Project: DriveTime® location on Midlothian Turnpike
Architect: Balzer & Associates, Inc., Richmond, VA; Mike Bricker, AIA
General Contractor: R.J. Leipertz Jr., Inc., Richmond, VA
Segmental Retaining Wall Contractor: Bract Retaining Walls, Mechanicsville, VA
Masonry & Retaining Wall Material Supplier: Allied Concrete Products, Richmond, VA

Description: DriveTime®, the nation’s largest integrated car sales and financing company, recently expanded its operations in the Richmond area with the addition of a fourth store. The owners opted for brand new construction of the facility, located at 9301 Midlothian Turnpike.

A total masonry structure, the building utilizes cavity wall construction with an architectural split face exterior over a concrete masonry unit backup. With an eye to creating a distinctive look, the building designers envisioned a horizontal “ribbed” exterior. The unique design was achieved by specifying alternating band coursing of four-inch and eight-inch-high masonry units and was further accentuated by having the four-inch units recessed back from the face of the eight-inch blocks.

In an effort to make maximum use of the building site, a segmental retaining wall also was erected, resulting in additional usable space. The Anchor Diamond Pro™ retaining wall system selected for the project features a true fractured aggregate split-face finish which matches the texture of the architectural masonry units used on the project. Seen together, the retaining wall system and the architectural masonry components compliment each other and bring the project together as a whole.

For Allied Concrete Products, the DriveTime® facility represented an opportunity to contribute to multiple facets of a single project. Allied produced the concrete masonry backup units and the Anchor™ retaining wall block at its Willis Road plant and also furnished the architectural masonry units. As part of its service to the building community, Allied Concrete Products also coordinated the engineering design of the retaining wall structure.

The DriveTime® project is a good example of how concrete masonry can be employed in a total package of safe, fire-resistant building construction; land development and space utilization; and landscape design.