Bmw welt is a multifunctional customer experience and exhibition center of the bmw group in munich, germany, which was founded in 2007. The double conical design with an ultra-modern twisted steel structure is a unique interpretation of the propeller symbol in the bmw logo. The bmw welt is not only an exhibition centre, a delivery centre and an occasional event venue (including the if design award night 2019), but also a great architectural creation.
If you’re interested in ground design, check out our blog-Wall Design.
Bmw welt was awarded the royal institute of british architects european prize in 2008 and won the world architecture festival (waf) product category at the world architecture festival in barcelona.
One of the highlights at bmw welt is the 322 square metre terrazzo terrace by spanish designer patricia urquiola, which houses the latest bmw models, with a streamlined white stripe that blends seamlessly into the exterior of the building.
The bmw welt is not just an exhibition building that brings the company’s products and brands to life, but also sets out to present the exhibits in a unique environment and create inspiring moments for visitors.
When the exhibition was first conceived, and to ensure that it also fulfilled its mission as the new flagship of the bmw range, bmw welt adopted a new approach through an exhibition created in collaboration with bmw group design and patricia urquiola, embodying a new understanding of luxury and inspiring aesthetics and self-made personalities.
Designer urquiola drew inspiration from photographs of the concept m8 grancoupé, whose unusual paint hue reflects the gradient between the northern lights and the blue-green flashes of frozen lake water, and urquiola used her design to transform the cracked ice surface (a green that changes hue under different lights) into a luxurious interior installation.
Urquiola is always exploring the possibilities of design, shape, material and colour. I like the idea of taking a novel technique and creating what you might call a new frontier in the space,” She says. So, i use filters to integrate a kind of movement in the metal block. It’s a new and exciting way for me to think about the space.”
Van hooydonk, senior vice president of design at bmw, said he was particularly drawn to urquiola’s humanistic perspective on design. “She creates beautiful products and luxurious spaces, but always with a warm heart, a human centerline and a personal narrative.” “This is something we also address in our design process at bmw.”
Urquiola designed the blue-green terrazzo swirl floor, which was handed over to aectual, a flooring brand specialising in design technology, for production. The company used robotics to 3d print the 3cm-high bioplastic frame.
Bmw welt flooring, a fantastical interpretation of terrazzo material and 3d printing technology
Urquiola also extended this concept to the vertical elements of the exhibition space, creating an undulating metal mesh that serves as the space’s floor-to-ceiling window hard curtain, reflecting the same green and blue shadows from the car’s metallic paint. The open structure and expansive interior space of the bmw welt also provided an ideal platform for patricia urquiola’s experimental designs.