Jul 23, 2009

New auto dealership being built on west-end

'Green' construction unusual for auto dealership

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By: Jan Falstad, Billings Gazette

04/10/2009

Even though Honda Motors, like most car manufacturers, strictly controls the look and design of its dealerships, the local architects still had plenty of room to design the new project.

Work on the 23,000-square-foot dealership for Underriner Motors began Monday on the site near Pierce RV, off I-90 and the Zoo Drive exit.

Bill and Mary Underriner and the design firm, CTA Architect Engineers, have imagined a "green" building they hope will win the difficult-to-obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for energy efficient buildings.

In many ways, "energy efficiency" and "auto dealership" have been opposites, given all the glass and the large doors to the repair shop.

"I'm not aware of any car dealership with LEED certification in Montana, and I believe there aren't very many of these around the country," said Keith Rupert, CTA board chairman and partner. "It was one of our more challenging deals because that application has needs that run counter to energy savings."

The Billings design is American Honda Motors Co.'s latest prototype and features a barreled-vault front.

"We nicknamed it the "Dipsy Doodle" wave," said CTA architect and senior planner Steve Scovel. He and Rupert worked out the basic design ideas with the Underriners.

The dealership has three sections: administrative offices built in the traditional wood frame construction; the showroom and sales area built with steel and glass; and the parts and service department, which is a pre-engineered building.

"It's an interesting building," Scovel said. "Bill sells hybrids, and the building is a hybrid to minimize costs."

After American Honda dictated the look and specifications, Scovel said Underriner customized the design for a northern climate and for Billings.

First, the building was angled on the land near Pierce RV and Sportsman's Warehouse.

"The building sits kitty-wampus on the site, with the front door facing the corner," Scovel said. "We did that on purpose in order to minimize the solar heat in the summer, but to maximize the west sun in the winter."

Pivoting the building also gives the dealership more exposure to Zoo Drive traffic.

Dealerships also use a lot of light and lots of fresh air. "This becomes a real energy hog in extreme weather," Rupert said.

All the electrical and mechanical systems will be run by computers for efficiency.

An extensive skylight system will help light the work bays in the repair shop, and solar tubes will bring sunlight into the accounting offices.

National building codes require large quantities of fresh air to flow through the shop to protect workers from pollutants such as carbon monoxide. The ventilation air will be monitored for CO2, and the amount of outside air will be adjusted.

The U.S. Green Building Council evaluates projects and certifies the LEED winners. To qualify, a building must have 26 points in various categories.

Sanderson Stewart, formerly Engineering Inc., is handling the site preparation work. This includes peeling off the organic material and replacing it with engineered fill.

The soil there is soft, somewhat moist clay, so Honda's original building design was modified to minimize the two-story portions.

Driving pilings into the ground to stabilize the building would have significantly driven up costs, Rupert said.

Green building is becoming cheaper as the costs for skylights and lumber from sustainable forests continue to drop.

"All kinds of material costs have dropped, and the nation is embracing these building methods now," said Greg Hardy, president of Hardy Construction, the general contractor.

And more local buildings are achieving LEED or other green certification.

In March, CTA won the LEED-EB, or existing-building Gold Certification, for its headquarters, a renovated former hardware distribution center at 13 N. 23rd St.

The Northern Plains Resource Council building on South 27th Street is platinum LEED certified, the highest standard. The First Interstate Bank Operations Center on Sixth Avenue North is aiming for a LEED certification.

Last month, the first residential home in the area, a town home at the Trailshead subdivision on Rimrock Road near Zimmerman Trail, earned a green-building verification from the National Association of Home Builders.

Whatever the method, just deciding to build a major project during a recession is unusual, Scovel said.

"I would say he (Underriner) is a man of great courage to take the risk in this environment, when auto sales are down this much," he said. "It's a gutsy move on his part."