World > Europe > Germany

BMW Central Building

Why It's Cool: Modernism is a trend that shows no sign of ebbing—what else are those ubiquitous glass-walled apartments but takes on Philip Johnson's 1949 Glass House? Current designers also still seem keen on creating factories like the BMW Central Building, whose mass-produced goods embody Modernism's underlying aesthetic. But Hadid's confection, which knits together three outlying workshops, seems less mechanical than organic. Grooves ridge the skin along smoothly contoured edges. Tear-shaped concrete piers below resemble bones. And the overhead conveyor belts hurriedly hauling car frames could be blood vessels.

How to Visit: By appointment, Mon.–Fri., and occasionally Sat.; $154 for a 30-person group.

AS FEATURED IN...

From Travel + Leisure , FEB 2009

Modernism is a trend that shows no sign of ebbing...MORE>>

– C. J. Hughes World’s Coolest Buildings

Last updated February 2009