With the Bridger Mountain range as a backdrop, the Avis Rent A Car in Bozeman, Mont., is clearly visible to traffic passing by on the busy frontage road connecting Bozeman and the Gallatin Field Airport.
The building’s design took into account the character of Avis Corp.-the cars, logo and red color-to create a contextual building with an industrial feel to it. The metal wall and roof panels were chosen because the material performs well in Montana’s cold climate, and blends in well with the surrounding agricultural area, according to Thomas Bitnar, AIA, of Bitnar Architects P.C., Bozeman, the project architect.
The project features 2,240 square feet (208 m2) of warehouse, maintenance and garage space and 1,440 square feet (134 m2) of office space. The front main façade is oriented to the south, allowing for maximum daylight, while the north façade and sloping north shed roof protect the building from the colder wind exposure. The building’s wood structural system is based on a 4-foot (1.2-m) grid with a metal and glass façade, while the east side entrance is emphasized by an exposed steel truss. Additionally, the building conforms to the 2005 energy code for commercial buildings which addresses envelope waterproofing requirements, minimizing lighting loads, efficient mechanical systems, and insulation of walls and roof, Bitnar said.
Bridger Steel, Belgrade, Mont., manufactured the metal wall and roof panels for the project. The siding consisted of 330 square feet (31 m2) of red and 960 square feet (89 m2) of grey 7/8-corrugated painted panels, and 1,650 square feet (153 m2) of TufRib profiles in white. Bridger also provided a white custom fascia and a white metal soffit. The roofing is 5,512 square feet
(512 m2) of white standing-seam mechanical lock panels with a 1-inch (25-mm) rib on a 17-inch- (432-mm-) wide panel. The project also includes 600 square feet (56 m2) of tinted and insulated glazing.
“The design uses the vocabulary of industrial and agricultural structures of the region represented by materials of the 21st century,” Bitnar said. “The setting of the building in Gallatin Valley against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountain range, allowed us to create a unique and dramatic expression that was both modern and contextual with a clean, industrial design that mirrors the shed roof shapes of the valley.”
Avis Rent A Car, Bozeman, Mont.
Award: 2009 AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Citation Award and 2007 AIA Montana Chapter Merit Award
Owner/developer: Old Highway Development, Bozeman
Architect: Bitnar Architects P.C., Bozeman
General contractor: Miller Construction Inc., Belgrade
Metal wall and roof panels: Bridger Steel, Belgrade, www.bridgersteel.com
