Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) - Vierzylinder and Welt

The Scene:

 

The BMW Headquarters (German: BMW-Vierzylinder "BMW four-cylinder"; also BMW Tower) is a Munich landmark, which has been serving as world headquarters for the Bavarian automaker for over 30 years. The Tower was built between 1968 and 1972 and was ready just in time for 1972 Summer Olympics. Its inauguration followed on 18 May 1973. The building stands 101 m (roughly 331 feet) tall, is located in direct proximity of the Olympic Village and is often mentioned as one of the most notable examples of architecture in Munich. The large cathedral exterior is supposed to mimic the shape of a tire in a race car, with the garage representing the cylinder head. Both buildings were designed by the Austrian architect Karl Schwanzer.

 

The main tower consists of four vertical cylinders standing next to and across from each other. Each cylinder is divided horizontally in its center by a mold in the facade. Notably, these cylinders do not stand on the ground, they are suspended on a central support tower. During the construction, individual floors were assembled on the ground and then elevated. The tower has a diameter of 52.30 meters (roughly 171 feet). The building has 22 occupied floors, two of which are basements and 18 serve as office space. Millions of dollars have been spent on the facility due to high demand in progression.

 

The BMW Museum is located right next to the tower, while BMW Welt which presents the current cars of BMW and acts as a distribution centre, opened on the opposite side of the road on October 17, 2007.

 

Welt is a multi-functional customer experience and exhibition facility.

 

Designed by architects Coop Himmelb(l)au for BMW Group, the facility was constructed from August 2003 through summer 2007. Originally conceived to be open and ready for World Cup 2006, it eventually opened on October 17, 2007, and deliveries commenced on October 23, 2007. The first customer to take delivery of a new BMW at the Welt was Jonathan Spira.

 

Designed with an 800 kilowatt solar plant on its roof, "the building does not have the boredom of a hall, it is not only a temple, but also a market place and a communication center and meeting place for knowledge transfer", said architect Prix at the opening ceremony.

 

The Story:

The BMW Headquarters was one of the top items on my list of items for the München trip and not so surprisingly, it was one of the vantage points that I had in mind for the one “blue hour” evening that I had in Munich. After walking long and hard through the city and a stroll through the Olympia park, we finally arrived at a bridge across the Autobahn from the BMW properties and not surprisingly, I set shop to get these shots.

 

In my initial compositions, I tried to give importance to the headquarters and tried to cut the Welt off in half. But eventually, the Canon 10-22 USM won over me again and I switched to a “full” view.

 

The Shot:

Canon 10-22 @ 13mm | f/14 | ISO 100 | 8 sec