Leipzig Pictures!

It's Saturday, which is lovely. Today is the first day in three weeks that I (or any of my classmates) have been able to sleep in and not worry about any kind of structure in our day. Of course, we have a very large assignment due Monday, but that's just what architecture school implies. We're used to it. =)

26 August, 2008
On my second day abroad, my friends and I took a day trip from Munich to Leipzig, to have a guided tour of the BMW Factory Plant, the central building of which was designed by the rock-starchitect, Zaha Hadid, who is probably the most prominent female architect in the entire world. The building was quite beautiful, but unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos anywhere inside, except in the lobby. In addition to that, our tour ended about a minute before we had to catch a bus back to the train station, so we had almost no time at all to take exterior photos either. All that aside, this building was pretty incredible - I won't go too far into the hairy architectural details, but I think some of the photos I have convey a bit of the genius. Basically the central building houses administrative and other desk-job-type personnel, and connects the three other plant buildings: body shop, paint shop, and assembly. Because it connects all of these buildings, completely silent conveyor belts carrying cars in various states of assembly crisscross the ceiling of the central building, so that all of the personnel there are constantly aware of what is going on in the buildings around them. A very cool concept. On to the pictures!

(if you want to see a photo a bit bigger, just click on it!)

To get to the BMW Factory from the Leipzig train station, we had to take a tram and then a bus. It took a very long time. These are my boys on the tram.


In the main lobby of the central BMW building.


Sneakily trying to photograph deeper into the building, while still technically standing in the lobby. The ramp-type thing curving in from the left is a walkway, and the two large ramp-like things in the top right-ish are both conveyor belts.


How can you pick an architecture student out of a crowd?


A 125i on display in the lobby.


The round thing is a turn in the conveyor belt - it rotates the cars around Zaha's curvaceous design.


Some bodies in white on the conveyor belt - on their way from the body shop to the paint shop.


Zaha is famous for her curves.


Exterior shot - under "the Bridge" which connects the body shop and central building.


Under the Bridge - body shop to the left, central building to the right


The front of the building. (as I took this picture, the bus that we needed to take to get back to the train station was revving its engine at us...)


Continuing to take pictures, despite the revving bus.


One more, right before booking it to the bus.


"Aw, why did we have to leave the pretty building?" Lyndon on the bus.


Leipzig train station.

That's all for now!

Love,
Rachel