Global performance - Contemporary new Audi Terminal evokes brand's lineage

Signage and logos for a franchised global brand are scrupulously controlled from the country of origin. However, a firm may take ownership of much more regimenting its selling environments from city to city, hemisphere to hemisphere.

The new Giltrap Audi showroom in Grey Lynn, Auckland, is a gleaming example of a building model implemented far from home as part of an international marketing strategy. Warren Gibb, general manager, property and business development, for the Giltrap Group says that the showroom the 147th Audi Terminal built to date reflects elements important to the leading car manufacturer.

"The first thing you notice about the showroom is the gleaming honeycombed facade. This perforated aluminium facing calls to mind Audi's technical breakthroughs in the automotive use of aluminium discoveries that have led to lighter, faster, and more energy-efficient cars."

The facade covers the office windows on the upper level, admitting natural light while also screening these functional elements, so the high-performance vehicles can take centre stage.

While the inside is equally sleek and streamlined, it also harks back to a long history that the Audi car company is clearly proud of.

"The interior is separated into two spaces the presentation floor and all other areas. The zones are divided by a sloping curved wall that evokes Audi's successes with open-wheelers on the dramatic, steeply banked race tracks of the '50s," says Gibb. "The wall is built from glass-reinforced concrete, premoulded off site and then moved into place. The material choice was a local innovation, resulting in an absolutely true curve for this feature element."

To accentuate this feature, there are no other curved forms in this front-of-house volume everything else is at right angles. In addition, there are no other introduced elements in this area except the cars and the reception desk.

The rear zone, complete with a mezzanine floor, comprises a plush boardroom and function space, services, and a customer lounge. At ground level another stand-out aspect is a customer handover area, separated from the showroom by a glass wall.

"Glass is a prominent feature of the design it's also seen in the frameless glass balustrade on the mezzanine. This works to optimise light flow and suggest honesty and transparency in the franchise. Naturally, Audi brand colours are another hallmark."

The general manager of Audi New Zealand, Dane Fisher, says the idea for the rectilinear model came from a need to insert Audi showrooms into tight inner-city spaces. An earlier template, the Hangar, had been attractive but was more space hungry.

"These aeronautical names recall a world of travel, glamour and speed that the Audi name has long been associated with."

Story by: Charles Moxham