AutoNation USA is a company that sells new and preowned cars nationwide. Its location in Houston, Texas, is located right off I-45 in plain view of countless drivers. AutoNation Houston was expanding its footprint and needed new infrastructure to accommodate various services, so the company reached out to Big Top for a solution. We were able to design and build three separate structures, each customized for specific automotive services.
Service & Repair Center
The building size selected for this department was 84 feet wide, 30 feet long, and 28 feet tall. We included two personnel doors, as well as five 12-foot-by-12-foot metal doors to create five bays where vehicles could be driven right inside. This allows the technicians to service five cars at a time.
Wash & Detail Center
After vehicles are serviced, they need to be washed and detailed before they’re moved to the showroom floor. For this purpose, Big Top designed a building measuring 70 feet wide, 130 feet long, and 32 feet tall. We created four vehicle bays with four 12-foot-by-12-foot metal rollup doors and three internal partition panels. Washing and drying systems were installed throughout the structure to provide a seamless detailing process from start to finish.
Auction Center
The final stop for vehicles that have been serviced and detailed is the auction center where they’re photographed, video recorded, and inventoried in the AutoNation database. Big Top designed the auction center to span 100 feet wide, 80 feet long, and 35 feet tall, and we installed four personnel doors, eight metal rollup doors, exhaust fans and vents, and two commercial-grade fans.
Benefits of AutoNation’s New Service Centers
Thanks to the UV-reflective fabric roof of AutoNation’s new service centers, the dealership’s vehicles, staff, and equipment are well-protected from the damaging effects of sun exposure. In fact, the fabric roof of our buildings is formulated to repel 99.95 percent of UV-A and UV-B radiation, and helps to prolong the lifespan of the paintjob of the vehicles, as well as the electronics inside of them.
By shielding the interior from the sun, the fabric roofs of the three service centers will help to maintain an interior temperature that is on average 15 degrees cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than the outside temperature, ensuring AutoNation’s host of employees remain comfortable throughout the workday.
Furthermore, the fabric roofs are translucent and will therefore flood the buildings with natural sunlight, providing enough illumination for all work to be completed with minimal reliance on artificial lighting. This is a benefit that will provide a significant return on investment for AutoNation by reducing power usage.
How Can We Meet Your Needs?
If your company needs a structure for production, warehousing, safety meetings, or another use, and you don’t want to pay a premium price for constructing a permanent building, turn to Big Top. Our fabric structures can be virtually any size, are customizable with a range of accessories, and can be installed nearly anywhere. They can be built at a rate of 2,500 square feet per day, and they can even be equipped for mobility should your business needs change.
To learn more about our fabric structures and how we can meet your needs, as we did with AutoNation Houston, contact the professionals at Big Top today.
