Bavarian Motors Geumcheon: A Vertical Landmark BMW Showroom in Seoul
Bavarian Motors, a leading BMW dealership in South Korea, recently completed a major showroom in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul.
Despite its compact site of just 660 square meters, it has become one of the largest BMW showrooms in the metropolitan area.
Due to the small footprint, the design adopted a vertical approach, with multiple levels for showrooms, vehicle storage, and logistics.
A car lift system connects all floors, enabling efficient vehicle movement throughout the building—from the basement parking to the eighth-floor storage.
Facing the wide Siheung-daero, the site benefits from Seoul’s zoning rules, allowing for a building height of over 50 meters.
This regulation shaped a unique vertical layout, with each floor assigned a specific function instead of the traditional horizontal zoning common in auto showroom design.
The building’s orthogonal form was carefully aligned to the site, maximizing land use while presenting a clean and prominent façade to the street.
Its height—five to six stories above neighboring structures—makes it a visible landmark, even from far-off highways.
The curtain wall glazing and an internal lighting system give it a glowing, lantern-like appearance at night.
At the ground level, a 6-meter-high piloti space creates an open drop-off zone, with paving extending into the lobby in textured stone finishes.
Inside, vertical openings between floors maintain visual and spatial continuity, offering a seamless showroom experience that extends to a terrace on the fifth floor.
Upper floors are dedicated to offices, with the ninth and tenth floors providing panoramic views of Seoul.
The tenth floor opens to a rooftop terrace above the car lift shaft, offering a private outdoor space for employees.
This project showcases how tight urban conditions can drive innovative architecture—turning spatial limitations into vertical potential and setting a new benchmark for urban auto showroom design.