Car Wash + Automative Services

Our Story

Our 30 years of practice has taught us the importance of relationships built on trust and confidence. We trust our clients and partners to understand the needs of their customers, and they trust us to lead the design process for their spaces.

National Coverage

We have over 350 professionals working coast to coast, and licensure across all 50 states, so we can collaborate no matter where you’re based. We seek to deliver the right balance of simplicity and innovation to align teams and technology around what matters most—your customer.

10,000+ projects permitted

across OFFICES 4 COUNTRIES2 1900+ communities

Solutions that Scale

Customer expectations are always changing—and so is your business. That’s why your A+E firm needs to be flexible. Whether you’re an investment pioneer working on their first concept or an established company updating their prototype, we can help.

Powerful Technology

We help our clients fully take advantage of the “I” in BIM and assist their efforts to establish standards and drive model consistency.

By leveraging the latest VR/AR technology to explore your projects in real-time, you’ll be able to help inform smarter design decisions and facilitate early project buy-in from stakeholders.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Sam’s Club Car Wash

Various Locations

Sam’s Club Car Wash projects feature two touchless and frictionless bays. These projects utilized two different car wash equipment manufacturers, and the buildings consisted of CMU typically for the main structure. Depending on local jurisdictions, the exteriors potentially require a combination of exterior finishes, such as concrete panels for brick with approved color schemes and sign requirements. All of the car washes use water reclaim systems to cycle back into the equipment for reuse.

Stripes Stores and Carwash

Various Locations

HFA partnered with Stripes prior to its acquisition with 7 Eleven to develop a new prototype design, while simultaneously providing full services for their successful new store and remodel roll out program. HFA collaborated with design firm Chute Gerdeman to help the Stripes team redefine the way customers interacted with the Laredo Taco Company, taking it from a minor establishment hidden away from view to a destination within the c-store environment itself. HFA was also responsible for implementing a full project administration system to include all facets of a project from real estate investigation through construction, including real-time project tracking and documentation. The HFA team also provided a third-party vendor, Genesis Modular Carwash Building Systems, with the utilities needed to implement their prefabricated, modular carwash units onto the Stripes building sites.

OUR EXPERIENCE

OUR EXPERIENCE

Happy Dave’s Car Wash

Midland, TX

Happy Dave’s is a convenience store located on 35 acres in Midland, TX, and owned by Arrington Oil. Our Hospitality + Entertainment Team used Matchstick’s end-user-focused design process from concept design to schematic design to create a unique user experience tailored to the people using the space. This nontraditional c-store features 60,000 square feet of distinctive spaces including a mezzanine level, classic car display, a drive-in theatre, and other uncommon c-store attractions that delight its patrons.

Diamond Wash Auto Spa

Bentonville, AR

This 5,445 sq ft. car wash offers a 150 ft. long tunnel facility with free vacuum stalls and monthly membership access. The structure is a loadbearing CMU covered with brick, fiber cement wood-look planks, and fiber cement panels on approximately 2/3 of the façade. Large, punched openings of glass show the inner workings of the tunnel and let in natural light. The single slope overhanging roof and covered pay kiosks create an asymmetrical street elevation. The wood-look planks continue on the underside of the roofs and overhang to add additional warmth to the exterior. Constructed by Boen Kemp and completed in the Spring of 2019.

OUR EXPERIENCE

OUR EXPERIENCE

TrueBlue Car Wash

Various Locations in TX and AZ

This 3.5-year-old company offers 125 ft. express car wash tunnels under the banner brand Clean Freak and has targeted growth for the DFW market. Company growth to date has been primarily by acquisition as they strive to develop a prototype for a more consistent brand. As TrueBlue begins to focus more on self-development, HFA is stitching together components of previous design examples while including cost reduction measures for a more cohesive identity going forward in both Texas and Arizona with only minor variances, such as the open-air tunnel with a tensile roof covering in Arizona.

WhiteWater Express

Various Locations in TX

This 4,167 sq ft. express car wash tunnel facility offers free vacuum stalls, plenty of on-site queuing, and monthly membership access. The projects are comprised namely of load-bearing CMU, with sloped exposed metal decking, and rooftop RTU; and, include a tower component to locate signage to draw people in from the street. Brand growth is both by new development and acquisition, via corporate developments as well as by development partners throughout TX, LA, MS and the Midwest.

Proto Development | Prepare New Design Concepts | Site Adapts throughout Texas

OUR EXPERIENCE

OUR EXPERIENCE

Service King Collision Repair Center

HFA was proud to support Service King (now owned by Crash Champions Collision Repair Team) across multiple states including AR, AZ, CA, GA, IL, NC, TX, and WA. In 2017, we developed a new, small format prototype, to meet their lean business model approach, and most recently, we designed the brand’s first attempted LEED-certified location in San Antonio, TX. We also led all aspects of the development and maintenance of building prototypes for various format buildings, including tilt-wall and CMU structures, for new self-developments and build-to-suit sites.

Additionally, HFA directed the coordination of structural visits, noise studies, and preparation of as-builts and existing conditions for various remodels and refresh projects. We have also assisted in the creation of new interior palettes and designs, including custom millwork options for a new customer interface.

Valvoline Instant Oil Change

Locations in AL, KS, KY, MO, TN, TX, VA

HFA has partnered with the Valvoline Instant Oil Change team since early 2018. In that time, we have supported the VIOC team with full architecture + engineering services and by providing both site investigation sheets and reports for more than 150 projects in the past four years. Our team has continued to expand the scope of work we do for Valvoline, which has come to include issuing construction sets, bid sets, and permit and/or owner review documents for more than 37 of those projects. We also support entitlements, (rezones, conditional use permits, Planned Development Amendments) as well . Exceptional turnkey building and site design is crucial for our Valvoline Instant Oil Change client because their business model is based on successfully facilitating the quick fullservice, drive-through oil change experience their customers know and love.

OUR EXPERIENCE

OUR EXPERIENCE

Love’s Travel Stops + Light Machine Shops

Various Locations

At the onset of our partnership with Love’s Travel Stops in 2014, we were tasked with providing fueling design services with CNG pumps. Fast forward to today and our dedicated team now provides full-service architecture, engineering, and fueling support for the new store program (which includes franchisebased restaurants combined with a traditional c-store layout), as well as tire service facilities across the country. The services we provide for Love’s Truck Stops and light Machine Shops include re-branding and expansion of existing light machine shops to add services such as work bays, oil and lube services, maintenance pits, and automatic truck wash bays. Also included is new construction, prototype design, and change management.