Redwood makes it-auto'maticallY

Ti

IJne.UfY and business get to' gether more and more often as com' mercial firms discover that it helps to put their best face forward.

Toyota dealer John P. Schafer, in Walnut Creek, Calif., wanted a sales and service facility that would be a complete departure from the usual asphalt oriented automobile agency. He asked for a structure and environment that would reflect tradiditional and contemporary Japanese culture, and he imposed a maximum budget of $120,000, including land development and landscaping.

He got what he asked for in a building that utilizes standard con' struction practices and natural ma' terials in a design by San Francisco architect Rodman O. Davis. Ruf' sawn redwood plywood from Simpson Timber Co., aggregate concrete flooring, and careful landscaping

Story ot s Glqnce

Ruf-Sawn redwood blends with other natural materials and native plants to create a new kind of automcbile dealershiP' Owners wanted a subtle JaPanese atmosphere for this ToYota showroom.

combine to create a total environ' ment with an oriental flavor.

All exposed posts, beams, and trim material are used redwood bridge timbers, and used railroad ties make up the entrance deck and disPlaY platform. Exposed aggregate flooring and bush hammered concrete piers are economical and approPriate to the building's concept.

The total c.omplex includes indoor and outdoor display spaces and offices with service facilities in an adjacent building. Storage areas for new and used cars are included in the site plan.

The high bay area over the disPlaY space is cornpletely free standing and without sheer walls. Lateral forces are transmitted from the roof through 12 x 12 redwood timber Posts and into the concrete piers.

Ruf-sawn redwood plywood, chosen to blend with the rest o{ the redwood structure as well as for its easy maintenance, was used for the exterior and interior vertical surfaces of the show' room canopy roof and on the exterior walls of the service building' Landscaping by Mrs. Elizabeth Schafer features plants which both define the area and emphasize the environmental concern of the owner, one man who believes beauty is an important ingredient in today's commercial world.