BMW Museum Re-Opens in Munich

June 21, 2008 Page 1 of 2    12

What could possibly be housed in that building enlarge: Medium | Large The exterior of the BMW Museum in Munich enlarge: Medium | Large Setting up the Motorcycle House in the BMW Museum enlarge: Medium | Large enlarge: Medium | Large

The focus, naturally, is on 125 original exhibits in 25 exhibition areas, various lines of development presenting the dynamism and innovative power of the BMW brand throughout its history of more than 90 years.

After re-opening, the BMW Museum is expecting 400,000 visitors each year. "We are very happy to note that following the opening of the original BMW Museum in 1973 we have again succeeded in creating an innovative and modern museum concept, offering a unique brand experience the world over at our home address through the combination of the BMW Building, the BMW Plant, the BMW Welt, and the BMW Museum", states Dr Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

Ever since its original opening in 1973, the "Museum Bowl", as it is affectionately called, has not only been the home of the BMW Museum, but also a true landmark in architecture. Now, in creating the new concept for the Museum, the Museum Bowl has been enlarged by the directly adjacent single-storey building belonging to the BMW Group Headquarters, the so-called "Four-Cylinder", enlarging the exhibition area to 5,000 sq m or 53,800 sq ft.

The new exhibition concept not only provides a chronology of history, but also highlights specific themes and lines of development which started in the past, continue into the present, and allow forecasts of the future. Both the media presented as well as the individual exhibitions and style of presentation give further emphasis to these lines of development and make them a genuine, sensual experience.

THE WAY IN...

The BMW Museum does not keep out or draw a line to its direct urban environment, but rather symbolically takes up the surrounding message and continues that message inside the building. A system of ramps dynamically flowing into the Museum area and appearing almost weightless, as if the ramps were hovering in space, forms one entity with the open and closed exhibits and exhibition areas. Modern facades, networked paths and fascinating perspectives, in turn, create an exciting, urban-like outlook.

Indeed, the BMW Museum is conceived as an urban "transport structure" made up of the various elements in its surroundings all characterised by the spirit of mobility: streets, squares, bridges, and houses. This concept is then underlined and further accentuated in the truest sense of the word by the bituminous terrace floor leading all the way through the Museum, a specially treated asphalt surface highlighting the particular flair and touch of the road, bringing contents and functions close together.

"It was important to us to create an architectural structure with a long-term, convincing message, carrying its design language through its contents" states Professor Uwe R. Brückner, the architect who created the new BMW Museum. Hence, the new BMW Museum is able to bridge the gap between the original architecture of the Museum Bowl dating back to the 1970s and still full of timeless elegance and modern style today, on the one hand, and the media architecture of the 21st century to be admired within the BMW Museum.

The ramp system connects 25 exhibition areas with seven interacting theme blocks, in each case offering the visitor a greater insight and a more profound look at a specific subject. This enables the visitor to actively relate information he has already gained from other theme areas with various aspects of the new space created in this way.

This particular style of interior architecture gives the various exhibition highlights both a vertical and a horizontal arrangement. The new single-storey building offers an additional area of 4,000 sq m or 43,040 sq ft in various sections for permanent exhibitions held at the BMW Museum, while inside the Museum Bowl itself, the exhibits and exhibitions constantly change, focusing from time to time on different subjects and highlights.