Title: Site Operations Center at BMW
Location of Proejct: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Project Completion Date: October 2016
Firm Name: Perkins and Will

Short Description: 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 multi-functional and fits BMW’s mission to be the world's leading provider of premium products and services for individual mobility.

Architect's Statement: 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.

The South Carolina State Ports Authority's Site Operations Center at BMW presented several challenges that became design opportunities and unique features of the building. The siting of the project on the campus presented an opportunity for BMW’s brand as well as building and site performance.

Early studies of the large wooded site on BMW’s campus lead the team to make decisions about choosing a specific site for the project. The hydrology of the site showed how water moved from East to West and down through the site through a natural swale. The design team preserved this with the parking design and added rain gardens between the bays to allow water to be preserved in the soil, avoiding any burden on the municipal system.

The selection of wood as an exterior material of the building presented challenges in Spartanburg’s climate. The design team selected a variety of wood to test against the region’s humidity and insect population. Thermally-modified Poplar, Fijian Mahogany, Massaranduba, and Ipe were tested onsite in a mock-up for three seasons during construction. The thermally modified wood did not hold up to the other dense woods and Ipe was ultimately selected for durability, aesthetics, and cost.

Energy models were used at the conceptual design to test different orientation and massing options for the project. Ultimately, the plan became a long bar with limited exposure on the east and west and glazing on the north for excellent day-lighting with limited heat gain. Placing the building close to I-85 offered a site for future campus buildings at BMW, a great branding opportunity, and more area to sensitively design surface parking into the existing natural systems. The buildings core offsets to the southern side of the building which gives BMW presence along the interstate while shielding South façade from heat gain and interstate noise.
The final challenge of the project looked at how to incorporate BMW’s research on the work being done in Munich, Germany into the culture in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A more open office that incorporated ideas of collaboration, mobility, and work choice organized the project. Team rooms, phone rooms, and conferencing are adjacent to the main circulation spine along the core to the south. The balance and majority of the floor opens up to the north as a collaborative office drenched in natural daylight with views to the woods and BMW plant beyond. This way of working, new location, and its connection to the site is a welcomed addition to the existing offices located in the plant along the production lines.