Andy’s Frozen Custard / Hufft Projects

Architects: Hufft Projects, LLC
Location: Springfield, MO, USA
Design Team: Matthew Hufft(principal architect), Kimball Hales(principal architect), Jonathan Tramba
Structural Engineer: Packard Engineering
General Contractor: Howard Bailey
MEP Engineer: Malone, Finkle, Eckhardt, and Collins, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Olsson Associates
Constructed Area: 137 sqm
Photographs: Bob Linder

Andy’s Frozen Custard’s new franchise store, located at Campbell Drive and Camino Alto in Springfield, Missouri, stands out both in its straightforward and honest aesthetic as well as in the manner in which it incorporates a number of innovative and forward thinking sustainable features.

The design is simple, yet bold.  It represents a new identity for the Andy’s Frozen Custard franchise that preserves the spirit of the original stores while embracing a new and progressive design.  A large roof unifies the custard store with site activities and the drive thru lane.  Additionally, it provides the store with a distinct and iconic presence.  Deep overhangs to the south and west minimize heat gain inside the store during the day and a staggered neon array on the roof’s fascia brings the store to life at night.

One of the more unique aspects of the new Andy’s Frozen Custard is a cistern which receives and stores water used to cool the custard machine compressors as well as all roof runoff.  This collected water is utilized for site irrigation and the native plantings located around the store assure that only a minimal amount of water is required.  Interesting enough, the potable water used to cool the compressors is also piped to a dedicated faucet so that it can be utilized for rinsing equipment when needed.  If not required, this water is directed to the cistern.

The new store’s signature aesthetic is also enhanced by the incorporation of gradated red tiled walls.  These walls add a unique dynamic to the interior space of Andy’s Frozen Custard.  Custom site work in the form of benches, screens, and tables also enliven the experience of visiting the new Andy’s Frozen Custard franchise.

Additional sustainable highlights include a white roof membrane to reduce heat loads inside the store and on the adjacent site, the incorporation of recycled materials, in the form of flyash, into site concrete work, a dual flush toilet to optimize water efficiency, high efficiency glass to further reduce heating and cooling loads, and high efficiency T5 fluorescents for ample illumination at night.

Andy’s Frozen Custard’s new franchise marks a fresh direction towards the values of sustainability and architecture which focuses on progressive and innovative design.