Site Operations Center at BMW

The South Carolina State Ports Authority’s Site Operations Center at BMW is the first new executive building on the grounds of BMW Plant 10 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This 65,000-square-foot office, nestled into a beautiful 78-acre wooded preserve, embodies the client’s reputation for performance, innovative design, and quality. The modern, innovative workplace is elegantly multifunctional and fits BMW’s mission to be the world’s leading provider of premium products and services for individual mobility.

The three-story building is positioned for optimum energy performance while also allowing for a significant presence along the Interstate 85 corridor. The east and west facades are solid, which shields the building from the harsh early morning and late afternoon sun. The building core is located to the south, which limits windows and helps mitigate both noise and heat-gain while increasing BMW’s visibility from the I-85 corridor. The building massing carves away, revealing a wood rain screen, symbolic of BMW’s ongoing commitment to environmental performance and their new electric “I” series. The building’s north facade includes boldly reflective monumental glazing, providing generous biophilic views of the surrounding landscape. Offset within the massing of the building is the “front porch,” marking the building entry and providing outdoor workspace. It features an elegant “glass box” conference space that protrudes through the exterior façade, which welcomes dignitaries, employees, and visitors and symbolic of BMW’s transparent culture,

The high-performance, 300-employee workplace is systematic, classic, and tailored, aligning with the culture, processes, and objectives of BMW. The key opportunity was to increase overall workplace satisfaction, employee communication, and engagement. Harmonizing the structure and routing the energy-efficient mechanical systems between north and south zones. The open offices are arranged along a central circulation spine, which creates a simple, intuitive layout and provides ample views and daylight Hoteling spaces, project rooms, formal conferencing space, and informal living rooms. These spaces are conveniently organized adjacent to the open office space to encourage use and collaboration. For moments of respite during the day, employees are encouraged to recharge outside on the covered porch, in the tea kitchens, or in the ground-level Canteen, which serves food and provides an alternative workspace throughout the day.

The BMW Site operations Center demonstrates that the company’s dedication to its employees is a primary design-driver and that design of its new facility can be as attentive to quality, comfort and performance as the vehicles it creates.