Speed Racer

Silvercar (Austin, Tex.), a new entrant to the rental car market, is dedicated to a singular product: the silver Audi A4 automobile. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport store focuses on luxury and convenience for customers on the go, with a sharp, sophisticated aesthetic, evoking movement.  

A curved signage wall draws customers into the main circulation path, directly to their car, if reserved through Silvercar’s online application process. The “fast lane” is expressed through a change in flooring color while a long, illuminated soffit above ushers renters, as if on a highway, through the space.

Customers have the option to access self-service kiosks featuring illuminated resin tops that shine light into the space “like headlights in the night sky,” says Rachel Guest, ceo, RED Earth Designs (Austin, Tex.).

The brand’s silver “S” and other A4 features are represented throughout the design. Black leather walls and burl wood veneers reflect the company’s luxury car inspiration.

Project Suppliers

Retailer: Silvercar, Austin, Texas

Design: RED Earth Designs, Austin, Texas: Rachel Guest, ceo; Holy Hargrove, project manager; Anne Marie Speck, interior designer; Annette Morales, interior designer; PGAL, Boston

Architect: Jeff Weiner, PGAL, Houston

Outside Design Consultants: Mark Soheili, Capital Architectual Signage, Austin, Texas; Matt Formby, MEF Consulting Engineers, Dallas, Texas

Ceilings: USG, Chicago

Flooring: Shaw Contract Group, Austin, Texas

Lighting: Lightolier, Fall River, Mass.; Finelite, Union City, Calif.; 3Form, Austin, Texas; Mark Architectural Lighting, Edison, N.J.; Philips, Tupelo, Miss.

Signage/Graphics: Capital Architectural Signage, Austin, Texas;

Wallcoverings/Materials: Koroseal, Austin, Texas

Other: 3Form, Austin, Texas; Forms+Surfaces, Austin, Texas

General Contractor: Suzanne Dowd, VCC, LCC, Dallas

Photography: Richard Payne, Houston