With major Nascar racing track in nearby Bristol and a traditional mountain subculture of racing enthusiasts, this parts facility responds to the current cultural needs of the local and visiting population. In the context of relating to the forces of automobile design and stresses, this building exemplifies the local natural forces acting upon it.
Four major seismic buttresses allow the light steel frame construction to provide a large open interior space. Additional storefront structural mullions and windbraces bring additional rigidity to the skin. The south facing storefront is shaped with the curvature of the sun rotation with an overhang to provide seasonal shading in order to optimize the low-e glazing. The organic design of the interior ducting also is employed in the shops to create fresh air ventilation. Interior displays provide continuity in bracing designs and frameworks.
Uwe Rothe, AIA, LEED AP Architect/Planner
(423) 282-3885 P&F (423) 202-2641 cell 121 Lambert Road Johnson City, Tenn. 37601 e-mail “uwe@rothearp.com”
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