EuroTripping – Vitra Campus

While staying outside of Basel for a few days during our European Pretzel back in the summer, we decided (well, I coerced my better half) to cross the Rhine — and the border — to visit the Vitra Campus for a dog walk. It was going to be another scorcher so we got there by 9am, aaaaand lasted for just an hour of wandering before taking refuge in our EV for some AC.

The Vitra Campus, in Weil am Rhein, Germany, is centered around the Vitra furniture brand (you may be familiar with the Panton Chair, designed back in 1967). However, found on its campus are a number of buildings and structures (and even gardens) by notable architects, including a favorite of mine, Frank Gehry, that have been constructed over the years ever since a fire in 1981 destroyed much of the Vitra production facilities.

Because it was getting way too warm already by 10am, and noting my wilting dynamic duo, I didn’t spend as long viewing the campus as I may otherwise have. And I didn’t enter any of the buildings either, sadly. Nevertheless, here are some images of art and architecture I shot, somewhat abstractly in many cases, from names including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Carsten Höller, Thomas Schütte, Bas Smets and Hella Jongerius that I encountered on the Vitra Campus.


A fountain, designed by Dutch artist and designer Hella Jongerius, sprouts out of a Water Garden by Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets, all in front of Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry’s Vitra Design Museum structure

Blockhaus, by German artist Thomas Schütte

Stacks of the Panton Chair viewed through a window of the VitraHaus, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron

A lamp hanging in an outdoor corridor of VitraHaus

Angles in the facade of VitraHaus

A sculpture of chairs in another window of VitraHaus

The Vitra Slide Tower by German artist Carsten Höller

Chairs and umbrellas and steps, oh my

Brick detail

The Vitra Schaudepot, designed by Herzog & de Meuron

More brick details

Detail of the Fire Station, designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid

Another view of a part of the Fire Station

The Vitra Design Museum reflected in the Water Garden

Details of the Factory Building, by Frank Gehry

Detail of the Vitra Design Museum

Vitra Design Museum details

Last Vitra Design Museum details

The Vitra Design Museum (front) and part of the Factory Building (on the left), both designed by Frank Gehry

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