Viva Express

Additional Info

Award Winner : NRB Modular Solutions

Architectural Excellence : A first for Viva Express in the retail convenience market, NRB created a complete design strategy for the sales area to suit the owners product and food partner offering. Curved track lighting & parabolic fluorescents were chosen to illuminate the sales area warmly but effectively. Floor to ceiling mullionless glass allows complete visibility of the products inside, while giving staff an unobstructed view of the fuel center outside. Exterior strip lighting, custom built up accent fascia panels and two large sign boxes work together to create a storefront that is unique to this new image and corporate brand. The exterior finish of architectural aluminum panels was completely fabricated by NRB, in two tones with accented corners. The interior is drywall finished with accenting painted colors and ceramic floors. The building features a drive-thru food offering and the shape of the owner’s property required the store be created with angled walls to permit a proper traffic flow.

Cost Energy Effectiveness : NRB’s post & beam construction methods mean walls are not load bearing, so the building has much more flexibility for future renovation should the store require a change in layout, offering or services. Located on a busy section of highway drawing thousands of tourists during the summer months, bathrooms were designed for sensor type “hands free” operation at all the fixtures, to keep operational costs down. Tinted glazing keeps the building cooler with its north/east exposure. But the primary financial return on investment comes from the fact that the building was completely constructed while the owner was waiting for final permits and was 95% finished when it shipped. The instant the owner received a permit, the store was on the road, meaning the owner was operational 3 months earlier than he would have been using conventional methods. 3 months of busy tourist revenue is a major value proposition for Viva – and the reason they now have a 10-store program in place with NRB.

Occupied Date : 7/18/2006

Production Start Date : 4/12/2006

Project Location City : Gravenhurst

Project Location State Name : ON

Technical Innovation : 4-section building is structural steel, post & beam type construction with a pre-poured concrete floor. NRB uses a “build-in-place” method of construction so the store is built completely assembled with up to 95% of the finishes, fixtures and features pre-installed. This allows the footprint to easily accommodate the unique angled walls, and permits complete testing of systems in the plant. Ceiling height of 9’6” dictated a structural steel frame height of 13’4”, so all parapets, fascias, and sign boxes were pre-fit at the plant and then removed for reinstallation at the site. All electrical conduits for interior floor displays and paypoint electrical requirements for the food offering are run through conduits that are installed within the 3” concrete floor, creating a clean and open facility. Electrical panels are grouped tightly together to minimize space used and maximize all possible storage areas. Additional storage areas were created above cooler and above the office space.

Total Square Feet : 2584