Apr 20 2009
The new Porsche Museum gives the impression of floating: The exhibition building is 16 meters off the ground, supported on three huge concrete columns. After a construction period of roughly three years, the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen was officially inaugurated in January.
In the 5,600 square meter exhibition area, visitors can learn about the history of Porsche and view around 80 of the company's iconic vehicles, from the early 356 to the 911. The visitors enter the futuristic building through a gleaming lobby area resplendent in stainless steel from ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. In the Krefeld and Dillenburg plants the company produced around 90 metric tons of Nirosta 4404 for the project, a highly corrosion-resistant stainless steel containing roughly 17 percent chromium, 12 percent nickel and 2 percent molybdenum.
Vienna-based architects Delugan Meissl, who designed the Porsche Museum, deliberately chose stainless steel for the lobby ceiling. "The reflective material makes the spacious lobby area appear even bigger," says Roman Delugan. "The interaction of visitors and building is reinforced by the mirror effect." The particular challenge facing ThyssenKrupp Nirosta was to guarantee the uniform high quality of the glossy polished finish. "Our material met all the architects' demands on the reflective, diamond-shaped stainless steel elements," says Gert Weiß, head of product service at ThyssenKrupp Nirosta.