine Auto Group
General contractor: Bloom General Contracting Inc., Redford, Mich.
Design architect: Studio Design-ST, Westland, Mich.
LEED certification specialists: Newman Consulting Group LLC, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Panel fabricator/installer: John W. McDougall Inc., Nashville, Tenn.
Geothermal heating and cooling system: Hardin Geotechnologies Inc., Indianapolis
Skylights: Wasco Skylight Products Inc., Sanford, Maine, www.wascoskylights.com,
Metal wall panels: Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga., www.alcoaarchitecturalproducts.com
