On the outskirts of the East Westphalian city of Halle the car dealership Ford Hagemeier has taken a big step towards expansion with the construction of a new vehicle hall. With this tripling of the exhibition area it will now have the opportunity to present both the commercial vehicles and the cars from the range of Ford products, oriented towards their target customers. The old vehicle hall will be converted into a performance centre where more sports-oriented vehicles will be exhibited. The new structure, on the other hand, is designed for vehicles that are intended for families and older persons as well as special offers for bargain hunters. The client wants the focus of the buildings towards different customers to be reflected in their architecture. This is why the new vehicle hall will be given a warm atmosphere with the use of wood, which seems to better correspond to the mental conditioning of the defined target groups and that contrasts with the more technical appearance of the old building, which was constructed in 2001 in the style of the Ford store concept.

Besides the exhibition area for the cars the client also wishes to include a small workshop, two sales offices, a bar, a large meeting room and a room to withdraw to. The former was located in the south-western corner of the building, directly opposite the workshop in the old building, for functional reasons. The other functions are located in the two-storey structure, entirely made of wood, which was positioned in the centre of the hall as a house within a house. Its location and its geometry divide the vehicle hall, together with the workshop, into areas of different proportions: some large and spacious, some small and intimate. These different spatial qualities produce an exciting series of spaces that enrich the sensory experience as you move through the new vehicle hall. The recreation spaces on the upper floor are fitted with windows onto the hall, allowing views between the different functional areas.

The new building is located next to a small forest that borders the back section of the company land. It is behind the large outdoor space for vehicles and is therefore not immediately visible, particularly in the evenings. In order to compensate for this deficit the façade on the building onto the main road and towards the access road has been fitted with a transparent or translucent outer skin, using glass and polycarbonates, which allows the new vehicle hall to light up during the hours of darkness and thus attract the attention of passers-by. At the rear, the lower half of the façade is clad with structured concrete, which creates an exciting contrast to the smooth polycarbonate shell on the upper area.