Ramblin’ Reck Garage

Year: 2024 Design & Honor Awards | Category: Built Project under 5,000 SF

The Ramblin’ Reck Garage is a display pavilion and working garage housing ‘The Reck,’ a 1930 Ford Model A Sport Coupe that has served as Georgia Tech’s mascot since 1961. Envisioned as a pavilion in a landscape, the garage sits lightly on a terraced site at a major pedestrian crossing on the southern end of campus. The Ramblin’ Reck Garage is the first permanent home dedicated to the display, care, and public engagement for the vehicle, while also providing a headquarters for the dedicated students who care for it, the Ramblin’ Reck Club.

Design Challenge

The brief for this project presented a unique design challenge – create a transparent working automotive garage that doubles as a museum and public engagement site in the middle of a college campus. Inspiration was drawn from the physical beauty of The Ramblin’ Reck itself, and from the civic engagement that the Ramblin’ Reck Club prides itself on. It was this synthesis between physical beauty and a deep emotional bond to an institution that informed the design. This was an opportunity to celebrate a cherished tradition on campus which needed to be accessible, engaging, and above all, inspiring like the vehicle itself.

Sitting lightly on a very gently sloping site, the Ramblin’ Reck Garage is a 1,000 square foot glass pavilion that works in harmony with the landscape whose physical presence would not overshadow the vehicle. Maximum exposure for the display of the vehicle, and visibility into how the Ramblin Reck Club operates were crucial design objectives. Large glass garage pivot doors on the East and West ends of the building allow the vehicle to enter and exit from multiple points on the site. Once inside, the vehicle can be placed on a slowly spinning turntable as an object on display. If maintenance work is required, an automated vehicle lift allows for easy access. These activities are in full view from the surrounding site which features seating plazas covered by shade trees and a small lawn used by the Ramblin’ Reck Club to host events for students and alumni.

Firm
Square Feet Studio

Owner
Georgia Institute of Technology

Project Location
Atlanta, Georgia

Completion Date
3/1/2023

Architects and Designers
John Bencich
Blake Burton
Emily Mastropiero

Structural Engineer
Shear Structural

Civil Engineer
Flippo Civil

MEP Engineer
Proficient Engineering

Landscape
Site Solutions

Energy Modeling
EcoWorks

Solar
Hannah Solar

Lighting
Lux Et Veritas

General Contractor
Gilbane Building Company

LEED Consultant
Epsten Group

Photographer
Copyright 2023 © Garey Gomez