Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco
New Dealership and Maintenance Center
San Francisco, CA

In order to meet its current and projected growth, Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco seeked to expand a former 50,000sf f studio to accommodate a showroom, service and maintenance, parts sales and inventory, auto inventory and parking, and administrative offices. These separate operations were previously housed in two different locations on opposite parts of town.

Huntsman began by analyzing the buildings on the site to determine their function for an auto campus in an urban context. Building A, situated on the corner of a busy intersection, was once used as an auto parts store. Building C, immediately behind the first building, was added by KQED to house studios. Building B, a smaller and narrower structure, separates the two, and Building D was added last to the site to add to the number of television studios.

With its visibility to the streetscape, Building A became the logical choice to showcase the Mercedes' line of automobiles. The architects transformed the former storefront into an expansive 11,000sf showroom by removing the second floor and widening the original fenestration. The windows feature a low-iron glass, which provides maximum transparency and reveals the true paint color of the cars on display. At the corner of the building, a cylindrical tower displays new models and serves as a beacon to the nearby highway.

Building B is treated as an arterial circulation between the showroom and sales department, with a glass atrium connecting the two seamlessly. As both cars and customers pass through the narrow corridor, the space feels reverent, light and open. Louvers in the atrium's roof provide natural ventilation. Automated screens running along the transverse beams provide shading. Outside the atrium doubles as a billboard to the adjacent freeway while inside the glass volume becomes a figural break in the building's façade.

The showroom continues into Building C which also houses the sales offices, service area and inventory. A water feature triggers the auditory senses of customers passing through the showroom. A seating area covered by a glass panel staircase visually divides the atrium from the sales offices. The staircase relates to the transparent properties of the exterior, and the sales offices work as floating cubes that emphasize the large volume of the building. This transparency progresses with the use of glass block and sliding glass doors to separate the sales department and nearby service garage, allowing customers - without having to leave the showroom - to see and learn about the importance Mercedes bestows upon the service of its automobiles.

Building D, the least public part of the dealership, was the most intact of the existing buildings. The original skylights and exposed wood beam ceilings were better suited for offices. Building D also housed the original KQED black box studio, which is now converted into a two-level parts inventory.

The dealership's main entrance and service agent offices are housed in the only new structure, Building E. The elevated freeway limited space on the East side of the site, so Huntsman expanded upon Building D with a canted ramp that forms an entrance and a valet service station. Glass canopies cover the valet area where customers can drive in and drop off their automobiles. Service agents greet them into their adjoining offices, while porters access the nearby entrance to the service garage or ramp to the rooftop parking lot.

Completion Date: June 2006
Size: 73,400sf

photography by David Wakely