The majority of car purchases now happen online. We approached the competition to design this car showroom by asking the question: what would a physical showroom of the future look like? Could it do more than invite people to see and buy cars? What if it could become a hub for innovation, knowledge and spectacle?
Putting the ‘show’ in showroom
To create a sustainable ecosystem of mobility (and commerce), we saw the showroom as a place that could inspire and service a wider group of people than just car buyers. We positioned the repairs workshop upstairs so it could liberate the ground floors’ full public potential.
The pick-up experience
Picking up the keys to a new car is an emotional experience. We wanted to amplify that special feeling ten-fold with this space… We envisioned a physical ramp cutting through the centre of the entire building, with drivers collecting their keys and getting into their new vehicle at the top of the ramp and driving down through the building to exit the space. The ramp would create an exhilarating experience for the new owner and spectacle for those in the showroom (providing a talking point that would draw people to the hub).
A hub for transport
Thinking about the location of the building on the boarder of Brussels we saw it as a gateway to the city. It would physically connect different transport options thanks to its location, allowing access to drivers and non-drivers alike.
A building to transform
Following our ethos of sustainability as adaptability, Mobility House was designed with the potential to transform over time. Whatever the future of mobility is, the underlying grid design means the building can easily be adapted to different uses. One day it could become a full office space. It could become housing. Or assuming a shift to driverless cars, it could become a driverless car hub. The grid maximises both the current functionality and future potentiality of the structure.
Moving towards the future
Traditional showrooms as they exist now are due for a reimagining. Our future-proofed Mobility House concept was created to be mobile and adaptable by design. Its purposes extended beyond the purchase and pick-up of a car. It invited people to stay, explore and imagine what the future of mobility could be.