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