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CleanTown USA Car Wash   Allison Park, PA

“Clean…Bright…Open and Airy…”, adjectives used by the Owners to describe a new business venture being undertaken along the busy commercial corridor of Route 8 in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. Their vision was to create a new brand of car washing, with a facility offering the highest quality and variety of services with a stimulating atmosphere creating a memorable experience for the customer at each visit.

CleanTown USA Car Wash is home of the ‘Rocket Wash’, state of the art car washing equipment, that utilizes a reclamation system that processes used water and reduces the amount of fresh water consumed to one fifth the amount of the typical automated car wash system. Other unique features of the equipment include reverse osmosis treatment for rinse water, a variety of colored wash foams, special lighting effects, arched stainless steel supports and a superior drying system. Unlike most car washes today, part of the CleanTown experience is the customer remaining in their vehicle as it proceeds through the car wash phase in a bright and spacious environment with an abundance of natural light provided by the large continuous skylights above and then exit their car and enter a colorful, free flowing customer area where they can observe their car being serviced in the large, bright detailing area.

Control of the flow of vehicle traffic on site is paramount to the success and operation for this 16,000 square foot facility. The site is designed to direct traffic in one direction throughout the facility and exit off the site providing an efficient and consistent flow of vehicles. The site and flow of traffic also dictated the layout of the facility, where the detailing area has been rotated 15 degrees away from the car wash area, allowing better control of traffic and vision on the site.

There are two distinct areas of the facility, the car washing area and the detailing area, both containing large continuous skylights and glass paneled overhead doors to provide great amounts of natural light and lower the energy consumption for artificial lighting. The car washing area contains light colored, very durable and easily maintained finish materials due to the harsher environment of the constant water and

detergents, while the detailing area is bold with super graphics and contains two twelve foot wide vehicle conveying belts the full length of the room. The average time for a vehicle to go through an area is a speedy 5 to 7 minutes, with upwards of 4000 cars going through on a weekend.

Connecting the two main areas are the administrative offices and the Customer Waiting area. The Customer area provides a variety of vistas and visual cues, including large windows to the detailing area and exterior, a 1000 gallon fish tank, curvilinear ceilings, accent lighting and tile patterns to lead the customer through the space and back to their vehicle. Other support spaces such as the equipment rooms, breakrooms, toilets and storage are arranged along the perimeter of the main spaces, providing easy and efficient access to the employees.

Varying from the prototypical car wash forms, the main building masses of the car wash and detailing areas are expressed by using white and gray split faced masonry units and the support spaces are offset with a horizontal ribbed metal siding, while curved flowing metal roofs and a free form accent wall highlight the main entrances or exits of the facility. Site amenities include well manicured lawns, large expanses of colorful flower beds and landscaping, exterior waiting areas and self-vacuuming stations that add to the overall ‘CleanTown USA’ car wash experience.

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