Chow:Hill’s design of flagship dealership cements co-design relationship with Ebbett Group, Hamilton. Chow:Hill’s understanding of display, service and customer satisfaction as central tenets of a successful automotive centre have resulted in a state-of-the-art building more akin to a high-end hotel than your typical car dealership.

Ebbett Group’s new 25,000m² shared site, combining Ebbett General Motors and Ebbett Volkswagen, was designed to accommodate showrooms, service centres, panel and paint/tyre shop and the head office team overseeing group operations.

Known as Ebbett Gateway, the two storey building’s eight metre high windows, triangular patterned cladding, and giant structural angled beams add dramatic impact to an automotive centre that is both spacious and welcoming. This contrasts effortlessly with the Scandinavian-inspired design of the adjacent VW show room, where a striking timber gluelam structure provides a warm interior in keeping with the European brand’s corporate identity.

Polished concrete floors, ample natural light and a subtle use of colour and relaxed furnishings add to the ambience of the dealership’s expansive showroom. The light and airy service workshop is remarkable for the detailed attention given to the service bays, each one personalised to its resident mechanic. An entrance boulevard and covered drop-off area facilitate customer access to both workshop and showroom.

Ebbett Gateway is also home to Ebbett Group’s head office team, which services the group’s dealerships nationwide. The second floor boardroom, meeting room, reception and office areas occupy, in effect, a building within the building. Exposed concrete and steel, floor to ceiling windows, timber finishing, and ample display space for images of the firm’s near century of service to the Waikato, combine to create an impressive and congenial corporate environment.

A further unique aspect of the Ebbett Gateway design is the focus on pedestrian movement rather than vehicles. Gone is the traditional focus on cars and in its place is a design that reflects the need to provide pedestrian movement, rest and comfort, shaping the customer experience.

Ebbett Group’s move to Te Rapa from its central Hamilton location, a site the proudly Waikato dealership occupied since 1928, has paved the way for Union Square, a new experiential workplace planned for Hamilton’s CBD, designed by Chow:Hill.

Ebbett Gateway was designed and constructed in collaboration with Foster Construction.

"‍The building has created an amazing vibe. As soon as we moved in, on the very first day, it just felt right… The uplift has been amazing"~ Karl Nation, Ebbett Hamilton Dealer Principal

Photography by: Amanda Aitken