A look at BMW’s 5-star, circular headquarters in South Africa

German automaker BMW’s circular office in Midrand, Johannesburg, won a 5-star rating for its environmentally friendly features.

BMW, which also owns Mini and Rolls-Royce, moved into its South African headquarters in Midrand in 2015.

The iconic building is located next to Pretoria Main Road and off the N1 Highway. It is close to Grand Central Airport and the Midrand stop on the Gautrain.

About 600 associates work in the building, with diverse fields including marketing, human resources, business strategy, and example sales for the BMW brand, Mini and BMW Motorcycle.

The main building in Midrand is part of an “open campus,” which also includes the offices of the Financial Services section and the on-site training centre. 

The group’s website states, “Our uniquely designed atrium garden invites you to take a moment of relaxation and reload your energy. “

The Green Building Council of South Africa awarded the building a 5-star rating in 2015 for its environmentally friendly features.

The rating made BMW South Africa the first automotive company in South Africa to receive the rating.

The rating considered the indoor environment quality, energy, transport, water, materials, land use, ecology, emissions, and innovations.

Variables that added to Midrand HQ’s GBCSA 5-star rating included:

• Glass and solar-controlled louvres installed within the internal façade of the building, enabling enhanced daylight and thermal comfort.
• 90% of the office’s usable area now has an external view, providing good levels of daylight for occupants.
• The peak electrical demand on the building was reduced by 30%, which included an extensive use of LED lighting throughout the building.
• 5% of the parking bays are now dedicated to alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles, while 5% are reserved for motorbikes, mopeds and scooters.
• Water-efficient sanitary fittings were installed throughout the building.
• Water meters were installed for all major water uses and connected to a Building Management System to support proper facility management of water consumption.
• A dedicated storage area was provided for waste recycling, and
• All topsoil impacted by the construction was separated and protected from degradation, erosion, or mixing with fill or waste, and it still remains onsite.

In addition to its Midrand headquarters, BMW has a manufacturing plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria, and an IT hub in Menlyn, Pretoria.

A challenging time for the German company

Despite its large presence in South Africa, the German car brand is facing a series of challenges.

Over the last nine years, the brand reduced its dealership network in South Africa, dropping from 55 in 2015 to 46 in 2024.

A BMW spokesperson said several factors contributed to the reduction in its dealership network, primarily the country’s challenging trading conditions.

The group also added that it was scaling down to service-only operations and consolidating to achieve operating efficiencies.

Apart from the operational changes, the increasing importance of affordability in South Africa is a major contributor to the decline.

BMW said that the drop in vehicle sales over the period was partly driven by the exchange rate over the last decade.

In 2013, the rand to US dollar was just over R10/$. Fast-forward twelve years, and the rand recently hit its worst-ever R19.93/$.

“Therefore, all brands needed to increase vehicle prices above normal inflationary and production cost increases,” a BMW spokesperson said.

“This has placed the premium segment into a new price bracket, encouraging a buying-down trend.”

Images of the BMW HQ in Midrand