FROM THE GROUND UP

A tragedy led to a series of fortuitous events that would result in the Vitra Campus, a destination in Germany now regarded as the requisite pilgrimage for lovers of architecture and design

- Hong Xinying

In 1981, a major fire broke out after lightning struck the Vitra factory, razing most of the production facilities in the furniture manufacturer’s headquarters in Weil am Rhein, Germany. This disaster proved to be a turning point for the Swiss design company, which saw the misfortune as an opportunity to construct a new chapter for the site, now dubbed Vitra Campus.

Just before the fire, Vitra’s chairman emeritus Rolf Fehlbaum started collecting modern furniture in 1980, with the goal of opening a design museum. After the fire broke out, the eldest son of Vitra founders Willi and Erika Fehlbaum put forth the idea to rebuild the production facilities and construct archival and research quarters to support his design-conservation efforts. A series of building commissions followed, and were realised by architects who have since become a significant part of design history. 

CREATIVE ASSEMBLY

When I visited the Vitra Campus on a rainy spring afternoon, I witnessed one of the rare occasions when the motorised roof of Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza's factory building becomes activated.

On rainy days, the curved roof sits atop the adjacent facility designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, but once the sun comes out, the roof gently rises a few metres above Grimshaw's building.

Siza's understated building represents a gentle nod of admiration from one architect to another-it has been designed such that the roof does not block the view of Zaha Hadid's eye-catching fire station in the distance, while serving a functional purpose of providing shelter from storms.