When designing the new combined Jiffy Lube automotive maintenance center and
Suds Express car wash in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, Neil Cotton, designer and
construction manager for M.C.G.W. Properties Group, Waterloo, Ontario, was
charged with designing for the future.
M.C.G.W. Properties owns and operates 18 innovative car maintenance locations in southwest Ontario. M.C.G.W. opened its fi rst Jiffy Lube in Cambridge in 1977. Two years ago, the company abandoned its original location and went from 20,000 square feet (1,858 m2) of land to a 3-acre (1.2-hectare) site off the busy Hespeler Road, a six-lane thoroughfare where about 50,000 cars travel each day, according to Peter Walsh, president of M.C.G.W. Properties Group.
The company had previously completed a retrofit of its Jiffy Lube in Hamilton, Ontario, to include a Suds Express, successfully expanding its business there. Therefore, the new Cambridge location presented the perfect opportunity to again combine these automotive maintenance services in an innovatively designed building that would stand out on the busy road.
“We wanted a very modern look for the front of the building,” Walsh said. “We got a big, high front that’s wrapped in aluminum.”
The building features 8,390 square feet (779 m2) of 0.16-inch
(4-mm) Alucobond Aluminum Composite Material by Alcan Composites USA Inc., Mooresville, N.C.
“No other building on the street was clad in Alucobond,” Cotton said. “It’s maintenance-free, and the colors are so predominate.”
The $3.5 million, 25,000-square-foot (2,323-m2) building features a Jiffy Lube auto maintenance area in front and adjacent interior cleaning area with moving floor, as well as a basement storage area. A large Suds Express carwash tunnel is positioned in the back of the building.
Sobotec Ltd., Hamilton, fabricated and installed 5,000 square feet (465 m2) of Alucobond ACM in Sunrise Silver Metallic, as well as 2,140 square feet (199 m2) in a bright red and 1,250 square feet (116 m2) in a custom blue, creating an intricate design comprised of 505 Alucobond pieces. The Alucobond panels were installed with Sobotec’s proprietary SL 2000 Dry Rain Screen System-a pioneer in clean rainscreen systems that requires no sealant or caulking.
Cotton was inspired by the look of luxury car dealerships in his choice of Alucobond cladding for the Jiffy Lube/Suds Express. He also designed a standalone pylon from Alucobond to identify the business on the busy street.
“This building looks terrific,” Walsh said.”It sets us apart. We do a lot of business off the street. If the building looks good, it will bring in customers.”
Unique design elements in the Jiffy Lube/ Suds Express include evening-lit Alucobondclad towers on each end of the combined businesses that extend above the roof line. Four red towers designate the Jiffy Lube business, and four blue towers represent the Suds Express business.
This project is the first to feature an Alucobond- clad canopy positioned above the Jiffy Lube front entryway.
“Both the Suds Express car wash and Jiffy Lube sides of the business have been a success,” Walsh said. “This building will look solid for years to come … The Alucobond really updates the appearance of this building. It looks state-of-the-art.”
