VitraHaus / Herzog & de Meuron

Over the years the Vitra Campus has become an architecture museum, featuring works by the most renowned architects: Frank Ghery, Zaha Hadid, Alvaro Siza, Tadao Ando, Jean Pruvé, Nicholas Grimshaw, Buckminster Fuller and SANAA (under construction).
The latest addition to the complex is the VitraHaus building, a series of stacked pitched-roof boxed, designed by Herzog & de Meuron for Vitra’s Home Collection:
Vitra Showroom

This past weekend, we were invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Panton chair and other Vitra creations at their showroom in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan. The showroom was buzzing with people socializing and viewing the different designs on the showroom’s staggered levels. We were especially excited to see Alejandro Aravena’s novel “Chairless“, a strap of fabric that is a way to eliminate the need for the traditional chair, and yet allows the person to become the integral part of the furniture. Inspired by the Ayoreo Indians who sit on the ground with a tight strap around their back, Aravena developed this concept to produce a seating device that relieves the spine and legs. “It is obvious that many things have evolved since the beginning of time and that progress has accumulated in our lives in the form of sophisticated needs and desires. But it is also true that there are many things and needs that haven’t changed much since our origins and they can still be satisfied in an extremely simple way: sitting comfortably on the ground is one of them,” explained Aravena.
More about Vitra after the break.
VitraHaus virtual tour
Iwan Baan has always amazed us with his photos, capturing the essence of several projects around the world. But Iwan has also been exploring with virtual panoramas (I remember some OMA buildings at Domus, included on a CD).
Via @vitra I found that Iwan used this technique on the VitraHaus building by Herzog & de Meuron, which you can now explore from your computer to get a better idea about the spatial relations between these stacked volumes.
Follow this link to take the virtual tour.
Vitra Children Workshop / Alejandro Aravena Architects
Architects: Alejandro Aravena
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Project team: Alejandro Aravena + Ricardo Torrejón + Víctor Oddó
Partner Architects in Germany: Osolin Plüss
Models: Ricardo Torrejón
Built Area: 600 sqm
Project: 2008
Renders: Víctor Oddó
Also, Alejandro Aravena shared with us the Sketchup model that you can download here
Volume B store / Marcio Kogan

Architect: Marcio Kogan
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Design Year: 2006
Construction Year: 2007
Co-author: Bruno Gomes, Bruno Guedes
Collaborators: Diana Radomysler, Oswaldo Pessano, Renata Furlanetto, Samanta Cafardo, Suzana Glogowski, Lair Reis, Carolina Castroviejo, Eduardo Glycerio, Maria Cristina Motta, Gabriel Kogan, Mariana Simas
Client: Vitra
Site Area: 504 sqm
Constructed Area: 250 sqm
Contractor: Pentágono Engenharia
Photographs: Fran Parente, Nelson Kon







