{"id":33546,"date":"2016-10-19T18:42:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T16:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/vitra-schaudepot\/"},"modified":"2016-10-26T15:21:57","modified_gmt":"2016-10-26T13:21:57","slug":"vitra-schaudepot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/vitra-schaudepot\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitra Schaudepot"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 3 June 2016, a new building has\u00a0opened on the Vitra Campus: the Vitra\u00a0Schaudepot, designed by the Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron<\/a>. The\u00a0Schaudepot provides the Vitra Design Museum with a venue for presenting key\u00a0objects from its extensive collection to the public, complemented by a new caf\u00e9\u00a0and a shop. In this context, a second entry point will be created to the Vitra\u00a0Campus, enhancing its connections to the cities of Basel and Weil am Rhein.<\/p>\n

\"Exterior<\/a>
Exterior view Schaudepot, view from the newly created second entry to the Vitra Campus, photo \u00a9 Vitra Design Museum, Julien Lanoo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The collection of the Vitra Design Museum ranks among the most important holdings of furniture\u00a0design worldwide. It contains some 7000 pieces of furniture, a vast assemblage of lighting objects\u00a0and numerous archives, as well as the estates of such designers as Charles & Ray Eames, Verner\u00a0Panton and Alexander Girard. Although the main museum building by Frank Gehry from 1989 was\u00a0originally conceived to house the collection, the museum utilises the space to stage major temporary\u00a0exhibitions. To date, the museum\u2019s collection has never been on permanent display.\u00a0The Basel-based architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron has now created a new structure for the\u00a0museum in which the collection will be exhibited and communicated to the public. The centrepiece\u00a0of the Schaudepot is a permanent exhibition of more than 400 key pieces of modern furniture\u00a0design from 1800 to the present. The objects shown include early bentwood furniture, icons of\u00a0Classical Modernism by Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto and Gerrit Rietveld, along with colourful plastic\u00a0objects from the Pop era and recent designs produced with a 3D printer.\u00a0This presentation will be complemented by smaller temporary exhibitions on themes related to the\u00a0collection, beginning with a look at the \u00bbRadical Design\u00ab movement of the 1960s. On the lower\u00a0ground level, the Schaudepot offers insights into additional focal points of the collection, such as\u00a0Scandinavian and Italian design, the lighting collection and the estate of Charles and Ray Eames.<\/p>\n

\"Exhibition<\/a>
Exhibition view of main hall photo \u00a9 Vitra Design Museum, Mark Niedermann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following the VitraHaus from\u00a02010, the Schaudepot is the second building by Herzog & de Meuron on the Vitra\u00a0Campus. The new structure combines the simple appearance of an industrial\u00a0building or warehouse with the complex requirements of a walk-in museum repository.\u00a0To the outside Schaudepot presents itself as a monolithic volume constructed from hand-broken\u00a0bricks, characterized by a completely windowless fa\u00e7ade and a simple gable roof. The bricks\u00a0were split on site and give the building a lively texture. With its simple and dignified appearance,\u00a0the Schaudepot reflects the cultural worth of the objects stored within. The interior of the building\u00a0offers ideal conservational conditions for the preservation of the valuable pieces in the collection.\u00a0The main hall on the ground floor of the Schaudepot is defined by a regular gridded arrangement\u00a0of fluorescent tubes on the ceiling, which evenly illuminate the interior. This space houses the permanent\u00a0exhibition as well as temporary exhibitions related to the collection, along with the entrance\u00a0area and a shop. A third section contains wardrobes, sanitary facilities and a caf\u00e9 and\u00a0links the building to the restoration workshop, the library and the offices of the Vitra Design Museum.\u00a0A large window connects the main hall to the lower ground floor, from which visitors can get a\u00a0glimpse of the other repositories of the collection. This visual contact emphasizes the underlying\u00a0concept of the building: the Schaudepot enables the museum\u2019s collection to outwardly grow and\u00a0expand and gain a greater public presence with an above-ground display space. The existing\u00a0repositories on the lower ground level will remain in operation, being further expanded and likewise\u00a0becoming part of the overall presentation.<\/p>\n