Sourced By: GlobeNewswire
LONG BEACH, Calif. – (May 22, 2023) – Hendy, a nationally-recognized interior architectural design firm, today announced the design completion of the world’s second Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, an international destination for the luxury brand’s car enthusiasts. The Long Beach, California-based facility features a staggering 41,500 square feet of workspace, 20,000 square feet of vehicle storage, auto restoration and maintenance areas, a museum-like showroom, processing bay and retail experience. The hangar-sized building was formerly an aircraft production site for aeronautic firm McDonnell Douglas which years later merged with Boeing, a leading supplier of passenger aircraft.
“Designing the U.S.-based home for the heritage arm of a global luxury automotive company is a huge responsibility, particularly when it’s the preeminent Mercedes-Benz brand,” said project lead and Hendy Co-CEO, Carolina Weidler. “Rising to the level of expectation required precise design and meticulous attention to technical detail, ensuring the environment delivers an experience that parallels the exquisite elegance of the brand.”
A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and director of Hendy’s Science & Technology Studio, Weidler tapped her niche technical expertise and in-depth experience designing high-performance environments for both manufacturing and automotive facilities. The clean and functional workspace consists of modern service bays equipped with the latest technology and hydraulic lifts. The shop area houses all the equipment and supplies required to restore and service classic Mercedes-Benz automobiles, with designated areas for upholsterers to stitch leather seats, painters to color-match historic hues, and metal workers to fashion parts that no longer exist.
The showroom features floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light and is outfitted with specialized sensitive LED light fixtures to enhance the showcasing of the vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz brand is incorporated into every facet of the space, with subtle visual cues in the overhead lighting that echo the famous Mercedes-Benz logo. All flooring, signage and fixtures align clearly with the brand’s luxury aesthetic, and complementary artwork adorns the walls to create an elegant ambiance, including a dramatic abstract frieze that hangs above the reception area.
“The elite architects and designers at Hendy embraced the planning and execution needed to reflect our brand’s signature look and feel, while also designing a highly technical and highly functional environment that is part repair center, part Hall of Fame,” said Michael Kunz of Mercedes-Benz USA. “The showroom immediately immerses people into a signature Mercedes-Benz brand experience, with the same elegance and attention to detail synonymous with our luxury vehicles worldwide.”
About Hendy
Founded in 1980, Hendy is a nationally recognized interior architecture and design firm specializing in creating forward-thinking concepts that anticipate and accommodate changing demands as work culture continues to evolve. With a revolutionary approach, the firm leverages expertise in diverse architectural disciplines through five studios: Corporate, Currents, Lifestyle, Science & Technology and Healthcare & Wellness. With services spanning strategic facilities programming, employee satisfaction analysis, change management and space planning, Hendy has guided corporate clients in seamless relocate-and-remodel projects for more than 40 years. The firm is recognized as a CoreNet Global “Service Provider of the Year,” has been ranked as one of Orange County Register’s “Top Places to Work” and was named a “Top 50 Architecture Firm in Interior Design” in LA Power Grid. The company’s client roster includes Mercedes Benz USA, Rocket Lab, Rivian, Pacific Life, Bandai, 5.11 Tactical, Kawasaki, Behr Paint Company, SAP, HanaHaus and Alliance Residential, among others. Visit hhendy.com for more information.