German engineering – never on display more than at the VW Autostadt. Compelling as the BMW sister may be in Munich, the factory complex at the Autostadt with it’s delivery system end to end shows far better the scale at which an entire system can be designed (not that BMW was trying per se).
The towers above are completely worth the tour, to feel how smooth the mechanics are riding up and down and turning around- each second and centimeter considered- the body will tell you what genius is here. The simple goal of delivering a car without having ever been driven to it’s new owner is the task at hand. So many possible solutions and this response is a great display of how form and function can come together to have a little fun as well. I could watch it for hours.
From the top of the tower you can get a view of the massive smoke stacks, a landmark of it’s time period like Battersea Station and the city overall.
The main VW building is playful- both in design but also quite literally for children. Slides, padded mats, tiny trikes…
… and even this chill section …
The other experiences being quite the delight, the only pavilion we went into (one for each brand under the umbrella) was the one part of the tour- the Porsche Pavilion- and it took itself much more seriously. It hosts an exhibit space underground and above ground performances. The sweeping singular line of the ground structure into the cantilevered leaf like roof intrigues me in terms of it’s construction process. I think this is one of those places that is probably really magical at night.
The campus overall is meticulous- extremely well cared for but a bit insular. This was the first stop in Wolfsburg and exiting the campus into the surrounding downtown of Wolfsburg feels like a shock of cold water. Much more gritty – shifting from white collar workers tidied in uniforms into the immigrant working class that represents the reality of current German culture – one can understand that despite our achievements we must be willing to change and learn and adapt and recognize the transitions at hand.
Above is my favorite photo from the entire 4 weeks spent in Germany and the Netherlands. Something so accidental… but in the end, all accidents are perhaps never actually accidental.
This is the last in the series and as it posts, I will be back in Germany again in one of my favorite all time cities, Hamburg. I wished to go back and there I will be. We put our intentions out there into the universe and what we do not know we seek will often find us. I find myself seeking to learn more – to test the notion of brain plasticity – to wonder more, accidents and all.
Address: 38440 Wolfsburg, Germany (for Turmfahrt in der Autostadt)
Website: Landscape write up ; Engineering write up of towers ; ArchDaily Porsche pavilion write up
ofallthespaces 