Transparent Factory
51°02′40″N 13°45′20″E / 51.04444°N 13.75556°E
The Transparent Factory is a car factory and exhibition space in Dresden, Germany owned by German carmaker Volkswagen and designed by architect Gunter Henn. It originally opened in 2002, producing the Volkswagen Phaeton until 2016. As of 2017 it produces the electric version of the Golf.
Meaning
The original German name is Gläserne Manufaktur (meaning factory made of glass). Both the German and English names are a
Car factory
The factory originally assembled Volkswagen's luxury sedan, the
Location
The Transparent Factory is situated in the city center of Dresden, an 800-year-old baroque city known for its arts and craftsmanship. It stands in a corner of the Großer Garten, where a convention center was located before the Second World War. The factory's walls are made almost completely of glass. Its floors are covered entirely in Canadian maple. Its visitor-friendly layout was designed to accommodate up to 250 tourists per day. There are no smokestacks, no loud noises, and no toxic byproducts. Volkswagen planted 350 trees in the grounds.[2]
Current visitor experience
Visitors can test drive VW electric vehicles for 30 minutes, take a virtual tour of Dresden and look at various exhibits relating to VW's electric and hybrid technologies.
Previous visitor experience
The Gläserne Manufaktur also provided visitors with a series of educational attractions relating to the VW "Phaeton". The attractions, designed by BRC Imagination Arts,[3] include Vision World, a multimedia "global theater" that allows visitors to take the pulse of the planet in real time; a Virtual Test drive, featuring a real VW Phaeton combined with motion base technology and computer generated scenery; a computer-based Car Configurator that enables visitors to design the VW Phaeton of their dreams; an interactive Techwall explaining the workings of the Phaeton's "infotainment" system; a Virtual Production Tour; and a media-enhanced Delivery Experience for customers taking possession of new vehicles.
The German TV channel ZDF occasionally films a philosophical panel discussion in the Transparent Factory, "Das philosophische Quartett" (The Philosophical Quartet).
To stop birds from flying into the glass, an outdoor speaker system emulates bird vocalisations marking the territory as "taken".[4]
Future
The factory is to be renovated to enable it to produce luxury and electric cars.
Gallery
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CarGoTram delivers parts to the Transparent Factory
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CarGoTram in Dresden - Pirnaischer Platz Dresden - Delivering parts to the Transparent Factory in 2017
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Car tower at the Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden
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location of the Transparent Factory in the Großer Garten park
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Front entrance of the Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden
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Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden
References
- ^ Lambert, Fred (19 November 2019). "VW adds production of ID.3 electric car to another factory in Germany". Electrek.
- Car Magazine. August 2002. pp. 94–95.
- ^ "Volkswagen Gläserne Manufaktur (Transparent Factory)" (PDF). BRC Imagination Arts.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Wasef, Basem. "21 Cool Facts About the Transparent Volkswagen Factory". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 13 February 2012.