Seven times world champion Michael Schumacher isn’t slowing down in his retirement, and besides testing the Ferrari road and Formula One cars, the German has now ventured into property. Teaming up with the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, seven towers representing the seven titles Schumacher won are to be built around the world. Consruction is due to begin on the first, located on Reem Island in Abu Dhabi.

Schumacher has had a keen eye for architecture for many years, the former racing driver having been very much involved in the building of his Switzerland home. However, big though his home is, it doesn’t even compare to the towers that are to be erected. At 59-storeys, the first tower is said to emerge from the sea with a luxury harbour circling its base. The so-called Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower will be striking, intricately designed and mainly used for private residences. Fins on the exterior will move with the sun to provide shade to the balconies, and the design is said to be inspired by the shapes of snowflakes.

The unique collaboration with Michael Schumacher gave us new insights. Technology, precision, speed, elegance, paired with human intuition and extraordinary performance were a great source of inspiration for the design. Similar to the formula one operation, construction is a team sport with a lot of highly skilled experts. In this sense the architects take the driver seat in the process, taking the project to the physical limits of possibility. Alexander Rieck.

LAVA have previously been involved with other branded architecture, namely the Mercedes-Benz museum and the Fraunhofer Institute, both in Stuttgart. The Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower is due for completion in June 2011.

More information can be found on Dezeen.com.