Star Wash Eco Car Wash

2010 Design Award Winner

Project Team

Structural Engineer: BHB Consulting Engineers
Owner: Star Wash
Architect: Nichols-Naylor Architects
General Contractor: Badham Construction
Steel Joist Manufacturer: Vulcraft
Steel Detailer: Steel Encounters Co.
Steel Fabricator: Legacy Steel
Steel Erector: C&C Steel Erection

Project Type: Unique Application

Project

DescriptionDesigned to be the showpiece of Star Wash Eco Car Wash, the owner’s design requirements included countless ways to make the structure as “green” as possible. The new facility houses two of the most highly-advanced wash bays in existence, recycling 85% of the wash water used. Heating for the structure is supplied by burning the waste oil from their oil change facility, and 15% of the electricity used will be supplied by the 60 photovoltaic solar panels to be placed on the arched roof structure. The new location, adjacent to one of the area’s busiest thoroughfares, allows thousands of daily drivers to view the structure. Visually, the owner required a design with a more organic feel, allowing the structure to blend into the surrounding area, while catching the attention of passers-by.

What Makes This Project Interesting

The combination of visual uniqueness and green building practices has come together to create a small business that is sure to be emulated by similar companies in the future. In an effort to create a more organic feel, open-web bowstring joists were utilized to keep an open feeling beneath canopies, while creating architectural interest. Bowstring trusses were also used on the interior roof structure, in order minimize construction costs while matching the profile of the more costly tube steel trusses, on the exterior of the structure. Overall, the use of open-web joists allowed the owner to meet all his goals, creating an environmentally-friendly, architecturally-interesting structure, while keeping construction costs well in hand.

Advantages Of The Chosen Structural System

The use of bowstring steel joists created a more organic building shape, allowing the structure to better blend into the mountainous backdrop of the Wasatch Front, while effectively supporting all necessary roof loads, keeping construction and erection costs within budget, and catching the attention of the thousands of drivers passing the location every day. Using open-web steel joists manufactured from greater than 99% recycled material, and within 100 miles of the jobsite location, also fit into the owner’s vision of creating the most environmentally-friendly structure possible, while keeping construction costs low by minimizing the total number or fabricated tube steel trusses required for the construction of the arched roof structure.

Project Scope

The scope of this project included the new construction of a very “green” car wash, adjacent to a major thoroughfare. Though small, the 11,600 sq. ft. structure, with an additional 3400 sq. ft. of covered canopies, needed to house two highly-advanced wash bays, five drive-through pay stalls, and all the necessary mechanical equipment, all while making as little of an impact as possible on its environment, both visually, and in terms of resources.

Project Details

Project Construction Cost: $1.2 million
Joist cost, including fabrication and erection: $64,000
Size (square ft.): over 11,600
Roof area using joists (square ft.): 6,300
Joist area (square ft.): 9,700
Joist engineering to delivery (# days): 101
Joist erection (# days): 15

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