After exceeding sales objectives for the new Z3 for several years, BMW Manufacturing Corporation made the decision to expand their Spartanburg, South Carolina, facility (Plant 10.1) to meet the increased market demand. BMW called Context Design Group in to define the scope of the project, draw clear lines between the process and the facility and facilitate in the selection of an Architecture and Engineering firm to create the project’s construction documents. As Architect-of-Record for the original Plant 10, Context Design Group ensured continuity in the building expansion project. 

The project team consisted of members of Context Design Group, BMW Manufacturing Corporation (U.S. Operations) and BMW AG’s (German Operations) staffs.   This integrated team designed the Body Shop expansion to support  a production volume of 235 units per day. The resulting facility

was an 185,000 square foot addition that interfaces seamlessly with the existing Paint Shop and Final Assembly Areas.  The project team designed the Body Shop process to incorporate automated welding systems to assemble the Z3 bodies and transport them from workstation to workstation as well as between the Body, Paint and Final Assembly Areas.

Throughout the project, Context Design Group worked to outline the basic elements of the project, clearly define the overall project scope, schedule and document clear break lines between process and facility scope and budget.  The building configuration is designed to support the high-level plans for the next generation BMW Z-4 roadster. Context Design Group optimized the facility layout based on process requirements. The project team also allowed for future process changes and maximum facility flexibility by designing the facility to support uniform hanging load conditions throughout the new expansion.