The client, a franchise of an Asian car assembler, commissioned a project that would gather the following features: easy assemblage, low costs and high visual impact. Studio Guilherme Torres proposed an idea that would satisfy the client’s needs of agility adding the sustainability aspect to the project. Making a direct reference to car imports, shipping containers were bought and added to the building’s façade, where the sales and technical assistance will work.
The store was implemented in a very high traffic region, also considered one of the growth vectors of Londrina, Brazil. The concept of a Pop-up store, a temporary and itinerant store, became possible due to the use of shipping containers. Within 2 years, when the land lease period will be over, the whole store may be relocated to another place, simply by disconnecting one container of the other.
Ten containers were used, costing U$1,700 each. All the assembly was done in only 2 hours and within 2 weeks all the welding work, painting and electrical systems were concluded. The playful aspect is an essential part of the project considering that cars look like toys, just taken out of boxes. Another important feature has been the debate that such initiative has caused in the city, calling attention to the use of creativity as a marketing tool for the product.
Another curious fact is that Brazil’s Towner/Tropic didn’t accept the store as an official franchise, and demanded the containers to be coated with ACM (aluminum composite material). We hope that they change their minds and embrace sustainable alternatives like this one.
