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On Thursday, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme opened its new headquarters in Mies, Switzerland, located just across from the previous confines. Besides containing the sanctioning body’s day-to-day operations, the building also includes a museum and an “FIM Tech Lab”.
The opening of the new building coincides with the FIM’s 120th anniversary and the 40th of being based in Mies. The federation was founded in 1904 in France before moving to Switzerland in 1959, then heading to the canton of Vaud in 1994. The previous headquarters opened in 2016.
“The FIM is a living body made up of 121 National Federations, six Continental Unions and nearly 400 people who, every week, bring what I consider the best spectacle in the world to the millions of supporters globally,” said FIM president Jorge Viegas at the reveal. “I tried to have dreams, but achievable ones: dreams that give all those who are part of the FIM a positive vision for the future, and goals to attain that will give them a better experience of motorcycling as a project that attracts and motivates them.
“The new headquarters is just that: it’s a dream come true, but above all, it’s a project that allows all those working at FIM or for motorcycling around the world to benefit from a worthy home that meets their needs. The architecture is as dynamic and vibrant as the experience of riding a motorbike. It is full of transparency in line with my wishes for the FIM, it’s a building that breathes and makes us want to stay between its walls; finally, it’s a space where more dreams can come true in the future.”
According to FIM CEO Françoise Emery, the headquarters was first proposed by Viega “a little over three years ago” to account for the federation’s increasing size over the years. Since the turn of the millennium, FIM staff has grown by twenty-five percent, making a new, expanded building a sensible option.
“We were starting to feel a little cramped,” quipped Emery.
It was constructed using 3,500 cubic metres of concrete and 13,000 square metres of framework that weighed 385 tonnes total, along with over forty kilometres of optic cabling and 2,300 metres of piping. The museum was developed from old office space, and will have its grand opening at the end of 2025. The building also features a rainwater harvesting system to irrigate the surrounding gardens.
Research and development, along with training FIM technical inspectors, will obviously take place at the new FIM Tech Lab. The room is visible from the outside via a large glass window.
Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, 36-time FIM Trial World Champion Toni Bou and ten-time Trial Women’s Champion Emma Bristow held an exhibition for those in attendance.