The Trade Centre UK, Birmingham

The Trade Centre UK, located on the commercial estate of Stella House in Birmingham, is a large-scale independent used car supermarket. Under their Trade Centre Group banner, the company holds four additional large-scale used car warehouses across the country.

Streetspace provided the design, manufacture, delivery and on-site installation for a set of 3 outdoor canopies. 2no. TRITON Entrance Canopies, comprising a larger and a smaller structure, were installed at the front of the interior showroom, providing a functional requirement as well as establishing a focal point for the building.   

The canopies comprised a roof type engineered from toughened, curved glass over a durable steel framework that enables optimum light transmission. The use of glass in the design produces a contemporary, polished style, which, combined with a clean design that coordinates well with the warehouse building facade, encourages a distinct first impression for customers as they arrive at the showroom, as well as providing shelter from inclement weather. 

Installed in the Trade Centre’s exterior car lot was the final canopy, an ORION Star Tensile Membrane Canopy. A twist on the classic hypar form, the unobtrusive single central post of ORION Star canopies offers versatile positioning alongside an engaging hyperbolic form and architectural PVC fabric, offering opportunities to create imaginative external covered spaces.

Establishing a welcoming covered seating area for customers and staff to enjoy a spot of lunch or some simple downtime, the standalone structure provides a striking architectural feature for The Trade Centre UK that helps to elevate the contemporary design landscape of the commercial estate.