Michael Angel Vazquez
When planning a trip to Germany, motor enthusiasts should not forget to visit Munich and visit one of its architectural symbols. It is the BMW plant, where two of the most spectacular industrial buildings in the world are erected: the Tower and the BMW Museum, known respectively as The Four Cylinders y The bowl. In addition, now is a good time to commemorate the XNUMXth anniversary of its construction, and also the XNUMXth birthday of BMW Motorrad, the motorcycle division of the German brand.
Since its official inauguration on May 18, 1973, the headquarters of the BMW Group has become an indisputable landmark in the history of architecture and an icon of both the Munich skyline and the company's corporate image. In the spring of 2013, four decades after its completion, a committee of experts voted the building as one of the fifteen most spectacular corporate headquarters on the international level, demonstrating that its principles continue to be valid.
The BMW Tower and the adjoining museum complex mark the climax of the career of the Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer, setting new benchmarks in modern office architecture. Its design combines an impressive façade with an innovative and flexible spatial concept, laying the foundations for a new and long-lasting architectural philosophy of the company, in accordance with the concept of «communication building».
In 1999, the museum headquarters and complex were also awarded for inclusion in the Construction Status List. Together with BMW world, (another of the buildings integrated into the brand's plant, designed in 2007 by the architect Wolf D. Prix), the automotive group has created an example of urban development that combines interest in architecture, technology, design and the innovation.
[su_note note_color = »# f4f4f4 ″]
The refounding of the 60s
During the 60s, BMW went through a period of unprecedented expansion after coming to the brink of bankruptcy. Production required more space for administrative functions and manufacturing. The Glas Automobilwerke factories in Dingolfing and Landshut were acquired in 1966, but in Munich the offices for the administrative staff were small, despite having annexed existing premises in the plant and having expanded spaces.
The administration department ended up scattered throughout the city and its environs in rental properties. This situation finally forced the company to recognize the need for a specialized office building in the plant facilities, in order to re-centralize and expand the administrative organization.
[/ su_note]
[su_note note_color = »# f4f4f4 ″]
The first plans for a new administrative premises in Dostlerstrasse were presented on June 14, 1966. The chosen location was a 28.210 m² car park to the south of the brand's plant, next to the main entrance.
The design was put out to competition, and eight architects were invited. The new complex was to include, in addition to the necessary office building, a separate pavilion for an electronic computer center and a multi-storey car park. The claim of the building depended on a large and visually impressive facade.
On the other hand, the access to the headquarters had to be equally imposing in its design. The new dimensions meant not only a reflection of the importance of the company, but also its integration into other architecture around the BMW plant, such as residential buildings, the main road junctions, the future Olympic facilities or, without going any further. , the plant itself. In addition, the Bavarian brand was looking for an approach so that usable space could be reconfigured and adapted at all times to future needs.
[/ su_note]
[su_note note_color = »# f4f4f4 ″]
After the presentation of the projects on October 10, 1968, the one by the Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer won. It was about a hundred meters high and almost futuristic in appearance, thanks to its suspended structure made up of four cylindrical elements. It was the winner for the possibility of becoming an architectural landmark for BMW and Munich.
Karl Schwanzer's works reveal the influence of his teacher, the recently deceased Oscar Niemeyer, responsible for urban planning in cities such as Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil built in the second half of the XNUMXs, and an icon of architecture modern.
The tower has a clover plant. Its exact height, 99,5 meters, was within the maximum established by the urban planning regulations of 1968 relative to the urban center of the city, which was based on the height of the towers of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Munich, whose 98,6 m. they were not to be surpassed under any circumstances. Regarding the distribution, its 22 floors are divided into 18 office floors, four technical floors, the ground floor and a basement.
[/ su_note]
[su_youtube_advanced https=»yes» url='https://youtube.com/watch?v=g1qRHNbOOuE' ]
Credit: BMW
Floating cylinders
Instead of resting on foundations, the four cylinders that make up the building are suspended from the ceiling of a steel cross-beam structure.
The upper floors were completed first. All four elements were initially built at ground level, before being hydraulically lifted and completed in various segments. Each cylinder (19 stories high) was suspended from four giant crane arms placed in the shape of a cross in the central core of the building, forming a reinforced concrete tower as an axis that rests on very solid bases.
The high tensile strength and compression forces are absorbed by reinforced concrete lattice girders in a mezzanine in the upper third of the building, and by vertical links and compression columns along the exterior facades. In total, they have to withstand a suspended weight of 16.800 tons.
The construction period was scheduled for 26 months, and excavation work began on July 16, 1970. Two and a half months later, the foundations and two levels of soil above the ground floor were completed. Within four months, the core of the tower had risen to full height. Then came the loading cross at the top.
Even with that work underway, the upper floors and seven adjoining floors at ground level were being prepared. These were then suspended from the load bearing cross using steel prestressing tendons and a hydraulic press at a speed of four meters per week, thus taking sixteen months in total.
By July 1972, the exterior profile of the entire building complex, exterior areas, and landscape were complete. The completion of the BMW Tower coincided with the date on which Munich would host the Olympic Games, so it could be seen shining in all its glory for the first time during those celebrations.
Although the move to the new building was to take place in January 1973, the interior construction had to be completed before, so the official opening could not take place until May 18 of that year.
