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From YourSITE.com Audi News For more on the Audi Forum New York City, see also:
Catton himself is a fitting representative for Ingolstadt in the Big Apple. Formerly in a public relations post at Audi’s Ingolstadt headquarters, the German-born Catton spent several years as a child living in the New York area. He recalls being in such awe of the hulking Pan Am building that sits so massively in the background of the Audi Forum and will now enjoy working just blocks away. Axel was kind enough to meet with us at the as-of-yet unfinished Audi Forum and share Audi’s plans for the space. Walk up to the forum last week, and you'd have found the large showroom style windows of the building covered with a layer of grey vinyl with orange lettering, hiding the space inside. Native New Yorkers recognize this as a statement of renovation, the interior being “under construction”. Slipping past several construction workers at the side door on 47th, that’s just what we found. Like the typical renovation television shows, or car build programs such as ‘Overhaulin’, the Audi Forum construction continued until the big reveal today. Inside, things were taking shape, though you’d have needed the trained eye of Mr. Catton to tell you more about what was to stay, to go, and what had yet to find a place. With contractors busily working in the background, Catton began to point to different parts of the building, sharing what had been done, along with the remainder of his master plan for completion in the next six days. If you remember the Park Avenue Audi showroom that occupied the space previously, then be prepared for considerable change. Axel shared that the only things remaining from that space were the building’s hard points: the locations of structural columns and the space’s L-shaped footprint. A fixture from the dealership now removed and relocated was an elevated corner turntable. The display made sense when the space was used for sales, though with more focus on presentation, events and local unveilings, the previous turntable left the area quite divided.
During the renovation, the turntable was relocated to the far southern end of the L on the Park Avenue side of the space, allowing for a 150-foot “theatre” area that can be used for an audience during presentations. On occasions when no audience space is necessary, that same area can be filled with even more cars. This slightly raised turntable, up just one step from ground height, will be the prime vehicle spot. Of the up-to-five vehicles the forum might have on hand, this will be the space for the forum’s “star car” – the hottest of the on-hand car collection. Behind the star car is a wall decorated with a New York City motif – setting the tone of the forum’s Manhattan home without being too diversionary of attention from the car itself. This relocation completely frees up the rest of the L-shaped space, a floor plan wide enough to drive a car through should any given presentation require that. Another element that moves along through the L-space is the other most noticeable difference to the space. One of the largest interior LED walls in New York is mounted to a track built into the Audi Forum’s ceiling, moving it from one side of the forum to another. It takes 4 minutes and 44 seconds to move 150 feet from the Park Avenue side to the 47th Street side. It can also be parked, for instance, next to the turntable and used as a backdrop to any presentation being made from that stage. The LED wall itself is made up of 3mm LEDs.- the best resolution available today. Times Square LED walls in comparison are 6mm LEDs that work quite just fine when viewed from 200 yards away. However, with a smaller space than Times Square to work with, sharper resolution was most necessary for Audi. When not being used for presentation purposes, the LED wall will make its trip from Park Avenue to 47th Street and back again 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On the large screen will be shown auto show reveals, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or whatever else Audi might like. Four more plasma screens are mounted throughout the space, with frames that can be moved so that the screens themselves can be positioned as needed. Two of these screens could be seen being mounted on the 47th Street side of the forum - one facing the street, and one facing inside. Catton says that these will be used for informational purposes initially, telling passers by what is happening inside, that the forum is open, as well as helping the word out on future events planned at the forum. The large public area of the Audi Forum features charcoal-shaded epoxy granulate floor and wall tile, with accenting opaque glass wall segmentation imported from Germany. The area was still somewhat under construction but should look fantastic when the last piece is laid and the dirt covers taken away. It also remains functional with elements such as the floor that is designed to hold up well when cars are driven across it.
The space will fit a total of five cars. Walking from the turntable, a second car will be parked on the Park Avenue side, another at the corner of the building, a fourth on the 47th Street side and the fifth, also along 47th Street and opposite the turntable. That fifth car will be a top-of-the-line A8L W12 fitted with the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system and every hand stitched quattro GmbH option available for North American consumers. Catton shared that such high spec helps the A8 tip the pricing scales at about $175,000 – just the thing for newly rich executives experiencing the ‘Goldman Effect’ and looking for new transport in which to cruise out to the Hamptons. The display around the A8L will include a large screen showing quattro GmbH’s work and samples of the available materials that can be fitted by Audi’s in-house customization experts. Further glass displays nearby will show Audi Collection items available in the US and Germany, though we’re told you won’t be able to buy those items on-site for now. Also quite close to the A8 will be a lounge with white leather couches where visitors can experience an extravagant home system from Audi partner Bang & Olufsen. We’re told the speakers alone cost $20,000.
A fully equipped bar will also serve you coffee, etc. should you decide you’ve seen enough cars, heard enough music and just want to be satiated. The public area is meant as a leader design for Audi’s latest showroom concept. New dealerships built around the world from this point will use portions of the forum’s design in their own décor. Elements such as the floor and the furniture are what you’ll find in dealerships opened or renovated within the next year. Restrooms have multiplied from one previously to five. Why so many restrooms? As has been suggested, Audi intends to use this space to play host to events. With the additional facilities, up to 250 guests can now be hosted within the space at any given time. Further within the forum will be the non-public area utilized by Audi staff. Go up a few stairs and you’ll find a pantry and two offices, one for Audi’s new east coast public relations representative Andrew Lipman and one for the product specialists working out of the forum. The latter has a raised open view of the entire forum, and can also double as a control room for events, where a D.J. might work during parties. A state-of-the-art meeting room is also housed within this area. A 64-inch Bang & Olufsen television screen will be supported with another Bang & Olfusen sound system to meet the audio visual needs of those using the room. The area is also wired for video conferencing, an element Catton hopes to make particular use of. Such a resource would allow real-time interviewing between Audi executives, design staff and New York-based journalists, or allow American executives to conduct business. The décor is black and white– fitting with its planned historical theme. The walls are lined with glass display cabinets where Catton explained contents will have an Audi Tradition theme, with a specific focus on New York’s 1937 Vanderbilt Cup race, which Auto Union won. The meeting room is decidedly quieter in both appearance and audible noise than the public area of the forum, with a decidedly more business-oriented tone. Located in a center of commerce such as New York, it’s not surprising that plenty of business will be conducted out of this space. Like the other Audi Forums, communicating the brand experience is one main purpose, but another is most definitely a use as an embassy for the Audi brand and base of operations. It is their foothold where Axel says, “Audi can represent itself in the center of the largest city, in the largest market in the world.” It is a place where Audi’s CEO can meet the press, where concept cars can go after they are revealed at North American shows like Detroit. German executives can also use it as a venue to meet with American counterparts in a central location between Ingolstadt and Auburn Hills. With its varying levels of function, the Audi Forum New York sets off in somewhat uncharted territory. Whether it be the embassy purpose, the brand experience purpose, or simply a place to get some extra miles out of costly concepts, we’re sure it should be a most interesting asset added to Audi’s portfolio, helping put the brand most squarely on the map in the heart of one of the hippest and most active cities in the world.
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