Cummins Engine Distributorship Houston, TX (1997-2001)
The 60,000 sq. ft. diesel engine distributorship and repair facility is located on the North side of Loop 610. The building’s main elevation integrates three critical components of the program - office area, vestibule/parts section, and drive-in repair shop – as if it were a single unified billboard. This main façade works as a prominent sign along the scattered, non-descript warehouses that parallel the busy freeway. It also provides a durable presence in a context of cheap and throw away constructions. The long-term repair shop and its enfilade of bays are located centered to the back of the frontal freeway elevation. The design objectives for the new facility included among others: developing prototypical elements and strategies that could be applied to future distributorships regardless of their size and location; working with demanding economies of cost; and establishing an identifiable Cummins distributorship in a flux of high velocity traffic.
