Touring the Vitra Campus
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Approaching the Design Museum one see's Frank Gehry's 1989 building in all its deconstructivist splendor. -
American design don George Nelson is the subject of the current exhibition at the Design Museum. I couldn't resist taking a photo with old George. -
Swiss superstars Herzog and De Meuron designed this still-being-built structure that will house showrooms when it's completed in March 2010. -
Sir Nicholas Grimshaw designed two industrial buildings for Vitra long before he got the Sir prefixed to his name. He was also tapped to do a master plan for the Vitra grounds, but the company opted in favor of diverging styles for its buildings. -
This building by Frank Gehry houses another part of the design collection as well as the cafeteria and a charming Jean Prouvé dining room. -
So as not to leave the architectural fireworks to contemporary designers, the Vitra campus boats an original Bucky dome by Buckminster Fuller and a small structure that used to be a gas station in the Ardennes forest by Jean Prouvé. -
We weren't allowed inside, but I snuck off to have a look at the Bucky dome when our guide was busy wrangling my tourmates. -
This clever bridge is not for pedestrians to walk upon, but underneath. It protects those going from the Grimshaw factory to the Álvaro Siza-designed brick building next door. -
Álvaro Siza's firehouse-inspired brick building is one of the humblest buildings at Vitra, though its rich color is unmatched. -
We didn't get to visit this new building by the Japanese firm SANAA as it's still under construction. -
Zaha Hadid's first constructed building is this one-time fire station on the Vitra campus. It now serves as an exhibition space. -
One of the first buildings on the Vitra grounds, this industrial structure's architect was flippantly identified by our guide as "Mr. Meyer Meuller." I later learned that this is German for Joe Schmoe. -
The Eames' toy elephants which live outside one of the showrooms still haven't managed to escape their pen. -
My love of Jean Prouvé's chairs and tables remains unabeyed. The are so beautifully contemporary yet look like the Titanic. -
I loved this image of another of Gehry's buildings on campus playing backdrop to a Vitra delivery truck. The darkening sky gives the whole affair a rather ominous look. -
The sculpture ""Balancing Tools" by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen consists of all you need to put together an Eames shell chair. -
Tadao Ando's first building outside Japan is this conference center called the "House of Silence." It was perhaps my favorite building of the lot for its serene interiors. -
This is the Design Museum by Gehry viewed from behind. It was his first building outside the US. -
Lunch was very tasty at the cafeteria. I loved the mismatched chairs and wall of photos of celebs (like Miles Davis, Spike Lee and Ben Kingsley) in Vitra chairs. -
The cafeteria staff take a late lunch under one of the most uttered phrases in the joint. A Nelson clock keeps time. -
Even the bus stop outside the Vitra campus is by a design star: Englishman Jasper Morrison.
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