Starting in 1970, BMW began building an administrative tower block in the north of Munich. Its un- usual shape soon led to it to be known as the "four-cylinder building", and it soon became a notable landmark in the city's architecture. The BMW Museum was installed next to it in a bowl-shaped building that is still one of a kind to this day. The new building complex was officially opened on 18 May 1973. 1973 – Worldwide creation of sales subsidiaries. 1979 – BMW goes to Steyr. 1985 – BMW Technik GmbH. 1987 – BMW starts up in Regensburg. In 1986, BMW AG brought together all research and development work under one roof at the Forschungs- und Innovationszentrum (Research and Innovation Centre, or FIZ) in Munich. It became the first automotive manufacturer to establish such an institution, with around 7,000 scientists, en- gineers, designers, managers and technicians, working together as part of an integrated team. The facility was officially opened on 27 April 1990. In 2004, the FIZ was expanded with the addition of the Projekthaus building. Incorporating the principles of “construction communications”, the devel- 1990 – THE BMW RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTRE: A SPECIAL KIND OF THINK-TANK.