IN FOCUS: THE INNOVATIONLAB AND A NEW DIMENSION OF EXHIBITION ARCHITECTURE
Wheel loaders weighing 400 tons. Excavators with buckets large enough to hold houses. Cranes that scrape the sky. At bauma, size takes on a whole new meaning. With 3,400 exhibitors and 600,000 square meters of exhibition space, it is the largest trade fair in the world. Everything and everyone is gigantic here — yet one stand regularly stands out.
Since its debut, Liebherr’s pavilion has been regarded as an architectural highlight and has been continuously developed and rebuilt multiple times. Designed by KTP Architects from Stuttgart and realized by DISPLAY INTERNATIONAL, this temporary exhibition structure is a masterpiece made from around 1,000 tons of steel, constructed in just five months. It offers 6,000 square meters of usable space and an impressive 14,000 square meters of total exhibition area.
The multi-storey steel skeleton construction with high-quality interior fittings features 72 meeting rooms, numerous VIP lounges, three elevators, restaurants, a trucker bar, and a fan shop. Spacious staircases evoke the grandeur of Parisian department stores, a surrounding walkway made of premium wooden planks offers panoramic views of all exhibits, and the panoramic glazing gives the building its iconic visual impact — a showroom of superlatives.
A central element is the InnovationLab: here, it’s not just one groundbreaking idea that takes center stage, but an entire ecosystem of technologies and solutions actively shaping the future of the construction machinery industry — especially in the field of alternative drives. On approximately 70 square meters, current and future application scenarios of innovative technology are brought together in one place.
For the current edition, the West building was further expanded: an additional intermediate floor adds about 700 square meters of new space for offices, meeting areas, hospitality zones, a shop, and cap distribution. Around 200 tons of additional steel were planned and installed for this expansion. Alongside this, key areas — including the Liebherr shop, the InnovationLab itself, the HR area, and the press lounge — were repositioned and architecturally reimagined within the pavilion.
The result is an exhibition presence that not only sets standards but continuously advances them — making a clear statement for innovation, brand presence, and visitor focus.
