Part urban think tank, part community center and public gathering space, the BMW Guggenheim Lab has aimed to raise awareness of important urban challenges and inspire an ongoing conversation in cities around the world. From 2011 to 2013, this global project traveled to New York, Berlin, and Mumbai. Led by international, interdisciplinary teams of emerging talents in the areas of urbanism, architecture, art, design, science, technology, and sustainability, the Lab has addressed issues of contemporary urban life through programs, projects, and public discourse.

Launched in New York (August 3–October 16, 2011) with a focus on the theme of Confronting Comfort, the Lab traveled to Berlin (June 15–July 29, 2012), where the programming emphasized active citizen participation in shaping cities. It then opened at multiple sites in Mumbai (December 9, 2012–January 20, 2013), where projects and programs explored perceptions of privacy and public space.

The Lab project will conclude with an exhibition to be presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (October 11, 2013–January 5, 2013). Titled Participatory City: 100 Urban Trends from the BMW Guggenheim Lab, the exhibition spotlights major themes and ideas that emerged from the Lab in each of its three locations.

The BMW Guggenheim Lab website and social communities provide opportunities for participants around the world to engage in the ideas and experiments generated by the Lab. View the BMW Guggenheim Lab website.

Visitors at the New York Lab. Photo: Roger Kisby