MUNICH, GERMANY.- BMW AG, openeding the BMW Welt in a festive ceremony in attendance of the Principal in Charge of Coop Himmelb(L)AU Wolf D. Prix, the Prime Minister of Bavaria Dr. Günther Beckstein, Mayor Christian Ude and 800 invited guests. The building will be open for two days to visitors, offering a unique opportunity to experience the various areas and highlights of the building.

"So today, if a structure of this remarkable calibre is opened, we have to thank the requirements of BMW which demand from us an architecture that is more than just a shell for the delivery of cars, but reflects the elegance and dynamics that BMW represents." Wolf D. Prix pointed out during his speech.

He describes furthermore the BMW Welt as the "third letter" besides the existing BMW headquarter and Museum. "BMW Welt is one of the first works of a new generation of dynamic communication buildings for the 21st century and a very attractive stage for receiving a new car", Wolf D. Prix says.

The building is sustainable through innovative climatic concepts which result in an estimated 30 percent energy savings. Included in these ingenious ideas are the naturally ventilated hall with façade construction that may be heated or cooled as well as the photovoltaic roof panels which provide energy. But not only is the climatic concept sustainable; the form is sustainable as well. An innovative building, which contemporarily interprets an 'old' urban planning concept.

The most prominent elements of the brand experience and automobile delivery center BMW Welt are the roof and the Double Cone. The roof landscape of 16,000 m2 is supported by only 11 columns. Unlike conventional architectural designs, the roof of BMW Welt not only forms the space-enclosing upper limit of the building, but also forms in conjunction with the Double Cone a functional, structural and above all formally independent structure.

The Double Cone visualizes the soaring dynamics of the building with its continuous transition into the seemingly floating roof. It takes the form of two leaning truncated cones with a rounded transition between them.