Hemmed in between three huge production halls, the site, pre-allocated by BMW, offered particular challenges. Hadid’s buildings are more used to being objects in a landscape, and Leipzig is clearly in the lineage of topographic, horizontal structures such as the Vitra fire station (AR June 1993) and Land Form One (AR June 1999).
Here, however, the taut, muscular streak of the Central Building (no slip at 40,000m²) is dwarfed by the grey hangars of industrial production, like burly minders clustering round a potentially temperamental film star. Inside, the production halls for body making, assembly and paint finishing (not designed by Hadid) are relatively light and airy, but their scale is mind-bogglingly vast. Staff use bicycles and scooters to get around the interiors, an endearingly Monsieur Hulotesque touch amid all the robotic sophistication. Developed especially for Leipzig, BMW’s hyper flexible work structures means that the plant can vary its operational times from 60 to 140 hours a week, depending on demand, with no loss of efficiency.