The Mercedes-Benz Museum, designed by Dutch architectural design studio UNStudio, is more than just a modern exhibition space featuring over 150 vehicles. What makes it especially unique is that it houses the world’s strongest artificial tornado. The showcasing venue itself is built similar to the Guggenheim with a central atrium that is viewable from the spiraling levels of the space that surrounds it. The man-made air vortex is located in this spacious central clearing, reaching from the ground floor up to the ceiling of the structure.
The tornado simulation, though an attraction in its own right, was initially created as a safety precaution in case of a fire. The whirling air system is intended to expel smoke emissions from within the building. It is said to take about 7 minutes for the 144 jets that line the interior walls to get 28 tons of smoke to whirl into a 112-foot-high tornado and escape through vents in the roof. While the establishment doesn’t wish to have to use the safety measures, it has proven to be an audience attraction in Stuttgart, Germany.
Check out the video, below, to see the artificial tornado in motion.
UNStudio website
via [Twisted Sifter, Mercedes-Benz Passion]