The construction should replace the existing exhibition complex from the 1960s, which could no longer cope with the influx of visitors, and should attract at least one million people a year.
The building has already been recognized as one of the typical structures of the digital architecture era. Its complex structure, which can be described as the connection of two tight spirals (reminiscent of a DNA molecule), was entirely developed with the help of computer programs, and methods were also found to technically translate the ideas of architects. Hence the definitions of "digital modernism" and "computer baroque", which critics associated with this project long before its implementation.
The layout of the exhibition (its project was prepared by the HG Merz Architectin bureau) was borrowed from the New York Guggenheim Museum by F. L. Wright: Visitors take capsule lifts to the upper tier and descend down one of the two ramps. One of them leads through an exhibition entitled "Collection" and tells about models of Mercedes-Benz cars, arranged according to the thematic principle (they themselves are most of the exhibits); the second, interactive, part of the exposition is called "Myth" and is dedicated to the history of this company - the oldest car manufacturer in the world.
The visitor can freely move from one spiral to another, they are connected in several places. Thus, the museum has no division into separate exhibition halls, its interior is a single internal space.
An atrium is inscribed between the ramps to the full height of the building. Outside, the concrete spiral strips are clad in aluminum and interspersed with glazing zones.
The museum is located on the outskirts of Stuttgart, next to the motorway; it is built on a specially made embankment paved with slabs. Next to it is the Mercedes-Benz plant and a new car dealership selling cars of this brand, which opened simultaneously with the museum. Together they form the Mercedes-Benz World complex.
