“Jewel Box” and Glass Showroom Walls Highlight New Mazda Location
The newly renovated Jack Giambalvo Mazda features striking details to stand out in a high-profile location.
Mazda Corporation of America instituted a plan to upgrade their auto dealerships nationwide. Under the plan, each facility was required to meet certain requirements, including that Mazda facilities were not permitted to share space with another manufacturer’s vehicles. Therefore, the Jack Giambalvo Mazda dealership in York had to relocate from its shared facility on Industrial Highway to a new location. When a very high-profile location on US Route 30 became available, Jack Giambalvo Mazda contracted with Keystruct construction for the complete renovation of that building to create their new Mazda dealership.
As soon as the previous owner vacated the building, Keystruct began work with demolition of parts of the existing building. Extensive shoring kept the entire building structurally sound when a 12-inch block bearing wall was removed to create the space needed for the open showroom floorplan. Additionally, during demolition the Keystruct Superintendent identified a block wall that could be saved and utilized with strategic pass-throughs, insulation, and temporary protection to allow interior work to be completed when winter weather impacted the exterior work.
An important feature of the building is the specialty glass walls surrounding the showroom. Because the glass was a long lead time item, Keystruct ordered the glass as soon as possible, but had to develop a plan to complete the large sections of wall while waiting for the glass to arrive on site. The glass pieces are frameless and run from the floor to the bulkheads. Therefore, the placement of the bulkheads had to be exact so the glass would fit perfectly when it arrived on site.
A striking focal point for the new dealership is the creation of a two-story “jewel box” at the front of the showroom. Constructed of steel frames and custom glass panels, this area was also affected by the lead time for the glass pieces. Careful measuring and verification allowed the steel frames to be built ahead of time with the glass fitting into place when it arrived.
The project required additional steel supports for the existing building, including a new parapet wall that involved additional bar joist in between the existing joists. The Keystruct field staff established a system to slide the new bar joist into place, then bolt it together inside a tight 35 ft space. Through communication and teamwork, the work was done efficiently and with a high level of quality.
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Preplanning by the Keystruct field staff was key to keeping the supply chain issues from impacting this project. Specialty R49 insulation, flooring, ceramic and porcelain tile, and wall tile were all ordered early to avoid construction delays. By utilizing the garage area for material storage, pre-ordered items were available on site when needed. Although the metal roof panels were ordered in advance, when the panels arrive on site, they were routed incorrectly by the manufacturer. Keystruct coordinated with the roofing subcontractor to have the manufacturer set up jigs on site so the panels could be bent and placed properly.
An important part of this project was to ensure that all the Mazda required specifications were met, including colors, flooring, lighting, and ceiling finishes. All the bulkheads have troughs to accommodate specialty lighting. The flooring is a plank tile with 12 x 28 black tile spaces for the showroom cars. In order to place the black tile properly with no gaps, the concrete substrate had to be perfectly smooth and flat. Therefore, the entire showroom floor was removed, conduit was placed for car chargers, and the concrete was repoured to achieve the perfect foundation for the tile placement.
The showroom ceiling is a specialty 4 x 4 tile with 4 x 4 lights. Installation of the ceiling and lighting required coordination and logistical planning. The tiles are placed and clipped around the perimeter to prevent it from sagging, then the adjacent tile is placed working from end to end. If something needed to be added in a certain area, the entire row of tiles would need to be removed to access a specific tile. Creating a detailed plan for the ceiling prevented wasted time on removing and resetting the tiles.
High-end interior finishes, including stonework and wall tiles, specialty paint colors and details create a modern fresh finish. The façade is very impressive with the jewel box and the full-length glass wall into the showroom that allows a wall of nine TVs to be visible from the Route 30 highway. A repaved parking area with fresh striping and numbers complete the freshening of the building.
Biweekly meetings kept the owner informed and updated on our progress and allowed quick answers and decisions from the owner’s team. Additionally, a representative from Mazda Corporation of America received regular updates and pictures. At the end of the job the Mazda representative traveled to the location to review the Mazda checklist. The representative was so pleased with the work that he expressed he would like to work with us again at a future Mazda location. The Jack Giambalvo Family of Dealerships is currently working with Keystruct on a future renovation project at one of their other automobile dealerships.
This project was recognized in November by the Associated Builders and Contractors Keystone Chapter for Excellence in Construction. Keystruct is pleased to have developed such a strong relationship with the owner and the Mazda representative through our work on this award-winning project.
Let’s Talk
For projects in York County and the surrounding areas, call 717-764-1326. For Lancaster County and the surrounding areas, call 717-393-9781.
For jobs outside of York or Lancaster County, please contact the office nearest you.
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