THE BMW WELT
The automobile industry is a highly dynamic industry. Vehicles are under a constant evolution feasting on every new advancement in technology or spearheading the discovery of ingredients needed to form the contents of the industry’s answers to questions of Speed, Efficiency, Fuel economy and so on. Undoubtedly BMW is one of the leaders in providing high quality technological solutions to the automobile industry. This hunger for pacesetting would not be left out in the building of this branding center; the BMW Welt. The BMW Welt’s physical context in Munich is characterized by high profile architecture. To the south is the Olympiapark with Frei Otto’s tensile roofs and to east is the BMW Complex, comprising the BMW manufacturing plant, the four cylinder high rise and the BMW museum. For a building which was to represent the BMW culture, there was the need to have a building which stands out in its immediate physical environment and at the same time put BMW ahead of the competition in the automobile industry. The project explores a parallel phenomenon to that of the combustion and the release of energy which puts the automobile in motion. Here the designers aim at capturing the energy present in clouds. The process of cloud formation, the movement of a floating cloud and the point where it gives way to rain is a utopian concept to be brought to the level of a building. However BMW Welt successfully explores this concept metaphorically and in an abstract way. The excellent organization of spaces within and under the cloud reinforces the fact that a cloud transforms into rain and rain provides water for life. Beyond the fact that the BMW Welt is an image-oriented architecture and makes use of state of the arts technology in its design and construction, it is a building that has not overlooked the basic and important principles of architecture which includes spatial configuration and climate modification and so on.
The BMW Welt is a highly informed building. It is an icon and stands out in its environment but simultaneously, it is also well integrated into the context. A foot bridge runs across the building and over the road to the main BMW complex. This feature widens the space of the BMW Welt. It makes it a thoroughfare. In this sense the BMW Welt is not just a new imposition on the landscape, drastically changing the movement patterns of people but it provides an option and one does not need to have any business in the BMW Welt before deciding to use this bridge from one point to the other. The building allows views from the interior to its surroundings, extending this privilege to the spaces in the floating roof by way of a slit. Locating the main entrance is not a problem at the BMW Welt. The double cone is a strong statement; carrying the sense of the source and origin of an explosion. In an interview with Kristin Feireiss recorded in the book dynamic forces, Wolf Prix, leader of the Design team said, “Naturally, BMW Welt serves to enhance the corporate image. But where is the difference between that and a Greek temple? ”. In fact, the extensive program of this building has been organized in a simple, clear and highly efficient way. Spaces are open sometimes physically or only visually. One can hardly tell where barriers exist but a whole lot of activities take place without conflict at the same time. The structural achievements of this building, definitely is a great contribution to investigations into high efficiency of structural elements. In this building which has an area larger than that of a soccer field and an Airbus A-380a, there are only eleven columns to be found.