BMW Vintage Museum in Beijing, China by Crossboundaries.

BMW’s second museum has recently opened in Beijing, China, designed by Beijing- and Frankfurt-based practice Crossboundaries. The design of the gallery space celebrates the exclusiveness of the BMW vehicle, while also referencing the Chinese aesthetic heritage.

The museum exhibition begins on the third floor of the newly built building, housing the reception in glossy white surroundings, with surfaces accentuated with horizontal lighting strips reminiscent of motion and speed. From here, the visitors transition into a lounge space where ceilings are draped in layers of semi-transparent red textile panels, referencing traditional Chinese archways. The panels can be lowered to double as projection screens as required.

The horizontal lighting strips continue into the main exhibition area, which also features screens integrated into walls. The fourth floor of the museum features vehicles on long plinths, with each one edged in polished stainless steel strips, echoing the linear lighting on the walls. The highly reflective stainless steel ceiling plays with the sense of perspective, mirroring the cars on display.

[Photography by Yang Chao Ying.]