by Katharine Erwin If you love Britain’s Top Gear and you like racing, The GGTR (Gentlemen’s Guide to Racing) may be your new favorite TV show. Helping to bring back chivalry in racing—or at least inject…
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A car service pavilion with a canopy shaped like a giant Pringle potato crisp has been completed in northern Germany by GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architeken (+ slideshow).
Berlin-based GRAFT Gesellschaft collaborated with WES & Partner Landschaftsarchitekten to design the structure for Autostadt, a visitor attraction at the Volkswagen factory in the city of Wolfsburg.
The structure is part of a 15,000-square-metre driving space allowing guests to test features in new cars including driver assistance systems, automatic parking, traffic sign recognition and automatic distance control for safer driving in traffic.
Anchored to the adjacent service centre and a small hill opposite by just two points, the suspended roof forms a shelter for cars to drive through and park, protecting them from sunlight and rain.
Built from a foundation of reinforced concrete, the roof features a double-curved frame of welded steel plates and a frame of steel wire ropes that criss-cross underneath.
The steel cords are integral to the structure, keeping the curved frame in shape and supporting the translucent exterior membrane.
“The space had to be protected from rain and direct sunlight, while allowing enough daylight to avoid the usage of energetically expensive and unnecessary artificial light,” they said.
In the adjacent service pavilion, customers can ask questions about the cars, purchase accessories and find out about other visitor attractions at the site, which include a pavilion with a curled-over steel roof showcasing cars from Porsche and a permanent sustainability exhibition by J Mayer H.
Other Pringle-shaped designs we’ve featured include the 2012 Olympic Velodrome and a glimmering structure covered with reflective pixels and brass pieces at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week.
See more German architecture and design »
Photographs are by Tobias Hein.
Here’s a project description from the architects:
Autostadt Roof and Service Pavilion, Wolfgang, Germany
Driver assistance systems, including automatic parking, traffic sign recognition and automatic distance control, are becoming more common in today’s cars. The new ‘Ausfahrt’ at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg offers guests an opportunity to try out these technical systems in models manufactured by Volkswagen. This helps to ensure safer driving in road traffic. Covering 15,000 square meters, the new driving attraction was built in ten months’ time and opened in August 2013.
GRAFT was commissioned to create a quiet area where the buyer of a new car could get familiar with all the functions in an almost private atmosphere. The space had to be protected from rain and direct sunlight, while allowing enough daylight to avoid the usage of energetically expensive and unnecessary artificial light.
GRAFT developed the idea of a horizontal leaf that protects the landscape underneath with its organic form. “WES-Landschaftsarchitektur” planned the landscape surrounding the roof. In the architectural application of this image, it was necessary to produce the greatest possible lightness: A special static principle allows for the unique roof structure to be anchored in just two points.
It lays in the landscape and defines a clear and protected room. The planning of the structural framework was done by “Schlaich Bergmann und Partner”. The orientation of the roof represents a welcoming gesture through its curvature. The elegant amorphous geometry of the roof structure forms an evident bridge between top and bottom, between sky and landscape.
The associated service pavilion fulfills various functions: the customer can ask questions about his new car, purchase accessories or get information about Autostadt attractions and activities. As the roof follows the concept of a leaf, the pavilion is integrated into the architectural landscape and not designed as a separate building. Basic forms of the roof can be found in the interior architecture.
Client: Autostadt Wolfsburg
Architect: Graft Gesellschaft von Architekten
Planning of the structural framework: Schlaich Bergermann und Partner
Landscape Architect: WES – Landschaftsarchitektur
Contractor Roof Structure: Eiffel Deutschland Stahltechnologie with Taiyo Europe
The post Autostadt Roof and Service Pavilion by
GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architekten appeared first on Dezeen.
Erik and Amy Hormann felt that as a young, entrepreneurial couple, they needed some justification for buying a bright red 1971 Volkswagen Van—as if owning a bright red 1971 Volkswagen Van wasn’t justification alone. With so many on-the-go services on the rise…
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Volkswagen China a demandé à l’agence DMG de s’occuper d’une campagne vidéo pour promouvoir sa voiture Golf GTI. Le résultat donne une vidéo de 4 minutes 30 appelée « Out Of This World » réalisée par Kaism Lim. Une vidéo époustouflante et une course futuriste bourrée d’effets spéciaux.
La marque de voitures Volkswagen a décidé d’être partenaire de Discovery Channel à l’occasion du 25ème anniversaire de la Shark Week, retransmise sur la chaîne du 12 au 16 août. Cette collaboration a permis de voir la création d’une Beetle spécialement conçue pour rouler en milieu aquatique au milieu des requins.
Après l’immense succès de la vidéo Volkswagen – The Force l’année dernière, la marque allemande ressort le grand jeu avec une publicité drôle et très innovante intitulée “The Dog Strikes Back”. Toujours inspirée de l’univers Star Wards, ce spot est à découvrir dans la suite.
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Dans la lignée de la Porsche Facebook Edition, le constructeur Volkswagen lance cette Facebook Car. Une opération avec cette édition unique équipée d’outils faisant directement référence au réseau social (plaque d’immatriculation affichant le statut, impression du NewsFeed, etc.).
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Voici la dernière campagne “Volkswagen Drive Carefully” pour la marque allemande. Pensée par DDB Argentina, cette dernière incite à la prudence au volant grâce à une série de photographies amusantes reprenant des chutes de la vie de tous les jours en y ajoutant un calcul de la vitesse.
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We take a ride in the first Passats to come off VW’s new energy-efficient factory line
Introducing a new streamlined body while lowering the price, the 2012 Volkswagen Passat sleekly updates previous models. The big advancement being that it’s now made stateside at the German automaker’s new sustainably-minded factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. My recent visit to the plant included a detailed overview of the manufacturing process there, which begins with building the cockpit and continues until all 2,300 parts (excluding nuts and bolts) have been added. With 85% of the car locally-produced, the upshot is a stylish sedan designed specifically for the American market (read: more legroom) but delivering the highly-revered German driving experience.
The demanding U.S. customer also expects a higher standard content level, so depending on the model, the cars come equipped with features like iPod docks, a Fender Premium Audio System, Bluetooth connectivity, built-in navigation, keyless entry and more. At four inches longer than the European Passat, VW still kept in mind America’s expansive geography with a fuel economy spanning 28-43mpg.
I had the chance to drive two models—the TDI Clean Diesel and the souped-up 280hp VR6. Making my way through the scenic Tennessee backwoods, I noticed both vehicles have an exceptional turning radius when pulling a few U-turns to look at passed-up landmarks. Paddle shifters on the VR6 added to the winding drive, lending greater control when overtaking other cars and giving the midsize car an even sportier feel. While the VR6 was clearly the more powerful ride, both handled nicely with impressive linear torque.
Starting around $20,000, the new Passat is an affordable car with a lot to offer. Drivers can feel good knowing VW now ships 85% of the American line by rail and that the company is committed to implementing the latest in technology and fuel efficiency, without overlooking the car’s most important factor—a smooth ride.
Conçu par ce designer de 21 ans Yuhan Zhang, l’Aqua Hovercraft Volkswagen est un aéroglisseur tout-terrain. Ce concept bien pensé et mis en scène, peut manœuvrer facilement sur les lacs, les routes, les zones humides, la neige et la glace grâce à ses 4 ventilateurs électriques motorisés.
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