BKA Architects completes 4,500 s/f renovation for Clay Nissan Newton

The exterior and interior renovations of the existing Clay Nissan Newton dealership on Washington St. have been completed. BKA Architects of Brockton, Mass. developed the design for the 4,500 s/f renovation based on the Nissan Retail Environmental Design Initiative (NREDI) prototype drawings and the dealership's specific operating requirements. New England Construction served as the design/build general contractor and additional consultants included Allen & Major Associates of Woburn. A grand opening of the renovated ClayNissan Newton dealership is planned for October 17, 18 and 19. Applying the NREDI program to the existing dealership that was comprised of two existing and very different buildings was a challenge. One building, constructed in the 1950s, has a monolithic masonry bearing wall structure. The other has a steel-framed, stud infill structure from the 1960s. The exterior of the existing buildings were updated to make the building easily recognizable as a Nissan dealership. This was achieved by installing smooth and ribbed metal panels as well as stucco panels on the exterior of the building. On the interior, the showroom and sales office spaces that extend back to the service area and the service write-up desks were renovated. A separate Showroom located on the opposite side of the service drive was also brought up to NREDI standards and will be used for the Nissan commercial vehicles. The customer lounge was upgraded to provide a more comfortable waiting environment. Key changes in this area include a separate but visible children›s area, updated and larger restrooms, and a new customer-friendly cafe bar with seating. A code-conforming ramp was designed at the new entrance location that allows the two different building levels to connect with the third, lower, street-level—making the facility fully accessible. The fully renovated dealership opened in early September.