Porsche Zentrum München Süd | Germany
30 april
Project: Porsche Zentrum München Süd, Munich // Germany
Architect: Weickenmeier, Kunz + Partner Architekten Ingenieure GmbH, Munich // Germany
Fabricator + Installer: ALUFORM Alucobondverarbeitungs-GmbH, Bad Rappenau // Germany
Façade system: Tray panels on bolts
Year of construction: 2024
Product: ALUCOBOND® PLUS Silver Metallic + ALUCODUAL®
Photos: Daniel Sumesgutner
Precision gaps and surfaces
A snapshot from the motorway – an elusive, transitory impression, flashing up briefly before it disappears. A moment, swift and fleeting. Only when it comes to a standstill do the actual contours become apparent; a shape reduced to the essentials with smooth surfaces which seem to flow seamlessly over the wings, roof, and tail. Invisible, powerful high-tech engineering lies behind all this, like the driver’s cockpit deep in the interior. Everything at 29 Drygalski Allee in southwest Munich, where Porsche cars have been displayed, sold and serviced since 2004, has been engineered with the same precision and high quality characteristic of the brand. From the dealership, the cars can head out, for example, onto the A96 motorway towards Starnberg, Oberammergau or drive on further into the mountains.
“Porsche Zentrum München Süd” also illustrates how architecture – or rather, corporate design – can be reflected in such a structure. The section of the building facing the road is a smooth-edged cylindrical volume, which houses the showroom and sales area. There is a glass façade on the ground floor, whereas aluminium panels follow the structure’s curvature on the floor above. As part of the “Destination Porsche” concept, this outer shell was refurbished using higher-performance materials to “reskin” it. However, the design principle was not altered, and its minimalist appearance retained. ALUCOBOND® composite panels, bolted onto a substructure cover the opaque surfaces. The surfaces of these tray panels are sometimes smooth, sometimes finely perforated and in one section, they are accentuated by red luminescent strips. Tapering at this point, the panels create slits of light and give the façade a feeling of dynamism and lightness. The building can be interpreted as a magnification of the product itself: the sophisticated surface continuity of its metal façade represents the car bodywork and meticulous joint patterns echo the precision of Porsche construction and gap dimensions. The glazed surfaces act as display windows. The architecture stands as a symbol of the brand and its distinctive design is carried forward in material, form, and detail.