Porsche's spectacular design for new museum

Porsche's spectacular design for new museum

February 24, 2005 Porsche is presenting to the public the entries of the ten architectural practices that participated in the competition for the planned new Porsche museum building. From today until March 6, the models will be on view daily between 11 am and 6 pm in the Meidinger-Saal in "Haus der Wirtschaft" in Stuttgart. Interested visitors will thus be able to visualise the plans for the Porscheplatz in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen in detail. The new Porsche museum, which is one of the most spectacular architectural projects in the history of the sports automobile manufacturer, is to be completed in 2007 and is expected to attract over 200,000 visitors each year.

The centrepiece of the exhibition in Stuttgart is the model by the Vienna architect's office Delugan Meissl, which emerged as the winner of Porsche's architectural competition and will undertake the realization of the construction project. A total of 170 European architectural offices had applied for the project, ten of which were selected for participation in the competition by a specialist jury.

At a press conference on the evening before the opening of the exhibition the chairman of the jury and architect Professor (ret.) Fritz Auer (Stuttgart/Munich) highlighted the distinctive features of the winning concept: "With its bold perspectives, the tectonic tension between supports and loads and the intelligently organized interior the winning entry identifies with the Porsche philosophy and product in its own way. The new museum shows that even as David, one does not need to hide from the Goliaths of the industry."

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Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Roman Delugan, co-founder of Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, added: "With our concept we wanted to translate the dynamism of Porsche into architecture. Our objective is to create a place in which sensory experiences can be felt by everybody - those qualities typical of Porsche such as power and passion."

The Delugan Meissl concept is a construction for Porsche's parent plant that will attract attention due to its unconventional form alone. A dynamically shaped monolithic body appears to float above the ground and the first floor level. At first sight, it is a provocative and unusual spectacle, but it is precisely this that appeals to the beholder. Stuttgart's Urban Planning Mayor Matthias Hahn on the new museum: "It is a building with a highly individual architectural accent in Stuttgart's museum landscape which lends Porscheplatz a powerful appearance and frame".

Anton Hunger, Head of Press and Public Relations at Porsche AG, also underlined the special attraction of the new museum at the press conference in Stuttgart: "The architecture of the new museum alone will arouse the curiosity of those who see it to come in - and it will definitely be worth a visit. On approximately 5,000 square meters of exhibition space not only will 80 valuable vehicles and other exhibits from the history of the company be displayed, but also interesting insights provided into the workshop for historic sports cars."

The focus of the exhibition is the period from 1948, when Porsche began producing sports automobiles. A chronological overview enables visitors to follow the history of Porsche's products. In addition, more in-depth information is provided in special topic-based arrangements - on Porsche's motor sport activities for example, or on individual vehicles. The achievements and experiences prior to the production of the first Porsche vehicles in 1948 will also be reflected in the new museum - for example, exhibits such as the wheel hub drive of the Lohner electric car are to be displayed.