BMW Canteen

BMW South Africa sought to increase production capacity at its assembly plant in the Rosslyn industrial area, North of Pretoria, during the period 2009 - 2012. As part of this infrastructural investment, BMW commissioned Co-Arc International to upgrade its staff canteen facilities consisting of a main canteen, industrial kitchen and several satellite canteens, amidst the utilitarian industrial architecture.

Co-Arc’s aim was to create an oasis within the vast factory environment where people could meet, formally and informally, and to provide a space that gives respite from the factory floor and executive offices alike.

The use of branching steel columns and a full-height glass wall that overlooks a generous exterior seating space with views of surrounding gardens, produces a space filled with light that still responds to the economic industrial architecture, but also mimics the flat-crowned acacia trees of the region.

The result is a light and humane space that maximises BWM’s investment in their staff and adheres to the rigorous sustainability criteria that from an integral part of the company’s corporate ethos and specification.