Product: Colorcoat Prisma® Seren Copper, FischerTHERM® Design 120
Architect: Papadopoulos Associates GmbH
Client: Dörnbach Bauprofile
Contractor: Bedachung Gernert GmbH
Completed: 2020
The growing complexity of technology within cars means it is more important than ever to visit a competent and knowledgeable car dealership to seek advice and to take a selection of vehicles on a test drive before a purchase decision is made. For many customers, sustainability and longevity play a key role here - values that the Koch Group in Berlin implements with a combination of a Volvo car dealership and store.
More than ever, car dealers are faced with the challenge of combining digital customer experiences with on-site contact to create a holistic customer journey that accompanies the customer individually. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly important to focus on the issues of sustainability and climate protection in order to be able to assert oneself against new mobility providers. The Koch Group is solving these challenges at its new location in Berlin Marzahn with a modern Volvo car dealership and dealer store designed by architect Jürgen Papadopoulos. The concept focuses on flexible room planning, which offers the possibility of designing themed showrooms and presenting changing scenarios just like on a stage. The focus is on the quality of customer contact and competent, individual advice, while the exhibition space takes a back seat. This innovative approach for the automotive trade is reflected in an architecture that is moving away from huge glass palaces towards meeting places that focus on the customer experience.
"We have jointly developed a concept in which we showcase selected vehicles and focus on advice and dialogue, supported by modern media and communication tools," is how construction consultant and general planner Jürgen Papadopoulos explains the idea. “This enables us to offer an exclusive customer experience even in the smallest of spaces and to focus on meeting people. We achieve quality instead of quantity. ”On one side of the 11,270 square metre property, a Volvo dealership was created in the current corporate identity of the Swedish automobile company. The second, more prominent building is the Koch Store with a large canopy that spans the space between the brand house. It serves as a sales base for the large selection of used vehicles of all brands and a venue for customer events. There is space for eight cars in the showroom. In front of the entrance there is a large, covered open space for further vehicles. The store offers several customer encounter areas, lounges and niches for sales talks, which have been designed according to different themes and are equipped with large screens. On the gallery on the first floor there is a café, conference and office rooms.
The client opted for FischerTHERM® design wall panel for the facade. The pre-finished steel PUR sandwich panel with a thickness of 120mm offers outstanding thermal and structural properties. Thanks to the high-performance insulation core with an additional DUO seal, an optimal thermal insulation level and airtightness is achieved. At the same time, the wall panels contributed to the short construction time thanks to their uncomplicated and quick assembly, carried out by Bedachung Gernert GmbH.
The high quality pre-finished steel Colorcoat Prisma® from Tata Steel in combination with the smooth surface finish underlines the high quality and aesthetics of the facade. The innovative pre-finished steel with three-layer technology ensures maximum corrosion resistance, robustness and unsurpassed UV protection. This is backed up with the Confidex® Guarantee for 30 years for this project. In addition to the high aesthetic and functional requirements, the warm copper shade, Seren Copper in the Elements range was a decisive factor in the selection of Colorcoat Prisma®. Because of the Berlin monument protection there was a building law requirement that the look of the Koch store fits seamlessly into the historical core of the Berlin district of Biesdorf. The metallic-coloured facade of the new building creates this visual alliance with the listed existing buildings without any problems.
The robust Colorcoat Prisma® product is a visual statement and expression of the innovative spirit and the high quality understanding of the Koch Group. The Colorcoat Prisma® pre-finished steel offer exceptionally high UV resistance and exceed the highest European corrosion protection classes. Unlike car dealerships, whose aesthetics are only designed for five to ten years, Koch has invested in a facility that will last decades to create a car dealership of the future. “Our goal was to create an attractive meeting place for and with our customers. It fits very well with our values and offers our customers a completely new experience. This generates higher customer satisfaction, more sales and the strengthening of our brand, ”explains company founder and board member Thomas Koch, who hopes that the new concept will set himself apart from the competition and radiate to other Group locations. “In this respect, the role of the new building cannot be overestimated. This concept can be the blueprint for our location concepts of the future."
