porsche pavilion by HENN

‘porsche pavilion’ by HENN in wolfsburg, germany
photo: HG esch

the new porsche pavilion at the autostadt in wolfsburg, germany is the first addition to the theme park since its 2000 opening. designed by german firm HENN, the curved lines and form are derived from the ‘dynamic flow of driving’, encompassing the universal image of the porsche brand. following a similar construction to that of monocoque technology – applied to the development of lightweight designs within the automotive and aerospace industries – the sculptural piece of architecture forms a spatial enclosure, while acting as a load bearing structure at the same time. at its entrance, it cantilevers outwards at a length of 25m, hovering over the water surface of a built-in lagoon, along the perimeter of which a circular walkway runs, allowing visitors to further explore the autostadt. the exterior is covered in 620 matte-finished stainless steel cladding with welded ribs which were prefabricated in a ship-yard in stralsund and assembled on site resulting in a seamless building skin, positioned within the park in such a way that it mirrors the location of the volkswagen pavilion. the surrounding landscape has been executed by WES to make sure the new pavilion seamlessly blends into the overall themes of the surrounding existing park.

the organically shaped building sits mirroring the volkswagen pavilion
photo: HG esch

an elliptically curved ramp embraces the dynamic principle of the architecture, leading visitors into the interior concept developed by hg merz architeckten museumsgestalter. the lower 400 m2 exhibition and staging areas house the original porsche – a 356 no. 1 built in 1948 – which is the starting point of the space, leading to a collection of 25 silver coloured vehicle models at a scale 1:3, presented within the main display area. on show are short films which express the four antagonistic terms which characterize porsche’s values and philosophy: tradition and innovation, performance and day-to-day-practicality, design and functionality, exclusiveness and social acceptance. a film about the company’s history along with sound stories and other porsche models are also presented to give an overall informative overview of the automotive brand and its history.

an ellipitically curved ramp embraces the dynamic principle of the architecture
photo: HG esch