Chapter 7: Case Studies
7.1 Audi center-west London
Audi center in west London is the largest cars exhibition for Audi brand, which created by
Wilkinson Eyre Architects, take up six years in planning and execution, and officially launched
on October 12, 2009. This building was designed in order to consolidate the brand position as
one of the global leaders in prestige car manufacturing.
Figure 7.1: Audi center- West London
7.1.1 The site
The Audi center is adjacent to the main entry to London which is one of the most crowded
roads in UK called M4. The building was oriented and designed in order to be visible to
hundreds of thousands of who use this road from all angles.
Figure 7.2: Audi center site
7.1.2 Details of the Audi center
Audi center occupying an area of 17000 m2, which designed to be energy efficient. The
building consist of seven floor, three floors are showrooms for displaying about 116 car, two
basement levels contain 32-bay workshop and wide area for parking facilities, and the top two
floors are rooms for business and creative complex (rooms for exhibition and conference),
which called the Audi quattro rooms.
Figure 7.3: Master plan for Audi center
Figure 7.4: Section in Audi center building
Figure 7.5: Audi center showroom
Figure 7.6: Workshop and parking facilities
The external structure is made of metal and glass, in order to make the building modern in
its shape and functionality of Audi vehicles. Also, the roof is curved theme (standing seam
structure), made from aluminum sheets, the length of each sheet is approximately 40m without
any joints, and the actual reason for using the curves is to mimic a manta ray fish form and the
shape of B-2 stealth Aircraft.
Figure 7.7: Metal and glass external structure and curved roof
The showroom floors are fully-glazed raked façade with double height in order to allowing
better display for the cars from the outside and to allowing daylight to stream into the building.
And to get the required fully open floor with high ceiling a 70m wide mezzanine floor are used,
which suspended by a series of ranking rods from the first floor slab.
Figure 7.8: Showroom floor with fully-glazed racked façade with double height
7.2 Mercedes-Benz Museum
Mercedes-Benz museum is a milestone in contemporary architecture and the only museum
in the world that is able to present a complete history of almost 125 years of automotive
development.
It was designed by 'UN Studio' architecture form, also completed and opened on 19 May
2006. It is considered as one of the classic architectural sites of the 21st century. In addition,
the Museum offers a fascinating insight into innovative design and provide a clear
demonstration that history is always moving forward.
Figure 7.9: Mercedes-Benz Museum
7.2.1 The site
The museum located directly outside the factory gates at the parent plant in Stuttgart –
Unterturkheim in Germany, which form a link between the plant and the sales and service outlet
of Mercedes-Bens.
It is located above a six-meter high hill, which rising as a vertical landmark above, and
raising the site above its surroundings as well as the round forms of the museum is harmonizing
with the hills and curves of the Neckar Valley.
The building acts as a gateway, it forms as a key hub on the motorists' way into town by
turning off the federal highway B 14 into the Neckar valley passing by the building. Its
topographic conditions used as the starting point for the planning, its purpose for the motorists
to perceive it as a welcoming presence.
Figure 7.10: Mercedes-Benz museum
7.2.2 Details of Mercedes-Bens Museum
The double helix with no right angles, the evolutionary process of the automobile, taking
in the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand and its predecessors, with no closed rooms or straight
walls and with the 1800 triangular windowpanes, which is unique for each.
Mercedes Benz museum consists of 9 levels covering a floor area 16500m2, which presents
160 vehicles and over 1500 exhibits. The height of the legend rooms are almost twice the
collection rooms.
Figure 7.11: Site plan
Figure 7.12: Floor plans
Figure 7.13: Section for the museum
