Autocentrum Volkswagen Group

FAST VUT - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Department of Architecture

Project idea

he main idea was to combine the three masses to create a compact functional unit, where the individual parts form a showroom, warehouse and service. The largest part of the floor plan is dedicated to the service as the heart of the car centre. Where separate work areas are created, such as the general repair area, plumbing work, brake testing and so on. This area has a rectangular shape around the perimeter of which the workstations are located, thus maintaining the passage around the perimeter. In the middle of the service area is an imaginary central belt made up of cells of offices for the shop foreman, smaller storage rooms, a technical room and others. Lighting and ventilation of the space is provided by skylights that transition from the flat green roof to the sides of the building facade. They supply sufficient daylight to the room both through the ceiling and from the side. The following space is accessible through a corridor and staff facilities. The showroom is conceived as a large open, airy space. In addition to the cars on display, there are open space offices, a reception area near the entrance, and a waiting and relaxation area reserved for customers waiting for vehicle repairs. Thanks to the large clear height of the space, there is an additional floor in which the showroom continues, i.e. it is connected to the second floor accessible by a direct single staircase. Vehicles are moved here by means of a glass lift which is extended in front of the aforementioned floor.The vehicle display area is complemented by a small café, toilets, a staff day room and, at the rear, a director's office and meeting room, accessible both from the corridor and directly from the office area. The meeting room is connected to the day room and the kitchen. The storage area on the ground floor is designed as a large open space with shelving for horizontal storage of materials and tools for car repairs. The large warehouse is separated by a partition from the small warehouse, which acts as a spare parts outlet for sale in the showroom. Both warehouses are located next to each other to simplify warehouse supply and logistics. The building is passable all around thanks to the designed roads, large enough for turning and moving vehicles. The aim was to create an industrial building that fulfils its function and also delivers an aesthetically pleasing impression. For this reason, the lightweight envelope typical of this type of building is complemented by green roofs on all three height levels of the different parts of the building. On the service façade, the greenery also extends to the side walls with skylights. These are not only used for interior lighting, but also use the reverse side to create a vertical green lawn. The greenery thus softens the overall appearance of the building, which is characterised by predominantly sharp edges, and in addition we are returning to nature the green areas that we have taken away due to the development of the plot. The combination of these three distinctive elements on the façade, such as the light anthracite-coloured cladding, the green areas and the glass, should create a novel look for the building and show that even industrial buildings can create interesting architecture.

Project description

The main intention was to create an object that would fit into the architecture that is basically typical of industrial zones, i.e. the use of a few simple masses that are arranged in such a way as to best fulfill their function, but at the same time to point out the fact that even an example of a hall can look interesting and thus attract the attention of passers-by. The site chosen for the development is accessible from two sides, thanks to the existing road to which the new road would connect. Another road will be created along the adjacent production hall. These roads will therefore merge into one.

Technical information

he whole building is strung as a skeleton construction. The building is founded on reinforced concrete strips and piles due to unstable subsoil. This is followed by a foundation slab and load-bearing reinforced concrete columns of square plan. The horizontal structures in the form of floors will be monolithic. The vertical structures, i.e. partitions and non-load bearing walls, will be made of plasterboard. The bevelled columns bearing the load of the ceiling above the 1st floor are again designed as reinforced concrete, square in shape. The finish of the internal walls will be in the form of fine stucco. The façade will have a lightweight panel cladding in anthracite colour, combined with a glass façade in the showroom area.

Documentation

Show PDF 1Show PDF 2Show PDF 3

Created in: