La Gazelle | Page 138

évasion fly away ّ ‫لنتحـلق‬ 2 La Gazelle 56 I 140 Nymphenburg porcelain manufactory’s trendiness, BMW has ordered an ensemble that consists of a shelf, in three sizes, with cups, dishes and objects made from the finest, hand crafted porcelain, for the new Mini concept-car… The taste for beauty is also visible in the streets. In Munich, the urban landscape is undergoing profound change and the contemporary architecture is flourishing. Big businesses situated in Munich, leaders of various sectors of activity such as banking, insurance, automotive, multimedia, biotechnology or publishing, contribute by considering their headquarters or administrative centers as jewels of contemporary architecture : HypoVereinsbank (Betz Architekten Agency’s project with an installation of the visual artist Dan Flavin), Mercedes-Benz (by the Munich-based office Peter Lanz), Swiss Re, ClassiCon, Deutsche Bundesbank and of course the extraordinary BMW Welt by the Viennese Coop Himmelb(l)au, show this strong tendency. Munich’s inventiveness and boldness are quite obvious. With some amazing achievements on a small scale, such as the very stylish renovation of stables, warehouses and even bunkers, transformed into trendy bars and restaurants, but also with infinitely more spectacular projects like the Allianz Arena, the stadium inaugurated at the end of May 2005 that Herzog and Meuron covered with an inflatable membrane composed of diamond shapes, and whose façade glows in various colours depending 3 on which football team is playing. Furthermore, Swiss architects have designed the shopping center of the “Funf Höfe” (the five days), a total “must“ downtown. The museums follow the movement, especially the “Akademie der Bildenden Künste” (recently expanded by Coop Himmelb(l)au), “Sammlung Goetz” (designed by Herzog and De Meuron, them again !), the Pinakothek der Moderne and the brand-new Brandhorst museum, equally successful neighbors. We look forward to see the result of the renovation and expansion of another museum, the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, under the direction of Norman Foster. End of works in 2012… The contemporary architecture has even found its place in places of worship : the Jewish center St-