LADD-HANFORD KIA 2.0
Ladd-Hanford has hired Chris Dawson Architect (CDA) twice for renovations related to their Kia brand 10 years apart. In 2011 CDA led targeted renovations to the original showroom across the street from the main Ladd-Hanford campus. Although limited in nature, the renovations were dramatic and brought the Lebanon outpost for Kia in step with the international brand’s clean lines and overall modern aesthetic. Ultimately those building upgrades led to an offer from a related car outlet that Ladd-Hanford could not refuse, and they hired CDA in 2020 to design a dramatic addition to the former Mazda showroom building and renovate the contiguous support spaces in the portion of the building retained. The new Ladd-Hanford Kia showroom has the distinction of being the first North American showroom with the new black Kia branding model in place of the traditional white and red.
The design is based on the removal of a 1,000sf semicircular glass showroom anchored by a two-story brick plane being replaced by a taught 2,000sf metal and glass “box” that was more compatible in its massing with the main garage box and keeps the focus on the cars. The new architecture is confident but more subtle and is a machine for displaying and selling vehicles. The project is at the southwest corner of the Ladd-Hanford campus, and the customer flow was a driver for the design decisions. Technician vehicle movements, access to parts, etc., have been more strongly separated from customer circulation routes. Customers getting service on their vehicles now enter via the front of the new car showroom, thereby keeping the newest brand offerings front of mind. Sales representatives for both new cars and service are highly visible to approaching customers. The expansive new showroom with uninterrupted views to the surrounding lot relieves the relatively compressed space in the existing building where the service counter, lounge, and the newly accessible restrooms are located.
| Size: | 16,500sf renovations / 2,000sf addition |
| Location: | Lebanon, PA |
| Cost: | $1.2 million |
| Completed: | 2021 |
We have worked with Chris Dawson Architect on four separate projects over the past 10 years. Each time, CDA used a collaborative approach to transform our dated facilities into modern showpieces. CDA also provided valuable assistance to us during the actual construction management portion of each project.
Our customers and employees enjoy the open, inviting, and thoughtfully-designed spaces created by CDA for our growing automotive group. We had worked with many other architectural firms prior to developing our relationship with CDA, and none have matched CDA’s level of creativity, service, and professionalism. Chris Dawson Architect receives my highest recommendation.
Ladd-Hanford are selling new KIA’s as soon as they arrive and typically have little to no inventory of new cars on the lot. The new showroom addition although not timid is secondary (a backdrop or even viewing machine) in contrast to the previous showroom.
The 2,000 sf showroom addition exposes service customers to the latest new car offerings and locates sales staff where they can be more aware of customer arrivals. The design visually calms down what was formerly a jumble of elements.
The visual calm continues inside thereby giving the cars increased prominence within the showroom. The ceiling clouds make the proportions of the space comfortable with lighting that implies movement.
Relocating the sales consult offices to the showroom with a more functional layout has improved staff morale which has contributed to improved sales.
The improvements to the shop (back of house) areas were limited but included enhancing the daylighting of the space by reactivating existing openings with new energy efficient translucent building panels.
